Kids prefer to stay indoors in the modern world, where the internet has become an integral part of our lives. However, getting some air and exercising is crucial for children’s development. So, outdoor kid games tend to improve physical well-being, foster stronger family bonds, and incite imaginative thought.
In this blog, I will discuss 20 outdoor games for kids of all ages that can be full of joy. Moreover, some of you can play without any special equipment; however, some may require it. Additionally, we’ll also suggest some tips for balancing the offline and online activities of kids. So, keep reading!
Why choose outdoor games for kids?
Let’s discuss the benefits of outdoor fun games so you can understand why you have to choose such activities for your kid!
- Improve cognitive function: Keep in mind that our brain gets energized when we engage in outdoor play! Research indicates that outdoor activities can enhance concentration and improve the ability to think.
- Improve physical health: Moreover, outdoor games such as running, jumping, and climbing build strength in our bones and muscles. In addition, exercising outdoors maintains our cardiovascular health and helps prevent hypertension and obesity
- Lift our mood: Besides all, investing time in nature can help us feel more relaxed and happier. This is because fresh air and sunlight have soothing properties that improve our mood and mental wellness.
- Enhance kids’ social skills: Social interactions are vital for understanding how to work as a team, build confidence, and also learn communication skills. Kids can learn all these skills by playing with friends outside.
- Drives imagination and creativity by devising new games.
Do remember! Interacting with the outside world is incredibly helpful for both the mind and the body. In the following section, we’ll explore almost 20 fun and classic outdoor kid games for entertainment and fitness; some require equipment and parts of fun games to play outside with no equipment. Come with us!
Screen-free fun starts outside – explore the best games, perfect for kids and families.
Outdoor kid games without equipment
1. Hide and Seek
- Best for: All ages
- What you need: No equipment
- Where to play: The backyard, a local park, or anywhere with good hiding spots
How to play: One of the world’s most universal and fun outdoor kid games, the best childhood game! It doesn’t require skill, just passion and time. One player stays without looking while counting numbers. The rest of you hide. The goal is to find all of the players as quickly as possible. Thus, when a player finds you, then you become the new seeker!
Benefits for kids: It’s a fun game because you attempt to find an ideal place to hide and use your patience while having a great time not getting caught!
2. Hopscotch
- Best for: Ages 3+
- What you need: No equipment
- Where to play: Any level area, such as your sidewalk and driveway.
How to play: To play this one of the most popular outdoor kid games, first, you have to draw a hopscotch board with squared numbers. With a single foot, the players have to skip the square with the rock they have tossed. Whoever completes all the numbers is the winner.
Benefits for kids: While hopping, you can enhance your sense of balance, coordination, and even count.
3. Red Light, Green Light
- Best for: Ages 4+
- What you need: No equipment
- Where to play: Anywhere with open areas like parks and lawns.
How to play: One of the players acts as a traffic light, and the remaining players stand some meters away. Next, he speaks “Green Light” loudly, which allows the rest of you to sprint forward. However, when he screams “Red Light”, you have to stay still. Now, if you do any physical or verbal conflict, then you’ll be out.
Benefits for kids: Kids learn how to compete against friends, take action fast in different scenarios, and pay attention while doing things.
4. S-P-U-D
- Best for: Ages 6+
- What you need: No equipment
- Where to play: A spacious field or garden works best.
How to play: Each of the participants gets a number. The “it” player calls a number and then tosses a ball into the air. Suppose that he called your number, then you have to fetch the ball while all the rest of you run around. If you catch the ball, then you would scream SPUD! And others will freeze.
Benefits for kids: To stay in the game and not get out, this game works to improve throwing, catching, and evasion skills.
5. Simon Says
- Best for: Ages 3+
- What you need: No equipment
- Where to play: Open area or space
How to play: One participant will become “Simon” and instruct others with game activities such as “Simon says touch your toes.” He can allow only one person to act on saying the word ‘Simons’ prior to issuing a command. Whoever follows instructions without Simon’s reference gets eliminated. The last standing player is the winner.
Benefits for kids: The game functions as good practice when it comes to listening skills that are equally critical and engaging.
6. TV Tag
- Best for: Ages 5+
- What you need: No equipment
- Where to play: Parks or any spacious outdoor venues.
How to play: A single participant is assigned as “It” while the rest become players. The player who is “It” attempts to chase and touch as many players as they can. Players who are tagged must freeze while waiting to be saved. In order to be deferred, another player touches you and shouts the title of a TV show. If the defender who attempts to free the frozen player uses the same show, the player stays frozen.
Benefits for kids: You get great exercise, mental speed, and playtime, which always teaches you new things!
7. Red Rover
- Best for: Ages 6+
- What you need: No equipment
- Where to play: Open flat fields or grassy areas.
How to play: Players are arranged in lines a few meters away from each other. Each line holds hands with other members in the line. One team commands one member by declaring, “Red Rover, Red Rover, send [player’s name] right over.” The member called tries to break through the joined hands of the opposing team. If the called player succeeds, they get to take someone from the opposing team. If they do not get through, they are obliged to go to the other team.
Benefits for kids: It is a great combination of strategic teamwork and good fun while building strength.
Outdoor kid games to play with equipment
8. Jump Rope Games
- Best for: Ages 6+
- What you need: No equipment
- Where to play: Any leveled area like the driveway or sidewalk
How to play:
One person turns the rope while the others jump over it. Play the classic jump rope. If you want to spice it up you can try variations such as “Double Dutch,” where you use two ropes, thus swung by two different people in opposite directions.
Benefits for kids: Kids are having fun and spending time outside with friends while improving endurance, coordination, and balance at the same time.
9. Kick the Can
- Best for: Ages 6+
- What you need: No equipment
- Where to play: Any open space, like the park or backyard
How to play: This backyard game is a fusion of tag and hide & seek. One player is set to be ‘It’ while guarding the can. Meanwhile, you and the other players must strategically hide from ‘It’ in order to sneak out to kick the can without being caught.
Benefits for kids: Players must work together to come up with multiple strategies to solve the problem of hiding and running away from ‘It.
10. Capture the Flag
- Best for: Ages 8+
- What you need: No equipment
- Where to play: A park or open field
How to play: In this game, kids have to split into two equal teams and give each team a flag to place on their respective sides. Each person in the team must attempt to cross the other team’s side, capture their flag, and return it back without getting tagged. If tagged, you are placed in “jail” until freed by a teammate.
Benefits for kids: The game incorporates speed, teamwork, and strategy to ensure that players never stop moving.
11. Traffic cop
- Best for: Ages 4+
- What you need: No equipment
- Where to play: Driveway or an unoccupied field
How to play: One kid plays as the traffic cop and will manage the flow of the other kids by allowing them to progress at their own pace. Signs, traffic lights, and other barriers can be incorporated to add to the fun.
Benefits for kids: The exercise encourages children to become familiar with road safety while developing their listening skills and balance.
12. Hot Potato
- Best for: Ages 3 +
- What you need: No equipment
- Where to play: Anywhere that has enough space to sit in a circle
How to play: Players sit in a circle and pass along the “hot potato” while music plays. When the music stops, everyone with the hot potato loses. Kids continue playing until one person is left standing.
Benefits for kids: It’s hilarious and helps improve your reflexes.
13. Cornhole
- Best for: Ages 5+
- What you need: No equipment
- Where to play: Park, backyard, or a field
How to play: You and your friends challenge each other to toss a bean bag onto a raised board with a hole in it. The participants earn points depending on where the bean bag lands and the first to reach a predetermined score wins.
Benefits for kids: It improves their aim and coordination skills and helps them have a good time with friends.
14. Kickball
- Best for: Ages 8+
- What you need: No equipment
- Where to play: Field or any wide-open space
How to play: The game is like baseball, where one team kicks the ball and the other tries to get them out by catching the ball or tagging them with the ball. You and your team score points by running to the bases.
Benefits for kids: Children get to be active, run, kick and enjoy teamwork throughout the game.
Outdoor party games for families with kids
Are you hosting a birthday party or a family get-together, or are you going for a picnic? Choose outdoor games that children and adults will find equally fun. So, let’s begin!
15. Freeze dance game
- Best for: All ages
- What you need: Music device
- Where to play: Your backyard, lawn, or any open space
How to play: Choose some music, start dancing, and once the music stops, freeze. The last dancer standing wins. In this case, you may like adding fun posed challenges where players must try balancing on one foot to make effective differently.
Benefits for kids: It’s a good way to burn off a lot of energy.
16. Musical chairs
- Best for: Ages 4+
- What you need: One less chair than the number of players and a music device
- Where to play: A green area big enough for a circle of chairs
How to play: First, set chairs in a circle and play some music. Then, move aside the chairs. Once the music cuts off, then you must claim a seat. The player left standing is out. So, remove one chair each round until only one player remains.
Benefits for kids: It is quick and entertaining and helps them learn how to focus.
17. Bags or Cornhole
- Best for: Ages 5+
- What you need: A cornhole board and bean bags
- Where to play: Backyard, driveway, or park
How to play: Family members take turns tossing bean bags toward a board with a hole in it. If your bag lands on the board, you score points. If it goes in the hole, you score even more! Keep playing until someone reaches the winning score.
Benefits for kids: Players get to practice your aim, cheer for your teammates, and enjoy some friendly competition.
18. Ghost in the Graveyard
- Best for: Ages 6+
- What you need: No equipment, but at night, flashlights make it extra fun!
- Where to play: A large yard, field, or park would do just fine!
How to play: The first player hides while the remaining players count. After the counting sequence is complete, you and the rest begin looking for the hidden player. The first player to find the hidden player screams and says, “Ghost in the Graveyard,” and everyone runs back to their base while the ghost tries to tag them. If you get tagged, you become the next ghost.
Benefits for kids: The thrill of hiding combined with the anticipation of running and the ghost appearing at any moment makes it fun.
19. Marco Polo
- Best for: Ages 6+
- What you need: A swimming pool or a spacious yard (for a dry version)
- Where to play: Pool or field
How to play: One player must cover their eyes and scream “Marco”, while the rest have to reply with “Polo”. The seeker has to listen very closely in hopes of catching someone. When the person assigning the “Marco” decides, he could be especially mean, and if you are on the ground, throw some obstacles!
Benefits for kids: It’s not every day that you use your listening instead of your eyesight. It’s perfect for cooling off in the pool or for a backyard without water!
20. Blindfolded Games
- Best for: Younger than 10
- What you need: A blindfold
- Where to play: Somewhere outside, but away from cars and other dangers
How to play: There’s really a ton of games you can play. Why don’t we try “Blindfold Tag”, where the blindfolded player must tag the rest of the players while using nothing but sound? Or try “Pin the Tail on the Donkey,” where you try to affix a tail on the donkey while blindfolded and dizzy.
Benefits for kids: The anticipation is what makes the game enjoyable.
What makes good outdoor games for kids?
Keep in mind that when it comes to kids, incorporating the right games will enhance the level of fun. So, here’s what you should think about before stepping out to play:
▶ Age appropriateness: Selecting a game that is appropriate for your age can make the game easier and more enjoyable.
▶ Physical activity: Incorporating movement is, in fact, required for their growth! So, try and pick out activities that will require kids to jump around, twirl, or go.
▶ Social interaction: Moreover, the presence of others can enhance any game. It aids in collaboration, cooperation, and, most importantly, helping reach winning.
▶ Safety first: Check where kids are playing first. Are there any sharp edges or deep depressions?
Bonus advice for balancing kids’ online and outdoor activities
In achieving this comfortable balance between online and fun outdoor activities, consider doing the following:
- Set boundaries: Children often engage in outdoor and online activities without any particular daily or weekly structure. To help manage this, you can establish a schedule that includes both online time limits and more time spent outdoors.
- Lead by example: Moreover, your role is equally important. Limiting your screen time and participating in outdoor activities with your children will entice them to follow your example.
- Use helpful parental control tools: Lastly, we would recommend that you use third-party software that allows you to monitor kids’ activities while sitting in one place. So, try FlashGet Kids, which allows you to set screen time limits and track kid’s daily usage with real-time updates. So you can better manage your kid’s digital and physical whereabouts.
Final words
There’s no shortage of fun and engaging outdoor kid games to explore. From active games that get kids moving to educational games that enhance their skills, these activities offer something for everyone. Whether you’re looking to bond with your child in the backyard or host a fun-filled outdoor party, these games we shared will keep kids entertained while encouraging them to embrace the outdoors.
In a nutshell, outdoor time plays a crucial role in our children’s overall growth and development. However, as parents, we have to check the games’ age appropriateness and safety level in advance. Moreover, as kids also use electronic devices and face screens for a long time daily, there must be a balance between outdoor and online activities. Excessiveness in anything is bad, so be cautious!
