Outdoor Games
Simon Says – The wackier the commands, the better!
Jump Rope – 15 minutes of jumping rope, add your own tricks!
Juggling – Try to juggle with scarves, bandanas, fruit, or tennis balls!
Egg on a Spoon – Relay race with eggs on spoons. Don’t drop the eggs!
Musical Chairs – The faster the music, the better!
THREE-LEGGED RACE
Number of players: An even number, four or more
Props: String, fabric cord or other material that can be used to tie two players’ legs together
Time required: 15 minutes
How to play:
Teams are made up of two players standing next to each other with their legs tied together so four legs must function as three. Teams must work together to race a pre-determined distance without falling. The first team to cross the finish line wins. Can be organized as teams of two or as a relay.
BOOT CAMP
Number of players: Two or more
Props: Jump ropes, rubber tires, whatever is available
Time required: 15 to 30 minutes
How to play:
Players must complete a boot camp course in an allotted amount of time or against another team. The boot camp course includes elements such as jumping jacks, push-ups, sit-ups, running, walking, cartwheels, jumping rope, and running through tires.
SHOE PILE RACE
Number of players: 20 or more players, divided evenly into teams
Props: Shoes
Time required: 5 minutes
How to Play:
Players take off one shoe and put it in one big pile, then they have a relay race between teams. The first players from each team start by running to the pile of shoes and finding their shoes; then they run back and tag their teammates to find their shoes until everyone has gone. The team that finds their shoes first wins!
WET SPONGE RELAY
Number of players: 10 or more, evenly divided into two teams
Props: Four buckets, two sponges
Time required: 20 minutes
How to play:
Players arrange themselves in a straight line, with a full bucket of water at one end of the line and an empty bucket at the other end. Players dunk the sponges in the water and then pass the wet sponges down the line, with the last person wringing the wet sponge into the bucket and passing it back. The object is to fill the empty bucket with water using only a sponge. The first team to fill their empty bucket wins.
CRAB-WALK RELAY
Number of players: Six or more, evenly divided into teams
Props: None
Time required: 15 minutes or more
How to play:
Teams line up so each player has a turn walking backwards on his or her hands and feet (belly up) like a crab. One player from each team begins by crab-walking to a designated line. The crab must turn around and crab-walk back to tag his or her teammate. Each crab must walk the course as fast as possible until all members of the team have completed the course. The first team to complete the relay wins.
FREEZE TAG
Number of players: Five or more
Props: None
Time required: 30 to 60 minutes
How to play:
Similar to conventional tag, except that once the one who is "It" tags another player, that player has to “freeze,” or stand perfectly still. Players who haven’t been tagged can “unfreeze” the frozen players, setting them free. The game ends when all the players are frozen.
HULA HOOP PASS
Number of players: 10 or more, divided evenly into teams
Props: Two hula hoops
Time required: 15 to 30 minutes
How to play:
Teams stand in a line side-by-side with hands linked and the person on the end holding the hula hoop. To win the race, teams must pass the hoop from the first person in line to the last without letting go of each other’s hands and breaking the chain.
FOOTSIE BALL
Number of players: 10 or more, evenly divided into two teams
Props: One large playground ball per team
Time required: 15 minutes
How to play:
Each team lines up across from the opposing team. Players then lie down next to each other on the ground. The first player at the end of each line takes the ball in between his or her feet and passes the ball to the player next to him or her. Players must pass the ball down the line, using only their feet. The first team to pass successfully the ball down the line wins.
RED ROVER
Number of players: Two teams divided equally
Props: None
Time required: 15 to 30 minutes
How to play:
Teams face each other holding hands to make two human chains. They take turns calling players from the opposing team over to try and break their chain. If a player successfully breaks the other team’s chain, that player can bring an opponent back to his or her team. If not, he or she remains with the other team. The game ends when all players are connected into one long chain.
BALLOON RACE
Number of players: Two or more players, divided evenly into teams
Props: Balloon and chair
Time required: 5 minutes
How to play:
Each teammate has a balloon. The first one runs to the chair, sits on the balloon until it pops, and then runs back for the next teammate to do the same. Play goes on until the team that has popped all the balloons wins.
BALL RUNNING
Number of players: Three or more players
Props: Ball per player
Time required: 15 to 30 minutes
How to play:
Keeping a ball pressed between their knees, players race from the starting line to the finish. The first to cross the finish line wins the race.
HOTFOOT HOP
Number of players: Two or more players
Props: None
Time required: 15 to 30 minutes
How to play:
One person shouts “Start,” signaling players to begin hopping on one foot. The player who poops out last wins.