Capture the Flag

Equipment: Two flags (you can make flags with two sticks and bandanas)

Set Up: Divide the kids into two teams and decide on the teams' territories (front and back yard works well). Be sure to specifically state the boundary lines of each team's territory because once a player crosses that boundary line they are subject to being caught. Also, decide where each team's jail will be located. For the first few minutes of the game, each team decides where to place its flag. It must be visible and it cannot be moved by its team. A 10-20 foot circle around the flag is a safety zone that cannot be entered by its team unless the opposing team enters the circle first.

Play: Of course, the object of the game is to grab the other team's flag and carry it safely back to your team's territory. Part of the team stays to guard their flag and part of the team goes on the capture mission in enemy territory. If a player sees an opposing team member enter his territory, he can catch him by tagging him long enough to say "Caught!" three times (Boy Scout rules).

When a player is caught, he must go to the jail area. The player stays in jail until one of his teammates sneaks in and tags him. Only one prisoner at a time can be freed.

When a player grabs the flag, he must make it all the way back to his home territory without being caught. If he does, his team wins!

 

Chain Hide and Seek

Play: This is an easy and wild hide and seek variation. It counts to 50 while everyone hides. When the first child is found, he takes It's hand and goes with him to find the others. Each child joins the chain as he is found.

Four Square

Equipment: Heavy-duty rubber playground ball, driveway or concrete space for a 10-ft. square, chalk

Play: Draw off a 10-ft. square with the chalk, then divide into 4 even squares. Number them 1-4, going clockwise. Draw a diagonal line in 1's box, to be the serving spot. 1 serves by bouncing the ball into any of the three boxes, trying to prevent that player from bouncing it back in his box. If the player returns the ball, he stays, and the 1 player is out. If not, that player is out. The next player moves into the 4 box, and the players move up. The object of the game is to move up to the 1 box, and stay there.

 

Hop Scotch

Equipment: Chalk, sidewalk or driveway

Play: Draw the layout with the chalk - 3 single squares, 1 double square, 2 single squares, 1 double square, 1 single square. You can number the squares if you want. The two basic rules of hop scotch are 1) one foot in each square only, 2) Hop over the square with the rock in it.

Use a rock to throw into the first square. Hop on one foot over the square with the rock in it. Land with two feet on the double squares. On the second turn, throw the rock into the second square, and so forth. The tricky part is staying on one foot when the rock is in one of the side-by-side squares.  

 

Horse

Equipment: Basketball goal and ball

Play: Players shoot the basketball in order. If the first player scores a basket, the next player must shoot the same shot he did. If the second player scores the basket, the next player tries the same shot. If a player misses the shot, he gets an "H", and the next player starts over with a shot of his choice. With each missed shot (only after the previous player makes it), players add another letter until they have spelled "HORSE" and are out.

I Spy

Equipment: None

Play: It silently chooses an item in the observable environment. He says, "I spy something [the color of the item he picked, for example - red]. The other kids blurt out their guesses of what the item is until someone guesses it, or they are stumped. Great babysitter game.

Kickball

Equipment: Heavy duty rubber playground ball, bases

Play: Kickball is played in two teams and the game play is the same as baseball or softball. The pitcher rolls the ball to the kicker, who kicks it strategically. Field players may tag the runner while carrying the ball or throw the ball to the base to beat the runner.

 

Kick the Can

Equipment: Darkness, large coffee can

Play: Place coffee can in a large open area to be home base. It counts to 50 while the other kids hide. When It SEES a child, he calls her name. They both race to the can, and try to kick it first. If It kicks the can, the hider is caught and placed in "prison" on the porch. If the hider kicks the can, she and all players in prison are free, and It must count again.

Red Light Green Light

Equipment: None

Play: It stands a good distance off from the rest of the kids, with her back turned to them. She calls, "Green Light!" and the children run toward her until she says, "Red Light". It turns around and tries to catch anyone who is moving. If she sees someone moving, they must go back to the Start line. Play continues until someone runs up and tags It.

Sardines

Equipment: None

Play: This is a new variation of hide and seek. In Sardines, It hides while all the other kids count to 50. Everyone looks for It, but each quietly hides with It when they find him. Soon, those who are left realize that they are looking for a hiding place with lots of people in it.

                                                                 

                                                                   Balloon Tag


Ready, set... stomp and pop!

This is a game for 6 or more players and should be played outside or in an open area.

To play, all you need are balloons and string.

There aren't any teams in this game. It's every player for him or herself.

The object of the game is to pop the other players' balloons before they pop yours.

Players run around and try to stomp other players' balloons while keeping other players from stomping on theirs.

Last player left with their balloon wins.

Start stomping!

                                                                   Bat Catcher
 

Marco Polo with a batty twist.

This game is for 6 or more players and should be played outside or in an open area.

To play, pick one player to be the "bat" and another player to be the "moth." (The bat shouldn't know who the moth is, so you might want to have her leave the room while you pick the moth.)

The rest of the players are "trees." They form a circle and have to stand still.

The bat and moth are both blindfolded. They can move around during the game, but can't go out of the circle.

The object of the game is for the bat to use sound to catch its prey, the moth. When the bat calls out "echo," the moth answers "prey." All other players answer "tree."

Once the bat tags the moth, the moth becomes the bat and a new moth is picked.

                                                                   

                                                                   Buddy Tag
 
 

This game is for 6 or more players (the more players, the more fun it is to play!) and should be played in an open area.

In this game, you have to hold on to a buddy to avoid being tagged!

To play, one person is "it" and one person is the runner.

Everyone else finds a partner and links arms. The pairs of buddies scatter around the playing field.

The person who is "it" tries to tag the runner.

To avoid being caught, the runner has to link up with a pair of buddies before "it" can tag him.

When the runner finds a buddy, he links arms and is safe . . . but now the buddy on the other side of the pair becomes the runner!

If the runner is tagged before she can link up with a pair of buddies, she's now "it," and "it" becomes the runner.

The game can go on forever, so stop playing when you're out of breath!

                                                               Clothespin Tag
 

Keep your clothespin to win.

This game is for 5 or more players and should be played outside or in an open area.

To play, you need one clothespin for each player.

Clip a clothespin to the back of your shirt. On the word "Go!," try to steal the other players' clothespins without letting anyone get your clothespin.

When your clothespin is taken or falls off, you're out.

The last player with a clothespin wins.

                                                       Follow the Leader Relay
 

Are you going to lead or follow?

This game is for 5 or more players and should be played outside or in an open area.

To play, pick one person to be the leader. Everyone else forms two even teams.

The leader stands at one end of the playing field and the two teams stand on the other end.

When the leader calls out commands, like "hop on one foot," "crab crawl," or "skip," the first players in line must do what the leader says.

If the leader says, "freeze," players must stop in their tracks and listen for the next command. As soon as a player returns to the starting line, the next player in line goes.

The first team to finish wins.

                                                                    Eleven
 
A game of chance.

Players sit in a circle.

Players count off from 1 to 11.

The person who counts off as number 11 is out.

The player to the left of the person who is out starts the counting in the next round.

Before the next round begins, all players switch places in the circle.

Keep playing until there is only one person left. That person is the winner!

                                                             Musical Clothes
 

"Musical chairs that you wear!"

This game is for 4 or more players.

To play, you'll need a boom box and a bag filled with a lot of clothing.

Pick one person to play the music, and have everybody else stand in a circle.

When the music starts, the players pass around the garbage bag. When the music stops, the person with the bag puts on a piece of clothing.

The game continues until the bag is empty. The person wearing the most clothes at the end wins!

Then everybody has to dance!

                                                             Refrigerator Tag
 

TAG! What's your favorite food?

This game is for 5 or more players and should be played outside or in an open area.

To play, pick four objects to be bases and give each base a name: "Don't like it," "Love it," "It's OK," "Never tried it." You can make signs for each base if you like.

Pick someone to be "IT." "IT" stands in the middle and the players stand on any base they want. "IT" calls out the name of a food.

Players then have to run to the base that describes how they feel about that food. "IT" tries to tag a player before he or she reaches the base. The player who is tagged then becomes "IT!"

                                                                     Jaws
  

This game is for 4 or more players and should be played outside or in an open area.

To play, you need a 5-foot-long piece of rope.

Pick one person to spin the rope. Everyone else gets in a circle around him. He needs to spin the rope low to the ground.

Everyone else tries to jump over the rope. The rope should spin fast enough so that it doesn't hit the ground, but slow enough so that it's not going too fast for people to jump over.

If a person gets tagged by the rope, he is out.

The last person not tagged by the rope is the winner.

 

                                                             Snake in the Grass
 

A slithery game of tag...

This game is for 4 or more players and should be played in an open area.

To play, mark off an area to be your playing field.

One player is the snake. That person has to crawl around and move like a snake.

The snake tries to tag the other players, who run around trying to stay away from the snake.

If the snake tags you, then you become a snake, too. (That means you have to move like a snake and try to tag the other players!)

Snakes and runners are not allowed to go outside the playing area.

The last runner left is the winner.

                                                            Stuck in the Mud
 

All the fun of mud without the mess!

This game is for 4 or more players and should be played in an open area.

To play, pick someone to be "it."

When "it" tags someone, she is stuck in the mud and can't move.

To get unstuck, someone else has to crawl through her legs.

To make it harder, you can add this twist. If a player touches the stuck player's legs when crawling through them, then they are stuck too.

If everybody gets tagged, the game is over.

The last person to be tagged is "it" in the next round.

                                                                          Tails
 

This game will have you chasing after your own tail!

This game is for 4 or more players and should be played in an open area.

To play, you need one sock for every player.

First, each player hangs her sock from her back pocket or waistband. (This is her "tail.")

On the word, "go," each player tries to take the other players' tails without letting anyone else get hers.

When a player's tail is taken or falls off, she has to sit down. Even though she's sitting, she's not out. She can grab the tail off of anybody who runs by. If she gets somebody's tail, she can hang it from her back pocket and start running around again.

The last player standing wins.

                                                      What Time Is It, Mr. Wolf?
 

Can you outfox the Fox?

This game is for 3 or more players and should be played in an open area.

The object of the game is to walk past Mrs. (or Mr.) Wolf without getting caught.

To play, pick someone to be the Fox. Everyone else should line up on the starting line.

The Fox will stand about 20 feet away with her back turned.

The rest of the players say, "What time is it Mrs. (or Mr.) Wolf?"

If Mrs. (or Mr.) Wolf answers a time like, "It's five o'clock" players take five steps forward. If she answers, "It's one o'clock" players take one step forward, and so on. The players can take any size step they want.

If Mrs. Wolf says, "It's time to eat you!" she turns around and chases the other players back to the starting line. If Mrs. Wolf catches someone, he becomes the next Fox.

                                                              Jump the Creek
 

Long jumpers needed for creek challenge.

This game is for 5 or more people.

To play, you have to set up the creek. You do this by having two people hold two jump ropes that are about a foot apart.

Next, players take turns trying to jump over the creek. If they land on or in the middle of the jump rope-the creek-they're out.

When everyone has jumped once, players move the ropes about another foot apart.

The person who is able to jump the farthest without falling into the creek is the winner.

Happy jumping!

                                                                      Leap Frog
 

A croaking classic!

This game is for 6 or more players and should be played in an open area.

Players form two teams of 3 and line up.

The first player in each line gets down on his hands and knees and puts his head down.

Then, the second player in line jumps over him by lightly placing her hands on his back and jumping with her legs out to the sides. Then she gets down on her hands and knees in front of him.

The third player now leaps over both players on the ground, one at a time.

Players keep going like this.

The first team to reach the finish line wins!

                                                                   Sandwich
 

Put your back up and make like a sandwich!

This game is for 4 or more players and should be played outside or in an open area.

To set up the race, split into teams of two and give each team a ball.

Sit down, back to back with your teammate, and put a ball between your backs. Link arms, stand up and then race to the end of the playing field and back.

If you drop the ball, you have to start all over again.

The first team to finish wins.

 

                                                            The Scoop Game
 

Get the scoop!

This game is for 2 or more players and should be played outside or in an open area.

To play, you need 2 plastic one-gallon milk jugs and a beanbag or small ball.

To make the scoops, carefully cut the bottoms off the milk jugs. (You may need a grown-up to help you with this part.)

Using your scoops and the beanbag, begin to play catch with your partner. Each time you catch the beanbag, take one step backwards.

See how far apart you and your partner can go and still catch the beanbag.