Get your kids to play some good, old-fashioned outdoor games at their next birthday party. These games are also great for during the school holidays when your kids have friends over. Get them outside in the warm winter sunshine!
Hold a mini Olympics
The best thing about holding the Olympics in your own back garden is you can make up your own games and rules! Try the longest Frisbee throw, space-hopper relay race, hula hoop endurance event or lowest limbo! Add medal ceremonies, flags and podiums for authenticity.
Play Tag Games
Here are some more interesting versions of Tag!
Stick in the Mud: Once tagged by ‘it’ you must stay ‘stuck in the mud’ – rooted to the spot, feet apart. Fellow players can release you by crawling through your legs. The only time you are safe from being tagged is when you’re in the midst of releasing another player. The game ends when ‘it’ has stuck all the players in the mud – or collapses in exhaustion!
Spider Tag: The tagger is a ‘spider’ and all others are flies. When tagged a fly has to hold hands with the spider and race around trying to tag too. As more flies are caught in the web the chain gets longer and longer. The winner is the last person caught, who then becomes the next spider.
Pickpocket Tag: To start, each player has a strip of material to hang out their back pocket or the waistband of their trousers. The aim is to grab and capture as many of your fellow players’ strips as possible. The winner is the one with the most at the end.
Source: 101 Things for Kids to do Outside by Dawn Isaac.