With summer upon us and the sun shining there is no better time to get the kids outside and play. Of course, it is important to remember to Slip on a shirt, Slop on the 30+ sunscreen, Slap on a hat, but once that is done get outside and enjoy playing with the kids.
Whether you are a mom, dad, nana, grandpa or the nanny, children love to play outdoors with you and other children, however coming up with new games to play each time can be difficult. We’ve listed 10 of our favorite games to play that will be fun for the big and little kids!
Ball games-‐ kick to kick, soccer, catch
Any ball games can be lots of fun, whether it’s simply kicking the ball around or a small game of soccer (known in the rest of the world as football), it’s an activity that everyone can enjoy. Hand eye coordination will be improved with a simple game of catch. Whether it is with a baseball and mitt or some kind of softer ball, it can bring enjoyment for all. If you have a large backyard then go for it, otherwise go for a walk to the park, local school or nearby field.
Tag
It is a great exercise and keeps everyone moving. This can be played in a small or big group. Ensure that you decide on a safe area such as the backyard; otherwise the children could be chasing each other down the street. One player is ‘it’ and the idea is to chase the other players around the area until someone is tagged. The ‘tagged’ player then becomes ‘it’ and starts chasing the players again to tag someone else. Make up fun variations to this but the most important part is that you get involved in the game with the kids.
Hopscotch
Hopscotch can be played anywhere you have concrete or pavement to draw on. All you need is some chalk, a rock or small object and some space. Draw out the hopscotch course which is just squares or circles in different shapes and distances. Taking it in turns, toss the rock onto one of the squares, following the course, the player must hop on one foot until the end of the course. The tricky part? They must first skip the square that the rock landed on. Once at the top of the course they must turn around and hop back to the start. On the way back they must pick up the rock and return to the beginning. The player is out if they step on a line or fail to hop through the course. This game is great for the children’s coordination and can be played as an individual if needed.
4 square
This game needs a ball, some chalk and some space. Divide the area into 4 squares, one child needs to stand in each of the squares. The idea is that the ball is bounced to each person but must be bounced in their share to pass it on. The idea is to pass it to each child without dropping it or letting it go out of the square.
Kick ball
Playing Kick Ball is just like playing baseball without a bat. Set up 3 bases and a home plate in a diamond shape. Using a large rubber ball the ‘pitcher’ will roll the ball to the ‘batter’ or in this case the kicker and the kicker will kick the ball as far as they can and then run to the first base. After this the same rules apply as baseball, minus the mitts.
What’s the time Mr Wolf
A great activity to get the kids exercising but also counting. One player is chosen as the wolf and he or she will stand at one end of the playing area with their back to the rest of the players. The other players that are not ‘Mr Wolf’ will start at the base line at the other end of the play area. They will yell out ‘What’s the time Mr Wolf’ and the wolf will turn around and response with a time (i.e. 4 o’clock.) All players will then take 4 big steps closer to the wolf. The wolf will turn back around and the players will yell again ‘What’s the time Mr Wolf’ the wolf will respond and the players will take steps closer to the wolf. This will be repeated until the players are close enough that when they ask ‘What’s the time Mr Wolf’ again the wolf will respond with “Dinner time” the wolf will then chase all the players back to the base line. The play who is caught by the wolf becomes the new wolf and the game starts again.
Hide and seek
Make sure you confine this one to the backyard or safe area, that way the children won’t be looking for each other for hours because they have gone into the front yard. This game is basic but loads of fun. One player seeks and the others hide. The players who are hiding get a head start as the seeker will count to 20 and then say ‘ready or not here I come’. Once all the children are found whoever was found first becomes the seeker and the others hide.
Freeze
Get the kids all together on the soft grass and get them dancing to the music. Just use your smartphone or tablet and dance along with them. Then at random, pause the music, everyone has to freeze and anyone that moves is out. Keep playing until there is only one person left. This game is also good to teach the children coordination and that they can’t always win!
Outside bowling
Just like 10 pin bowling but outside. Set up empty plastic water bottles or milk containers with just a little bit of water at the bottom of them as the pins in a row and see how many you can knock down. You can do this by throwing or kicking the ball at the pins. Take turns to see how many can be knocked down at once.
Jump rope
Jumping rope can be lots of run and great exercise. Children can do it with a single rope each or one big rope where two people stand on each end and one or two people jump in the middle. Each child can take turns and see how many jumps they get before missing a jump. This can also be done to music or rhymes.
Hope you enjoy the games and the sun shine! Tell us your favorite games in the comments below.
The Recruitment Team at Placement Solutions, a Nanny Agency based in Melbourne, Australia.