Candy hunt, relay races, tag and tag variation, red light, green light, the captain’s run, world’s largest hopscotch, ice and water, hide and seek, sardines, soccer and basketball are some of the exciting running games for kids to help build endurance.

Wasn’t it fun going around and playing games when we were young? Running like the free water and wind, enjoying life in the most tangible and raw form. We were lucky to have felt that adrenaline rush and untamable freedom, but children today are caught up in the vicious cycle of technology that attempts to replace reality with temporary fixes like video games, mobile phones and televisions.

This article is a prompt reminder of all the fun memories you created as a child and can help your child create as well and in the process make them fitter and stronger. Playing outdoor games that require running and sprinting is a wonderful way to build endurance and stamina. Mentioned in the article are playful and interesting games that will help your child recreate and also enhance her/his endurance.

Read More: 11 Best Running Games for Your Child

11 Fun Running Games for Kids to Help Build Endurance

Candy hunt

The candy hunt is a modern take on treasure hunt to get young kids excited about running. Draw a horizontal line on the edge of a ground. Disperse a few candies on the ground and make the kids start running to get the candies they want. The twist is that children have to keep one candy beyond the line before taking another one and thus run for their candies. Continue with the game until all candies are acquired by kids.

Read More: Seven Ways to Make Running and Walking with Kids Fun

Relay races

Relay races involve constitution of teams that together compete against another team to come first, second, third and fourth. It is an interesting and fun game that cultivates team spirit, enhances endurance and helps recreate. You can play the game by dividing the kids into teams of four. Choose a length of the field and tie a ribbon on the finish line. Make the pairs of four at one point all from different teams and commence your game.

Tag and Tag variation

The game involves for 2 or more team players to go around tagging the other players. The players who are catching the others make an attempt to tag or touch the others usually with their hands and make them “it” as well. There aren’t any scores or equipment and the game can be enjoyed simply.

Read More: 10 Interesting Games for Babies

Red light, Green light

While all kids stand in a horizontal line on one end of the open space one stands on the opposite end. The lone kid is called “it”. When “ it” calls out green light all the kids run towards him and when he says red light any time in between the game everyone has to stop. The kid who doesn’t stop on hearing red light must retreat to the horizontal line. Any child who reaches “it” first wins and becomes “it” for the next game.

The captain’s run

The game makes use of a whistle to instruct the kids to jog, run or sprint respectively. Make a circle of about 200-400 meter for the kids to follow while playing. The children shall make a line and every time the whistle blows the kid at the end must come in the front and they should keep switching from jogging to sprinting and so on. The game can continue for as long as the kids like.

World’s largest hopscotch

Use a chalk to draw a huge hopscotch on an open ground with large boxes for kids to jump over. Create different sizes of boxes and include elements like fire, water and also dragons to cause digressions on the way that the kids have to jump over. When the kids succeed in reaching the end of the hopscotch invite them to a ground to run and exercise a little.

Ice and water

The running games the involvement of a few players that run away from the one player called “ice” who attempts to touch others and make them ice. The other players can come around and make ice water again by their touch. Everyone goes around running until “ice” makes all the other players ice and the one who became ice first has to become “ice” when the game resumes.

Hide and Seek

Hide and seek is a classic game that requires for the players to run around and hide before they are caught by the seeker. The player acting as seeker is blindfolded while others get time to hide, later he frees his eyes and finds the rest of the players. The player who is caught the soonest then takes the role of the seeker for the next round.

Sardines

A new take on the dear old game of hide and seek is sardines. The variation calls for only a single player to hide while the others cover their eyes and count to a number. Once the player has hidden himself somewhere the game commences. All seekers find the one player in the hiding; one by one all of them search for him and on finding stay with the player quietly. Soon, all but one seeker remains and he has to hide for the next game.

Soccer

An extremely engaging and fun outdoor game, soccer tops the list of running games that help your child build endurance. Assemble all the kids in an open area that has makeshift goals and divide them into two teams. Dictate all the rules to the kids and give them a ball and begin with the game. You can also give the game a twist if you’d like.

Basketball

The game can be played by kids of different ages as it requires simply the formation of two teams a court and one ball. The players need to score a goal by making a basket on the other team’s side. The side that scores more goals in the stipulated time wins.

Help your kids stay fit, healthy and entertained all by playing these simple and fun games that help boost their endurance and stamina in a playful and fun way.