The days are getting brighter and the weather is getting warmer, so get outside and play! Being outside in nature and the fresh air and exercise is good for everyone - but especially children. Hey Kiddo has 7 fun outdoor games for kids to get their energy flowing.
Outdoor physical activity is good for both physical and mental health. Moreover, playing outdoors gives you more freedom. For example, there are no walls or furniture in the way, and you don't have to keep your voice down to avoid disturbing the neighbours. You can simply let loose! Fun outdoor games for kids are especially good for those little critters with extra energy. They can find an outlet for all their energy. Suggested places to play are the garden, the playground (or just a regular park) or the forest. Just like regular play, you don't have to be a lot of people to play, but the more people there are, the more fun it is! Sometimes it can be fun to get all the adults involved too! Outdoor play is a great activity to do with children and its babysitting from Hey Kiddo!
Here are 7 fun outdoor games for kids
1. Cat and Rat
To play this game, you need more than 4 people. The first thing to do is to choose a cat and a rat. The other participants form a ring around the rat by holding hands. The cat is left outside the ring. The aim of the game is for the cat to try to get into the ring and catch the rat. The participants forming the ring try to help the rat by preventing the cat from entering. If the cat manages to get into the ring, the participants in the ring can let the rat out and try to catch the cat. Once the rat has been caught by the cat, the cat and rat are exchanged and the game starts again. Cat and Rat is a really fun outdoor game for kids!
2. Reverse hide and seek / Sardine bag
This game should be played by more than 2 people. All participants except one close their eyes and count to 100 (if 100 is too difficult, 50 is fine too). The person who doesn't close their eyes runs and hides in a good place. When the other participants have finished counting, they should start looking for the hidden person. If someone finds them, they should not shout "found!" but instead quietly hide in the same place. Then wait for the other participants to find the hiding place and hide with them. In the end, only one person is left looking. When the last person finds the hiding place (where everyone is packed like sardines in a box), the game is over. You can start again but with another person running and hiding.
3. the scavengers
In this game, you are divided into two teams. You as the leader/childminder should write a list of things they have to find. There can be many different things, some easy to find and some difficult to find. Both teams are given the same list and the aim of the game is to find the items as quickly as possible. The team that finds the items the fastest wins. Examples of things you can put on the list, if you are playing in the forest, are: something yellow, something red, a leaf bigger than the palm of your hand, something that doesn't belong in the forest, a stick that is longer than the longest member of the team, something that can't be broken, something that rubs off, etc.
4. Animal play
In this game you also need more participants. Everyone sits in a circle, except for one person who sits in the centre of the circle and covers their eyes. The person sitting in the centre of the ring should say an animal. Then someone in the ring has to imitate that animal. The game is that the person sitting in the centre of the ring has to guess who is imitating the animal. You can also play a different version of this game, where the person sitting in the centre does not say anything. Instead, someone in the ring starts imitating an animal on their own initiative, and the person in the centre of the ring has to guess who is imitating, and which animal it is.
5. knots
This game starts with everyone standing in a tight circle. Then everyone has to close their eyes and reach their hands into the ring, trying to find two hands to grab. Everyone has to find two hands to grab, from two different people, so that you don't end up holding hands two-by-two. When this is done, you open your eyes and see that you have a big knot. Now you should try to untangle the knot, but you absolutely must not let go of your hands. What you can do is step over each other's sleeves, go under, spin and a lot of other acrobatics. If you manage to get a big regular ring, you've won the game together.
6. Obstacle course
If you can play in a playground, an obstacle course is a perfect activity. You can decide on the route of the obstacle course and use the sandpit, swing, slide and climbing track available on site. You can also bring your own materials such as rock rings and old cardboard boxes to climb in. It is important to be clear about where the course goes so that all participants know where they are going. If you want to make it even more difficult (and more fun!), you can take your time and compete with each other to see who can complete the obstacle course the fastest. If you don't want a competitive element, children can compete against themselves by trying to achieve the fastest time when completing the obstacle course.
7. drawing on tarmac
Bring asphalt crayons and draw on the street where you live. Be careful to stay on the pavement. Make drawing games or draw freely. Of course, the colour will disappear with water, so either wait for rain or pour a bucket of water over the paintings when you're done.
Do you know more fun outdoor games for kids?
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