Traditional Outdoor Games for Kids – How to Have Fun in the Sun

As a parent, you may have long suspected what recent studies have confirmed – kids aren’t playing outside as much as they used to when you were a kid. While this in itself isn’t very alarming, the same cannot be said of the extent to which it is true! According to researchers, kids on an average play outside for only half the amount of time their counterparts of a few decades ago did. In fact, a study revealed that children would rather spend time on an electronic device, do household chores or complete homework than play outdoor games for kids! Further, one in three children do not know how to play a game of hopscotch!

Photo by Dean McCoy Photography

Photo by Dean McCoy Photography

Perhaps it is too late to change the way kids in society spend their free time, but you can still do your bit to helping your child play more outdoor games for kids. Remember the simple yet delightful outdoor games you used to play in your childhood? Teach them to your kids and play along with them to encourage them to spend more time outside. Here’s a quick refresher in case your memory’s getting slightly rusty.

Traditional Outdoor Games for Kids

      1.  Hide-and-Seek: It’s highly unlikely that you don’t remember how to play this game, but it’s worth mentioning in the list of must-try kids’ games. One person is “it”, and counts to a pre-decided number with eyes covered while all the other players rush to find a good hiding spot for themselves where they won’t be discovered. Once the time is up, the player who is “it” attempts to find all the others. There are many variations to this popular kids’ game. Of course this is often played indoors as well, but playing it outdoors is more challenging, fun, and offers a lot more running space.

 

      2.  Hopscotch: This one’s dedicated to those children who have never experienced the joy of playing this fun sidewalk game. Kids use a sidewalk chalk to draw a hopscotch grid, numbered from 1 to 9 (or 10, depending on the grid pattern). There are many ways to draw the grid, all of them including a combination of single and double squares one above the other. Players find a medium sized stone to use in the game and then take turns to do the following: throw the stone on ‘1’, hop over the stone and then on each subsequent number to the end of the grid using one or two legs (depending on the layout of the grid), turn around and hop back to the beginning, stopping at ‘2’ to bend and pick up the stone before hopping to the beginning. The player continues by throwing the stone on ‘2’ in the next round, and so on. The player’s turn ends when any of the steps are done incorrectly. 

      3.   Shadow Tag: Most people know how to play the kids’ game tag. This one is a fun variation perfect for a sunny day. One player is designated “it” and attempts to chase and tag the shadow of the other players with his/her foot. The first player to be tagged is the new “it” and the game continues until the kids are too tired to continue running around.

     4.    Capture the Flag: Players are split into two teams and each team has a flag or marker at their base. The object of this outdoor game for kids is to try and capture the other team’s flag and bring it back to the home team without getting caught. Players standing in “enemy” territory can be “jailed” if they are tagged by a member of the other team. “Jailed” players can be released if a teammate manages to run to the other side, tag the “jailed” player and return to the home team without getting caught. 

With these fun outdoor games for kids, parents can encourage their children to spend more time outdoors and perhaps even convince interested onlookers to join in the fun!