Outdoor Games For Children

A refresher for adults on the classic games red light/green light and tag

Outdoor games are a significant part of most people's memories of childhood. It could be the rhymes recalled from a game of jump rope, or a favorite old building used for hide and seek, but there's usually one particular outdoor children's game that prompts nostalgia. Now that you're older and looking for outdoor games for children that you can share with your own family, here are a few from the memory banks.

Red light/Green light

Chances are you played this outdoor children's game or something similar, such as What time is it, Mr. Wolf?, which is a great outdoor game for children if exercise is what they need. But since your children will be driving before you know it, maybe Red light/Green light will give them a head start on driver's ed.

In Red light/Green light, one child gets to be the stoplight and the other children try to touch him/her. To begin, all the children form a line about fifteen feet away from the stoplight. The stoplight turns his/her back to the line of kids and says "green light".

During a green light, the children move towards the stoplight. But they don't want to move too quickly, because when the stoplight says "red light" and turns around, any kids caught moving have to go back to the starting line.

The game continues when the stoplight turns back around and says "green light". The game is over when a child is close enough to touch the stoplight. The winning child gets to be stoplight for the next game.

Tag

Many of the best outdoor games for children are chasing games. Outdoor chasing games are fun and exciting and great exercise. Of course, the best known of these games is tag.

But tag isn't just one game. There are dozens of outdoor games for kids that could be listed under the name "tag." Some last an entire game with only one kid being It, while others have It switched quickly from player to player.

For example, there's freeze tag. One player is It, and any player they tag must stand frozen in place with their feet apart. A player can be unfrozen by having another player crawl through their legs. Freeze tag continues until all players have been frozen.

Another variation is called partner tag or elbow tag. One player is It, and all but one of the other children link arms in pairs. The child who is It chases the lone player, who at any time can link arms with one of the pairs. The partner on the other end of the 3-person chain then becomes the lone player. For the most fun, the pairs should be spaced apart strategically so it's not too easy to link up.

More information on outdoor games