Outdoor Games for Groups of Kids

Remarkable things happen when kids play together outdoors. They have fun, sure, but they also engage in a wide range of behaviors they’ll repeat throughout their adult lives. Cooperation, communication, collective thinking, and critical problem solving as a group all get exercised when children play together.

This collection of outdoor games for kids is designed specifically to enhance those skills while the little ones have the times of their lives.

1. Build an Outdoor Fort

With its potential to stimulate imagination, self-reliance, persistence and grit, building a cozy outdoor fort can be done with a tarp, two to four bungee cords, a few tent stakes and a length of rope. It also teaches kids how to build a tent in an emergency situation in which makeshift shelter is required.

The kids can imagine themselves deep in the forest on a thrilling adventure as they construct the hideaway. Once completed, it can be whatever their imagination deems it to be — a starship to the outer limits of the galaxy, or even a submarine exploring the depths of the ocean.

2. Hide and Seek

This classic game is rife with opportunity to instill self-reliance, focus and self-control, even as it imparts the joys of an active lifestyle. Moreover, it can be tailored to precisely serve the varying needs of a wide range of age groups.

But wait, it gets even better: Hide and seek can be played with objects just as well as people. After all, a scavenger hunt is little more than hide and seek with things as the object of the search. 

The basic hide and seek rules can remain the same, regardless of how the game is played. However, by altering it, you can help younger children stay focused, even if they’re too young to grasp the overall concept of it. When played with people, it also helps younger children learn there is nothing to fear about separation. The emotional wellbeing benefit of this is substantial.

3. “I, Spy” with a Twist

One of the miracles of contemporary technology is how quickly children grasp the operation of exceedingly complex devices. Handing a young child a smartphone can be a source of endless entertainment, both for the wee one and for you.

Challenging them to do something specific with the phone is even better.

“I, Spy” with a twist combines the best attributes of a photo scavenger hunt with the opportunity for children to practice communication, making connections and critical thinking skills, while simultaneously burnishing their self esteem.

A group of children can be split up into teams of two or three, each child charged with photographing the objects they find. Ask players to take pictures of objects with certain characteristics, like color, shape and size. An adult can help smaller children, in order to prevent the wee ones from experiencing discouragement.

4. Fill-the-Bucket-First Game

Another terrific activity with the potential for helping children learn teamwork, this game is predicated upon using a bucket to fill a larger container as quickly as possible. Another variation is using a large sponge to transport water between the buckets, seeing which team can wring more water out faster.

Either way, during the course of play, children will have to move their bodies vigorously, think creatively and work as a team.

As the parameters of the fill-the-bucket-first game are laid out for kids, their minds will immediately begin to strategize a methodology by which they will play the game. Working through various strategies exercises their creativity as they learn to solve ambiguous problems. Their gross motor skills will also be called upon to transport the water and pour it where instructed.

These four outdoor games for groups of kids are far more than just pastimes. They are full-blown educational opportunities. However, the kids don’t need to know that.

Let’s let them think they’re just having fun.