The 10 Most Fun Outdoor Games For Kids

Remember those long summer days where every waking minute was spent outside playing? No one dared to complain about being bored for fear of being assigned chores by our parents. Instead, we played through our arsenal of outdoor games until every single game had been played over and over. When we exhausted our game options we just invented new ones. Those were the good ole days!

Unfortunately, the lure of (or addiction to), electronics keeps kids from venturing out to play games like their parents or grandparents used to play. With decreased outdoor playtime many kids don't even know what to do when they go outside to play! 

I've got an easy solution to this problem. It is time for you to re-live a little bit of your childhood and teach your kids the games you used to play when you were a kid. Throw on some flip-flops and join them in the backyard to get the fun started. 

The key to playing outside with your child is showing them how to play these fun outdoor games. My kids love learning the games I used to play when I was a kid and yours will too. 

These games might seem a bit retro to your modern kids but they are still a ton of fun to play. Be careful these games and the fun they will have playing them might become some of their fondest childhood memories! All of these games are easy to play and perfect for any age (including adults). 

This post was written in partnership with Zulily. Check out these other fun outdoor kids games at The Find By Zulily. For more great posts click here.

10 Fun Retro Outdoor Kid's Games 

1. Red Rover - This is the perfect outdoor game for a large group of kids. Divide kids into two teams spaced about twenty feet apart. Each team holds hands in a line facing the opposing team. Team One chants “Red Rover, Red Rover, let (name of one child from team two) come over!” The child whose name was called runs towards Team One’s line trying to break through a pair of holding hands. If they break the chain the child selects a player from Team Two to join their team, but if they don’t break through the chain, they join this team. Play continues until one person is left standing 

2. Duck, Duck Goose - a classic that never gets old and great for all ages. Players sit in a circle and one player, the “ducker” walks around the outside perimeter of the circle gently tapping each person’s head saying “duck”. When the ducker taps a player’s head and says “goose” the player stands up and chases the ducker around the circle trying to tag them before they reach the open space.  

 

3. Drip, Drip, Drop - This game is just like a duck, duck, goose but with a wet sponge added. The “ducker” holds the sponge above each person’s head and when they want to select a player to chase them, they squeeze the sponge over their head to soak them. The person who gets soaked jumps up and chases the other player around the circle trying to tag them. 

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4. Mother, May I? - A fun and easy game to play with your family and friends. Select one player to be “Mother” and have them stand about 20 feet away from the rest of the players who should line up shoulder to shoulder spaced a few feet apart. The “Mother” calls to one of the players giving them instructions to move forward like “bunny hop forward three times”. The player must ask “Mother, may I?” and if granted permission by the “Mother” may perform the instructed steps. If the player moves and forgets to ask “Mother, may I?” they must go all the way back to the starting spot. The first one to reach “Mother” wins! 

 

5.  Red Light, Green Light - All the players start on the far side of the yard or playground except for one person who is the caller. The caller turns his back to the group and shouts, “green light” and all the players try to run towards the caller. When the caller shouts, “red light” and faces the players, everyone must stop and freeze. Anyone caught moving is out. The first person to reach the caller wins. 

 

6. Hot / Cold - one player hides an object while the other players look away. Then while other players look for the hidden object the person who hid it says “hot” if they close to the object or “cold” if they are far away from it.  

7. Ghost in the Graveyard - One person, the ghost hides while the seekers sit in the free spot and count, singing: “one-o’clock, two-o’clock, three o’clock, four, five o’clock six o’clock seven o’clock more, eight o’clock, nine o’clock ten o’clock, eleven o’clock, noon, noon we’ll be searching for your soon.” (repeat) but this time when you get to twelve o’clock say “midnight”. The seekers look for the ghost. When the ghost is spotted, they yell “ghost in the graveyard” and try to run to the free spot without being tagged by the ghost. The first person tagged now becomes the new ghost.  

8. Hopscotch - This is the perfect retro game everyone loves to play. Using sidewalk chalk draw a steppingstone-shaped hopscotch path down the length of the sidewalk. Players take turns tossing a small stone onto the hopscotch then jumping from block-to-block hopping with only one foot allowed to land on a square at a time, avoiding the block with their stone on it. 

9. Spider in the Web - All players stand together on one side of the yard except for one person who is the spider. The spider stands in the middle of the yard and tries to tag other players as they run across the yard to the other side. Anyone tagged becomes a spider. The game continues until everyone is a spider.  

10. Slithering Snake Jump Rope - A jump rope is all that you need to bring this retro game to life. One child, the Snake holds one end of a jump rope while the rest of the children gather in a center around the Snake. The Snake spins around making a circular pattern with the jump rope while the other players hop over the jump rope as it approaches them. Anyone touched (bitten) by the rope is out.

More Fun Outdoor Games To Play

Looking for more fun retro outdoor games to play with your kids? Check out this post: 20 Fun Outdoor Games For Kids on the Zulily blog The Find. Have fun making great memories this summer with your children!

Games are so much fun! Here are some other great games & activities your kids will enjoy - 

10 Awesome Party Games For Kids 

10 Fun & Easy Toddler Activities To Keep Them Busy

Top 10 Family Board Games

 

Pin these awesome games & activities for later!