When school holidays arrive, our children have a lot of free time and, often, do not know what to invest it in. For these summer days where good weather accompanies, we propose several outdoor games adapted to the different ages of children and all the members of the family.
We all know traditional games such as hiding, blind hen or cops and thieves, so today we will try to propose other alternatives for long summer days, but remember that, even if it’s a vacation, you have to keep working a little every day with the books too.
Summer Outdoor Games Your Kids Will Love
Soap bubbles
Children are always amazed by soap bubbles; They are beautiful and so easy to make that it will not cost you anything. You can create a homemade version of the soap by mixing between 7 and 10 parts of water with a couple of tablespoons of glycerin (which you can buy at the pharmacy) and a detergent. To make the bubbles, you can use a straw soda, but tell your children to just blow and not swallow the detergent.
If you want the bubbles to last longer, use only 3 parts of water and keep the rest of the measurements. They will resist the wind and will take longer to explode, so your children can play longer with them.
Hopscotch
It is a very traditional game. To play it is necessary to draw a circuit of several numbered squares consecutively and, at some point, double squares next to each other. The players have to move around the squares jumping to the lame leg and they will only be able to pose the two feet in the double squares, without stepping on the lines of the drawing.
There are different varieties of this game. According to some, before starting to jump you have to throw a stone on the circuit and the square where it falls cannot be stepped on, but according to others, you have to throw the stone in each of the numbers during different rounds, without touching the stripes of the drawing. The player who manages to make all the rounds of all the squares of the circuit wins.
Racing with water glasses
The competition is fun and it is even more if you incorporate water in between. Each participant must run with a full glass up. The player who reaches the goal with more water in a given time wins.
This game may have the difficulty you want, but we recommend that the participants have to dodge an obstacle and climb up or down one or two ladders to make the fun even greater.
Firefighters
The little ones of the house are always overflowing with energy and a good way to consume it is this simple game. Two containers are placed several meters apart, one full of water and the other empty, and a glass of paper or plastic is taken. All members of the family become firefighters and must go, in turns, running with the glass. They have to load it into the full bowl and empty it in the other one. When all the water is in the basin that was empty at the beginning, the fire department will have achieved its objective. It serves for children to learn the importance of teamwork.
Taste test
Blindfolded players should guess what they are eating. Normally it is customary to put salt, sugar, pepper, some fruit, cereals, ketchup, jam or cocoa cream.
Hunting the donut
Its much better and fun to play outdoor games in which each member of the family can participate. For this mode, you need some donuts and rope to hang them, at different heights of a tree branch.
Balloon race
A fun and refreshing game to do on hot days is a water balloon race with kitchen scoops. Getting the balloon does not fall is not easy.
But this is not the only activity you can do with water balloons. You can also implement your own ideas here.
Test of touch
You have to put your hand inside a box and guess what the mysterious object is. It is a test that gives a little appreciation because you do not know what you are playing, but at the same time, it is very fun.
The apple
The players have their hands tied and, with their mouths, they have to catch one of the apples they will find in a container full of water. It seems simple, but when you have your whole face soaked and, in addition, the apple slips continuously the test gets complicated.
It’s time to shave
Players must remove all the foam that is on the balloon, previously hung by a thread, using a razor. Attention! Only one hand can be used, so it is not worth holding the balloon with one hand and with the other hand shaving it. The player who manages to shave the entire balloon without exploding wins.
Clay pigeon shooting
The mechanics cannot be simpler, you will win the most points you get in a total of ten rolls. To make this game outdoors you need some plastic plates in which to stick the score (from 10 to 50 points) and some cloth bags with a weight inside.
Races of soap boats
For the hottest days, outdoor games based on boat races in the water is best. The first thing you have to do is create the boats with soap bars, toothpicks, and cardboard. The next thing is to get a gutter and a hose, and finally, put your boats to navigate. The fastest boat wins. You can also make your boats with sponges or corks.
Mini golf
Sure you love this authentic homemade mini golf. Here are some ideas, but you can create the holes with whatever you have at hand, let your imagination fly! Ideas to create the holes: balloons and wire to make a bow, a bucket lying down, hardback books opened in the middle in the form of a tent, cereal boxes converted into castles, etc.
To make the golf clubs you can use a tube and a PVC elbow. And for the flags that indicate the number of each hole, sticks of wood, triangles of cloth or cardboard and a circle of paper with the number painted.
Zipline
The fun is guaranteed. To play you only need a sturdy rope, a bike handlebar, a ladder and two trees. To pull on the zipline children should always be under the supervision of an adult.
Horseshoe throw
This is a traditional game. You can use decorative horseshoes, made with the lighter material, or create your own with wood that you can paint your favorite colors. To play you have to use a metal rod in which you will have to try to anchor the horseshoes.
Garden twister
Red, blue, yellow and green spray cans are the only thing you need to do this outdoor game. The whole family will have fun with this idea that you can paint on the garden lawn. A game in which all ages can participate and show their skill, flexibility, and balance.
Pass the bag
Fill a large garbage bag with a variety of clothing, such as aprons, shoes, scarves, hats, socks, ties, shirts and skirts. To play, participants must form a circle and pass the bag while the music is playing. When it is stopped, the one who has the bag must take out a garment without looking and put it on. The game continues until the bag is empty and everyone is dressed ridiculously. The results should be immortalized with a few photographs.
Sack race
The first player wins who, jumping into a sack, reach the goal.
The game of the flag
Two teams are formed. Each of them has a territory or base and a flag that must be placed in its field. The main objective of this fun and exciting game is to get the flag of the other team. Now, the task is not easy, since there are certain rules:
If a member of a team catches another of the opposite, it becomes a prisoner. Prisoners can be released if one of their own team releases him by striking his hand.
Once a member of the team has the opponent’s flag, he has to stealthily and quickly return to his base camp to win. If they catch you before you arrive, the flag will return where it was.
Paint with your fingers
You only need some old shirts (to avoid messy clothes), paper and a few cans of hand paint (sold in school supplies stores and toy stores).
Jump obstacles
First, we have to design a circuit, the better the more convoluted, in which the children have to overcome small obstacles, surrounding them or jumping over them. The grace is in making the journey in different positions: to the leg lame or on tiptoe. And with music in the background.
Hide objects
Choose a handful of small objects and toys like cars, marbles or dolls. Once you have collected, hides them and children should look for them. Let’s see who finds more things in a minute!
Hose War
Each child owns the hose for a few minutes and should try to wet the others. It is essential to play in a swimsuit.
The flying balloons
For this game, we would only need some balloons and desire to have a great time. What we have to do, is fill the water balloons and pass it among the children avoiding that it falls to the ground. The moment it breaks, we’ll get wet. To add difficulty to the game you can enter two or more balloons in the circle.
Water handkerchief
This is the classic handkerchief game but with a much fresher variant. We will have to make two teams. In the middle instead of a handkerchief, there will be a bucket with water balloons. The participants when they hear their number must approach the cube to take a balloon and try to give their partner of the opposite team. Add points to the child of the opposing team. You have to be very fast!
Color with ice
This game is very cool and creative. To do this, you must prepare some colored ice beforehand, for this you put water and tempera in a bucket. When the ice is made, we will use a roll of continuous paper and we will paint with the colored ice. We will have a completely frozen picture!
The feet in the water
For this game, we will need 2 large sponges and 4 buckets of water. We will divide the children into two teams, they should line up on their backs, with their knees bent and the soles of their feet on the floor. The feet of the back will touch our head. The first person of the row, must take the sponge of the cube with the feet, and pass it to his partner at his feet. In this way, the water will drip all over our body. It is important to hurry since the first team to get the sponge to the other end will win.
Sliding table
For this game, we will need a fat plastic (like a water pool) and a fairly long one. We will put it on the floor with a little soap and water, it will become a very slippery board. We can dance on it or make us slide with care.
Hunting cups
In a bowl or a large container filled with water, we put some plastic cups, which weigh a little. With a fishing rod, we can make with a stick, a little rope and a clip we will have to hunt down the cups. This game has many variables because instead of cups we can put any toy that is easy to catch with the clip.
Water shoes
To make this game child must wear shoes that can get wet. We must put a basin full of water. We will place the children about five meters from the tub and partner with their backs to him should throw the shoe. When all the children have sneaked the shoe the game will be over. It can be proposed as a competition with two teams.
Twister on the lawn
Use circular templates and spray paint to transform your lawn into a game board.
Frozen shirt race
Wet several shirts with water, place them in plastic bags and then leave them in the freezer overnight. The next day, organize a race to see who can “thaw” and put on a faster-frozen shirt. This is a great option to play during a stifling day, you’ll want to leave your ice shirt on when the race is over!
Giant Jenga
Use some extremely large pieces to make a monumental version of the famous stacking game, make sure to get away when the tower starts to fall!
Slip and throw
Slippers and slides are fun enough by themselves but can also turn into a competition. Even better. Jump down the slide, get up, spin around, and try to get a frisbee through a hole to earn points for your team.
Throw bags of beans down a ladder
Easy to organize and easy to play: take a ladder from the garage and throw bags of beans through the different rungs to earn points.
Catch marbles
Are your toes long? They will give you a hand (or a foot) while you practice this game! You put your feet in a bathtub with ice water and you try to collect as many marbles as you can using your toes.
Outdoor pictionary
Make a blackboard and use it to play a large version of Pictionary outdoors (basically riddles, but with drawings). You can also use the board to make the score of any other game in the yard.
Luminous bowling
Put luminous sticks in ten bottles of water to make bowling pins that you can use in the dark.
Clothespin race
Install a long clothesline between two chairs. Form two teams. Each team receives a bag containing clothespins. At the signal, the children fix the pins on the string, the time of a song. Go counting: the team that has the most pins on the rope wins! Make sure to identify the pins with colored pencils (example: blue for one team, red for the other team).
Hot potato
Sit in a circle with the children. Then pass a potato (or a balloon) from hand to hand, to the sound of a rhythmic music. When the music stops, the child holding the potato has to move to the center of the circle. The game then resumes.
Fruit salad
The children are divided into two teams. They stand on two lines, one team in front of the other. Place a ball or other object in the center of both teams. Assign a different fruit name to each player on the first team. Do the same for each player on the second team, making sure to use the same fruit names. When you name a fruit, both players (one from each team) must go to the center of the circle in order to retrieve the ball and sit down with their team. The successful player scores a point for his team. Start again and again!
Feather race
Use duct tape to set a start line and a finish line 10 cm apart. Provide children with straw throwers, empty toilet paper rolls, and paper plates as propellants. They will have to advance their feather from the starting line to the finish line using only the chosen thruster. They can not touch the feather with the thruster. The first child who brings his pen to the finish line is the winner. He can then compete against another competitor.
The musical animal
Play music and when you stop it, show an animal picture to the children. They must imitate this one, his cry, and his gait. When you leave the music, the children start dancing again. When you stop it, there is a new animal to imitate.
The friendly musical chair
Start a musical chair game, but instead of eliminating a child every time, eliminate a chair. So the children have to find a way to sit together on the chairs that remain in play at the end.
It’s your turn to guess
Stand at one end of the room, facing the wall, back to the children. Ask them to stand with their back to the wall at the other end of the room facing you. Show them the image of an animal, without you being able to see it. Make them advance towards you by imitating the animal’s cry. You must guess what animal it is before they reach to you.
My cat makes me laugh
Choose a child and make him a cat. Sit with other children around the cat. The cat goes from one child to another by meowing. In turn, other children flatter the cat by looking him in the eyes. The first laughing child becomes the new cat.
Musical drawing
All the children sit in a circle. Give a child a leaf and pencils. The latter begins to draw. Play music. When you stop it, the child must stop drawing and pass the leaf to his neighbor. Continue until the end of the drawing. It will be very funny to see the final result!
Leap-frog
Put children in line, one behind the other. The children bend over like frogs and lower their heads. The last one jumps over the 19th children(assuming that there are 20) and returns to frog at the end of the line. The child who is then the last remakes the same thing … and so on (leapfrog).
I melt
Ask the children to imitate the chocolate that melts to learn how to relax their body. First, they must stand straight and stiff like a hard chocolate bar. Then they start to soften. They lean slowly until they are completely melted … lying on the floor.
The bag-riddles
Place in a large bag a series of objects of different shapes. In turn, the children must feel the bag without looking and trying to identify an object. They each have the right to ask two questions. If they do not find, they pass their turn. Whoever succeeds in identifying the object can become the leader.
Cover cover
All the children take off their stockings and roll up their pants down to their knees. One child is withdrawn while the other 5 lie down on the ground covered by the blanket, leaving only their little feet to pass. The reclusive friend returns to the game and tries to find out who the little feet belong to.
Take advantage of holidays and good weather to play outdoors with children, be in contact with nature and especially share unforgettable moments together.
It’s summer, heat is present in our lives and children have many weeks ahead of their holidays. The first days the kids are entertained with anything: go to the beach, go to the pool, play with the dog, that toy they had a little forgotten … But in the end, the holidays that waited so long lengthen and lengthen. So its better to implement above ideas and enjoy this summer.
References:
https://www.thedatingdivas.com/65-outdoor-party-games-entire-family/
