Kids Outdoor Games

Kids outdoor games, for ages 6 and up. All that's needed for most of these games is a lot of energy! These outdoor games are not only great at picnics, try them at your next birthday party too.

Backward Crawl

Here's an outdoor kids game that's a little more physically demanding. Line up the kids along the starting line facing the finish line, which can be 40-50 feet (10-15 m) away. Then tell the kids to turn around and get down on their hands and feet. They must race backward in this position. The ones who don't try to look behind themselves to the finish line are most likely to win. Most kids can't resist the temptation to see how close they are to finishing.

Bean Bag Crab Race

In this outdoor game, the contestants are required to assume the same awkward posture for racing as in the Crab Race. In this variation, each child must balance a bean bag on their head. Should the bean bag slide off - as frequently happens when the children try to go too fast - they must return to the starting line and start all over. The winner is the one who reaches the finish line with the bag still on his/her head.

Bite Test

You will need paper or cloth napkins to play the Bite Test.

Napkins - one for each contestant - are spread out flat on the ground in a straight line, about 3 feet (1 m) apart. (A piece of rope or small rock may be used to keep paper napkins from blowing away.) The players line up on a parallel line opposite their napkins, at a distance of about 70 feet (20 m) or so.

The children race to the napkins, get down on their hands and knees, pick the napkins up with their teeth, and race back to the starting line. Any children touching the napkins with their hands are disqualified.

Blind Scramble

Equipment: 9-inch round balloons, blindfolds (scarf or piece of tissue to tie over the eyes), some kind of ballast to keep the balloons down in one place - 1/4 inch washers or nuts work well.

The children are blindfolded, and lined up evenly. The game director prepares two or three balloons with ballast (either by placing one or more washers over the neck of the balloon before inflating them, or by using a string to tie the washers at the neck of the balloon). The balloons are placed on the ground at an equal distance apart, about 20 feet (6-8 m) from the start line. The children aren't permitted to see the location of the balloons.

The children are instructed to get down on their hands and knees. At the GO signal, they crawl blindly trying to find the balloons and pop them. The child who pops the first balloon wins. Anyone who lifts up their blindfold is disqualified.

Crab Race

The children sit down with their feet in front of them. They must then raise themselves and walk on their hands and feet in a sitting position. Any child who lets his bottom touch the ground is disqualified. This is a really difficult posture for racing, so don't make the distance to great.

Fire Target

Equipment: Toy water guns, birthday candles, matches or lighter, bucket of water, clothespins.

With water guns involved, this is definitely an outdoor kids game! Two parallel lines are marked off, 9-10 feet apart. One is a restraining line, the other is the firing line. Birthday candles are placed in the fork of the clothespins, to keep them upright, and are placed 3 feet apart along the firing line (push the clothespins into the grass a bit). Each contestant is "assigned" a fire. Use windshields made of aluminum plates if necessary.

Each contestant is given a loaded water gun, and when all the targets are blazing, the signal is given to fire away. The first contestant to put out his/her candle wins.

Note: This game (with candles) obviously doesn't work very well on a windy day. Another fun variation: Place a long board on the ground (or elevated) with styrofoam cups placed upside down on it. The first person to knock their cup off the board wins.

Jamaquack

If you play this wacky (quacky?) game, you're not likely to soon forget it! Just as much fun for kids as it is for adults. You will need at least 10 people for this game.

Jamaquacks, being a very rare bird from "down under" Australia, always stand bent over, with their hands (wings?) on their ankles. They are normally nocturnal, and therefore when out and about during the day, must keep their eyes closed! They communicate with each other by quacking - constantly. (Sometimes you must remind your Jamaquacks to take enough breaths so they don't become dizzy ducks!)

Because Jamaquacks like to wander off, only a third of your group may be Jamaquacks at one time. The rest must form a "pen" by holding hands in a circle surrounding the birds.

Two people in the circle drop their hands, therefore creating a hole in the "pen". The Jamaquacks begin quacking and moving backwards about in the pen (with their eyes closed), trying to find the way out. While the silly birds are trying to escape, those who have formed the circle may gently knee-bump them if they back into the 'fence'.

Once one Jamaquack finds its way out of the "pen", they may stand up and open their eyes. They should keep quacking to let their friends know where the "hole in the fence" is to help in their escape.

Mixed-Up Shoe Scramble

Everyone needs to remove their shoes for this picnic game. They are instructed to put one shoe in one pile, and the other shoe in another pile, about 10 feet away. The children are then withdrawn to a starting line, at least 50 feet (15 m) away, while the director mixes up the shoes really well in each pile.

The contest begins with a racing start. The children must find their own shoes in the two piles, put them on, and return to the starting line. The director can either rule that the shoes must be laced or not, as he wishes. Keep in mind that some shoes may have Velcro ties, giving an unfair advantage to those children who have laces to tie.

Note: In the mad scramble for shoes, the children are apt to throw other kids shoes out of the pile. Warn them not to do this, as someone may end up with a shoe in the face.

Sack Kick

Equipment: Burlap bags (or pillow cases), 9-inch balloons, 1/4 inch metal washers or nuts (for ballast)

This is a variation on the old potato-sack race. The children get into the burlap bags and pull them close up around their waists. In front of each is a 9-inch inflated balloon with two or more washers placed over the neck to keep it on the ground. Placing both feet together, each child hops along and at the same time kicks his balloon ahead of him. The first child hopping the distance with his balloon intact wins. If a balloon blows up, the game director can either send the child back to the start line with a new balloon, or (simpler) give the child a new balloon and a time penalty for each blown balloon. This way the race stays more competitive, otherwise there might only be one racer left at the end.