• Welcome
  • Community
  • Blogs
  • Photos
  • Videos
  • Join
  • Log in
Follow MNN    
MNN - Mother Nature Network - Envrionmental News
improve your world

 

Saturday, May 26, 2012
  • Earth Matters

    Browse All » Animals Weather Energy Politics Space Translating Uncle Sam Wilderness & Resources

  • Health

    Browse All » Allergies Fitness & Well-Being Healthy Spaces

  • Lifestyle

    Browse All » Arts & Culture Travel Natural Beauty & Fashion Recycling Responsible Living

  • GREEN TECH

    Browse All » Computers Gadgets & Electronics Research & Innovations Transportation

  • Eco-Biz & Money

    Browse All » Green Workplace Personal Finance Sustainable Business Practices

  • Food & Drink

    Browse All » Beverages Healthy Eating Recipes

  • Your Home

    Browse All » At Home Organic Farming & Gardening Remodeling & Design

  • family

    Browse All » Babies & Pregnancy Family Activities Pets Protection & Safety

Tweet
Pin It
Email Bookmark and ShareShare
WorldShares lets you earn donations for your favorite nonprofit. Earn up to 20 points now.
Learn More

Earn Points
What's this?
MNN.COM›

MNN BLOGGERS

Jenn Savedge

10 classic outdoor games for summer

Kick off summer with classic games like capture the flag, hopscotch and more.

Thu, May 27 2010 at 2:00 PM EST

Photo: amynrobc/Flickr
1. Red Light/Green Light: To play, choose one person to be the "stop light." The object for the rest of the players is to try to touch the stop light. Start the game with all players lined up about 15 feet away from the stop light. The stop light should have her back to the rest of the players. The stop light begins the game by calling "Green light!" At this point, all players are allowed to move towards the stoplight, but they must stop immediately when the stop light turns around and calls out "Red light!" Anyone caught moving after the red light is called is out. Play resumes when the stop light turns back around and again says "Green light." The first player to touch the stop light wins the game and earns the right to be "stop light" for the next round. The stop light wins if all the players are out before anyone is able to touch her.  
 
2. Hide and Seek: Hide and Seek goes down in the record books as probably the most popular outdoor game of all time. To start, choose one person "it." The person who is "it" must then turn around, close his eyes, and count (usually to 10) at the "base" while the rest of the players hide. When the person who is "it" finishes counting, he calls out "Ready or Not, Here I Come" and rushes to "seek" everyone. The rest of the players try to get back to base without getting tagged or else they are "It". If the person who is "It" doesn't tag anyone, he remains "it" for the next round.  
 
3. Capture The Flag: This is another all-time favorite outdoor game. To play, separate the players in to two teams. Team 1 has one half of the field, whole Team 2 has the other half (or you could use front yard/backyard.)  The two teams are given 5 minutes to hide their flag in their part of the yard. At the end of the 5 minutes, both teams return to a neutral starting point and simply try to get the other team's flag. If a player is caught and tagged by an opponent, she must go to "jail" and she can only be freed by a teammate who grabs her when the opposing team isn't looking. The first team to capture the other team's flag wins.
 
4. Obstacle Course: The basic rules to playing Obstacle Course are that there really are no rules! Just use what ever you have on hand: hula hoops, baseball bases, frisbees, logs, balls, jump ropes, hockey sticks, etc. Set these objects up so that players must jump/run/hop/or crawl through/around/under/or over them. In other words, have players jump over a hockey stick, crawl through a hula hoop, walk over a log, run around a base, etc.
 
5. Kick The Can: Over the years, this classic backyard has taken on several different variations, but basically, all you need is three or more players, a can (or a ball or box), and a little room to run and hide. You also need a “jail:” any area within sight of the can where tagged players can wait to to rejoin the game. To play, select one player to be "it." Place the can in the middle of the open area, so that there is some space between the can and the hiding spots. The person who is "it" stands with one foot on the can and closes her eyes while counting out loud to (usually to about 50) to give the other players time to hide. When the time is up, the person who is "it" opens her eyes and begins searching for the other players. Meanwhile, the other players must attempt to get past it and "kick the can." If "It" tags someone before he kicks the can, that person must go to “jail” and wait. If "It" catches all the players, she wins the game.
 
8. Horse: If you have a basketball hoop in your yard or driveway, you have everything you need to play a game of Horse. The start, the first player is allowed to shoot from anywhere on the court (for more difficulty, the player must also call the shot he hopes to make). If he makes the first shot, all other players must make the same shot from the same position. If a players misses, she receives an "H," the first letter from "horse." Then it is the next person's turn to go first, calling a shot that all remaining players must follow. The game continues until someone has received all five letters in "horse." (Little kids might enjoy P-I-G, the shorter version of this game.)
 
7. Tag/Flashlight Tag: Tag is about as basic as it gets when it comes to backyard games. All you need is a group of kids and a yard or field to run around in. One person is designated as "it", and that person runs around and tries to touch (or "tag") someone else. If she succeeds, the person they touch is now "it" and tries to chase everyone else. The game continues until everyone is exhausted! Flashlight tag is a fun variation that can be played at night with ... you guessed it ... flashlights!
 
8. Hopscotch: Hopscotch may be the oldest of these classic kids outdoor games — if you believe what you read on the Internet, which says Roman soldiers played it in ancient Britain. It's easy to play, but difficult to explain in text. This video does a good job of showing you how it's done:
 
 

 

9. Kickball: To play kickball, you'll need a medium-sized soft ball, a handful of kids, and some space to run around. The rules and setup are similar to baseball, but you use your feet to kick the ball instead of a bat.  
 
10. Duck, duck, goose: In this game, kids sit down in a circle facing each other. To start, one person is selected as "it" and walks around the circle. As she walks around, she taps people's heads and says whether they are a "duck" or a "goose". Once someone is selected as the "goose" he get up and try to chase "it" around the circle. The goal for "it" is to run all the way around the circle and sit down in the "goose's" spot. The goal for the "goose" is to tag "it" before she sits down. If he can't, he becomes "it" for the next round and play continues. If he does tag "it," then she has to sit in the center of the circle until another round when someone else is tagged and she is replaced.
 
MNN homepage photo: mrPliskin/iStockphoto

 

Previous Post
Memorial Day crafts for kids
   Next Post
More died on 9/11 than we thought
You might also like:
Related Topics: Green Kids, Healthy Living, Raising Healthy Kids

Comments

Follow this conversation
Add your comment
View:
  • All (2)

anonymous
Christina Moore 02/14/2011 19:14 PM

What a great list! Red Light/Green Light was definitely one of my favorites growing up. It can be hard to get kids to play outside with all of the video and computer games out these days, so new ideas are always a big help! I found another list of playground games that you might be interested in. http://bit.ly/playgroundgames Enjoy!

  • |
  • Reply
  • report this post 

anonymous
Thomas Staton 10/13/2010 09:19 AM

These games are brilliant to play for the younger children.
It can be very difficult to get the older children outdoors and exercising.
Trampolines are more of a modern alternative to the standard old games younger children enjoy to play
http://www.etoyszone.co.uk

  • |
  • Reply
  • report this post 

Add your comment

Sign in with one of these accounts or just add your comment below.
    Log in or
    create an account
     
    •  
Used only for emailed comments and will not be displayed with your post
Notify me with an email when other people comment on this article.
The posting of advertisement, profanity or personal attacks is prohibited.
Click here to review our Terms of Use

EDITORS' PICKS

tease to asteroids

tease to pet facials

tease to emotional eating

ADVERTISEMENT

NEWSLETTER

Mother Nature. Delivered

CONNECT WITH MNN

Follow @twitterapi
 Tumblr
 Google +

About Jenn Savedge

Green parenting author on raising eco-friendly kids.

RSS feedMore about Jenn

Recent Posts

  • Watch: Tavi Gevinson is a teen just trying to figure it all out
  • Teen invents more accurate test for pancreatic cancer
  • New clue to epilepsy 'miracle diet' may help doctors improve treatment
+ Add this to my site
From our sponsor

Help save a rider: Spread the message of motorcycle safety

Allstate's ONE campaign aims to reduce motorcycle accident rates with the... more >

Allstate Life Tracks: Financial advice for all life stages

Try this new interactive app from Allstate which offers help understanding... more >

Act Out Loud contest drives teens to promote safe driving

The program developed by Allstate and NOYS to raise awareness about stronger teen... more >

Easy tips to drive car thieves away

A car is stolen in the U.S. every 33 seconds. Learn how to make sure your car is... more >

Help protect teen lives and create safer roads for all

Ask Congress to pass national Graduated Driver Licensing provisions from the... more >
Good Hands® Working Together can change the world

Jenn's BLOGROLL

Big Green PurseOrganic Mania
Crunchy ChickenGreen & Clean Mom
Not Quite Crunchy ParentThe Smart Mama
My Plastic Free LifeGreen Phone Booth
Foodie TotsFoodie Tots

ADVERTISEMENT



Quick Links

  • About Us
  • Advisory Board
  • Editors' Blog
  • Press
  • Privacy
  • Sitemap
  • Terms of Service
  • WorldShares

MNN Tools

  • Advice
  • Blogs
  • Day in History
  • Eco-glossary
  • Infographics
  • Lists
  • Photos
  • Videos

Connect

  • Community
  • Contact Us
  • Contests
  • Idea Lab
  • Mixed Greens
  • Newsletters
  • Polls
  • RSS

Channels

  • Earth Matters
  • Health
  • Lifestyle
  • Green Tech
  • Eco-Biz & Money
  • Your Home
  • Family
  • State Reports

Follow MNN

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Pinterest
  • Tumblr
  • Google+
  • StumbleUpon
 

Copyright © 2012 MNN Holdings, LLC. All Rights Reserved. Website by GLICK INTERACTIVE | Powered by CIRRACORE
 
SPONSORS