Have you ever counted how many times your kids use the word bored? This does not just happen during the summer but all year round! Do you have ways to keep the boredom at bay? We have come up with 15 Fun Games to Play with Kids Outside to not only keep them active, but outside to enjoy the fresh air! So come along with us today as we reminisce about our childhood all while keeping our kids happy, active, and outside.
15 Fun Games To Play With Kids Outside
1. Hide and Go Seek – First stop we will go back to an old classic. This was one of my favorites growing up as a kid. My friends and I would get together at our house and play Hide and Go Seek for hours under the warm sun and cool breeze of spring time.
2. Corn Hole – This is one of the more popular outdoor games that combines skills and coordination. Simply grab three other friends and start trying to throw your bean bag in to the opposite corn hole board hole. Sometime I would throw thinking it would be going straight, only to find it falling 2 feet short of the board. It’s a great laugh shared with friends.
3. Freeze Tag – Next up on our 15 Fun Games to Play with Kids Outside brings us to Freeze Tag. My kids are just now getting to an age of being able to play freeze tag with out all the arguing. I am not sure if you played this growing up but it is super simple. It incorporates the rules of tag but when you are tagged then you have to freeze until someone comes back to tag you again. Running around and playing is a great way to get some exercise in and the kids will be having so much fun playing they won’t even notice.
4. Marco Polo – Heading to the pool this summer? If so then Marco Polo is a fun game that can be played with a few or a lot of people. One person is keeps their eyes closed and calls out Marco, while the other people jump and swim around calling out Polo. The person playing Marco then tries to find the other player and tags them. Then the person tagged is now Marco and the game starts again. Don’t forget to stay hydrated and apply sunscreen.
5. Badminton – Get the kids outside to enjoy the warm days of summer with a fun game of Badminton. All you need is a set of rackets and a birdie. Each play has a racket and one of the players hits a birdie. The premise of the game is to keep the birdie off the ground. All ages could play this game, you just might need a bit of patience with the littlest crowd. My brother and I would play this game for hours to help pass the time and kill boredom.
6. Sports – This is a good one as it has many options for which sport you want to play. If you have a lot of friends or kids around the neighborhood then you might want to get two teams together for a game of baseball, football, or even soccer. Just getting together and being active is the best part of our childhood. Keep reading for more Fun Games to Play with Kids Outside.
7. Horseshoes – I have fond memories of watching my grandfather playing this game with his buddies late into the evenings at family reunions. All you need is some posts in the ground and some horseshoes. You take turns to toss the horseshoe onto the opposing post. I was never that great at this game but it was still fun to throw something without getting in trouble.
8. Red Light Green Light – I have to admit that even now as an adult this is still one of my favorites to play. I love being able to teach my children the same games I loved as a kid. I would always try to try to trick my friends so they would have to go back and restart. Sometimes I would be the one who would have to go back to the start line.
9. Red Rover – I remember playing this game during summer camps growing up. It was really fun to link arms with your friends and have your name called out. I would run as fast as I can to try to break their links. There was this one kid we had called over during one game and he ran so fast and just as he got to our side he slipped on the grass and crashed into a bunch of us. He was alright and in the end knocked out like 3 links! That game was talked about all summer long.
10. Kickball – This is a good game to play outside, but also I have played this game in a gymnasium as well. I loved being captain and tried to get the best kickers on my team, but sometimes that wasn’t the case. Growing up I thought that winning was the point to these games, instead I learned valuable lessons about working together as a team and just creating those memories that I would carry throughout my adult life. I still love playing kickball with my children.
11. Hopscotch – Grab some chalk and start laying out your board on your sidewalk or driveway, pick up a rock, and start playing. A few weeks ago my girls wanted to play so we drew out the games on the sidewalk and watched them play for a long while. I brought back memories of those summer days playing with my brother and sister just laughing, talking, and probably bickering too.
12. Frisbee – Are you limited on time or players? This is a good game to toss around in the backyard with your children after dinner in the evenings. Frisbee is also an easy game to pack for your family vacations to the beach too. When I was a kid we used to play with the hard plastic ones. A few years back I found a soft sided collapsible frisbee and is great to toss in my backpack. Also, it doesn’t hurt when you get hit with it.
13. Ring Toss – Next up on our 15 Fun Games to Play with Kids Outside brings us to a game similar to Horseshoes, but geared towards the younger crowd. Anytimes kids get to throw things is a good game. Simply grab a ring and toss it to the pegs to score points. The kids won’t know they are learning math in the process, so don’t tell them!
14. Giant Timber (Jenga) – Do you remember playing Jenga as a child? Now you can enjoy the game in a larger version and outdoors! This is great for those backyard BBQ’s with your friends or family this summer. Everyone love a good competitive game that brings back all the feels of your childhood.
15. Kubb – Last game on our 15 Fun Games to Play with Kids outside. This is a fairly new game to me but is highly addictive and fun to play. It is easy to catch on and the kids love it. Kubb is a lawn game where the objective is to knock over wooden blocks by throwing wooden batons at them. Kubb can be described as a combination of bowling and horseshoes. Add this to your game list and start having fun!
No matter what game your children decide to play outdoors this summer just know that they are creating memories, get some much needed outside play time, and not yelling about being bored. As parents, we try to always keep our kids entertained with one thing or another when all they need is to just get outside and run around. With all the technology and gaming devices these days our kids stay cooped up indoors staring at a screen. This list of 15 Fun Games to Play with Kids outside is just the start of a great time outdoors and playing during the long summer days. Do you have some great summer games that your kids love to play? We would love to hear from you! Drop us a comment in the space below!
If you loved these 15 fun games to play with kids outside post, be sure to pin it to your favorite kids activity board so you have it the next time your kids tell you they are bored. Post a photo of you and the kids doing your scavenger hunt and tag us social media @DadLifeLessons. We love seeing people use our tips!
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