Kids Summer Outdoor Games

It would be nice to have an infinite supply of money to go to every museum, batting cage, and IMAX movie that your town has to offer. Fortunately, kids can still have fun doing outdoor things with their friends or family without needing parents to break the bank. All you need to have fun outdoors is an imagination and that infinite supply of energy that adults wish they could absorb from the kids they are around. You'll be surprised how much fun you'll have with the most basic of kids summer outdoor games by using what you already have.

Having a backyard or a park nearby is a necessary fun-having canvas. One activity that does not require any equipment is Cartoon Freeze Tag. One kid will be "It" and will chase the other kids around. Once you tag someone, they freeze. The only way that kid will be unfrozen is if another kid crawls under their legs while naming a cartoon character. This is loads of fun for kids, and parents will appreciate the energy it takes to play, making bedtime quite simple.

Buy a kickball and take your kids to a baseball diamond, or an open field. Kickballs are soft and cannot cause concussions or black eyes. Set up a kickball game, which is similar to baseball, where the pitcher rolls the kickball to the the "batter" and once the ball is kicked, the outfielders will catch the ball, and chase the batter to tag them out. Of course, the batter can touch first base, and so on to score points for the team. You can also use the ball for dodge ball and four-square. If kids do not want to participate, they can play hop scotch or jacks on the sidewalk or cheer on their friends.

Check out your community swimming pools. Is it mainly adults, or is there a majority of kids are there majority kids splashing about? Bring your kids to the pool with their friends and start a game orof Marco Polo or Sharks and MinoesMinnows. Marco Polo is as simple as one kid is Marco, and the rest of the kids are Polo. With eyes closed, Marco yells out "Marco!" and the rest of the kids with their eyes open yell out Polo and try to dodge Marco from tagging them. This allows the kids to use all their senses besides sight to be the winner of the game. Sharks and MinoesMinnows. is a little similar. One kid is the "shark" in the pool with their eyes closed. All of the other kids are minoesminnows. waiting to jump in. When the shark yells "MinoesMinnows. in the Water!" the kids jump in and try not to be tagged by the blind shark. Have a watchful eye, as many accidents can occur with your eyes closed, such as conking your head on the side of the pool. Remind your kids- no running!

Colored Eggs and Red Rover are classic outdoor games. Colored Eggs starts out with one kid as the "wolf" and all other kids are either lined up on a fence, or a wall, and are ready to run as soon as the wolf picks their color. The game follows this dialogue:

Wolf: " Knock Knock!"

Kids" "Who is there?!"

Wolf: "Big Bad Wolf!"

Kids: "What do you want"

Wolf : "Colored Eggs"

Kids: " What Color?"

Wolf: " Red"

In this example, the kid who chose red as their color tries to run to the designated "safe zone" without being tagged. Red Rover can be played with several kids in the neighborhood. There are two teams, one team that locks arms and guards their side, and another team that is lined up waiting to cross to the other side and break through the chain of kids. The linked kids yell "Red Rover Red Rover can (insert kids name here) come over?". Then, the named kid tries to run over and break through the linked children. If they cannot break through, then they are stuck on this teams side, and cannot return to their team.

Whichever game your kid decides to play, as long as they are in the warm sun with cool lemon aid nearby, a fun time is guaranteed with the outdoor games described above. Remember, always wear sunscreen and play fair!