outdoor games

[peaches]

howdy people

i am hoping to get 7 responses to this thread before the end of the weekend or at least 1 in the next 7hrs. here is my predicament:

I just spent the better part of the last 2hrs trying to find fun outdoor games to play wiht the kids at the daycare i work who are 6 - 10 years old. i am looking for group games that require very little apparatus. we are doing girls vs boys so any team games would be appreciated.

please people, give me anything for me to use tomorrow. we have already used up the common ones like tag and relay.

[poetically_taken]

Well lets see...

There's

~Capture the Flag

~Red Rover (some of the parents might not be too happy with this one)

~Sardines (not a team thing but still fun... It's like reverse hide and seek. One person hides and when soemone finds them, they hide with them - the last one to get there gets to hide next)

~Red Light, Green light

~ Kick the Can

~this other "tag-esq" game where you are all in a circle and the one person in the middle has to say ask if someone has done something (ie: Has anyone brushed their teeth) and all the people who have done that have to run to a different part of the circle - the person left out has to say the next question.

~ Three-legged race

~ Blob tag

~ Can-Can (you need a trash can in the middle of a circle and if anyone touches the trash can OR loses grip on someone's hand then they are out, when someone is eliminated then you pause to give everyone a break)

~ Human knot (you criss-cross hands across the circle and then have to unravel the knot without losing grip on anyone's hands. You could put them into teams for that)

~Dragon's Tail (in this one everyone gets in line and puts their hands on the person in front of them's waist. Then the last person in line tucks a hankerchief or scarf in their back pocket or belt or something like that and the person in front tries to get it. When they do, they become the end. You can play this in teams by having there be two "dragons" and having them chase each other's tail.)

well... I know I know more but I can't think of them right now so I can get back to you on that. I hope this helps out a little.

Oh! And by the way, ask me if you don't know the rules to any of them, I think I explained all of them that aren't common but games that are common here might not be common there and such.

Edited August 9, 2007 by poetically_taken

[Iryssa]

Duck, Duck, Goose!

[chimoku]

Hi Peaches !

Here are some I used . . .(I don't know if I'll explain the game rules well - however . . .)

1. FREEZE TAG

i) one is "IT"

ii) the rest of the group secrectly selects the "Melter"

iii) You ( teacher/ daycare assistant/ etc) yells "go"

iv) the person who is "IT" must tag the others.

Once a person is tagged, they must stop and "FREEZE" in the position they were in when tagged.

The secret "Melter" is the only one who can unfreeze a tagged person, so he or she must run and tag that Frozen person in a subtle way so that the person who is "IT" doesn't catch on.

If the kid who isthe "melter" gets tagged, then s/he is IT and the game resumes

Ther are variables to this game - and you can use your creativity to make new rules.

2. DODGE BALL

Select two teams.

I uaually do this randomly by counting "I, 2, 1, 2, 1, 2 ..." and point to a kid.

I have the "1's" group to my right ast hey are called, and the "2's" group tp my left.

I hide a stone behind my back in a one of my fists - and the team that selects the stone gets to choose if they will be the outside team or inside.

There are man y variables to this game.

(A) For playing Outside - depending in the # of kids, you can have them form lines or a circle.

The team inside the circle must avoid being hit by the ball.

(B) You can also have each team face each other and use as many balls as you have available

Place the balls in the middle between the two teams

When you blow your whistle the teams run to the balls and try to hit the opposite team membrs with the ball.

The balls should be softer ones, and the kids are only allowed to aim below the waist.

Kids can catch the balls thrown at them and try , in turn to hit the other team

The team with the most people left wins.

I often used this game before closing - So as a kid gets hit with a ball s/he would have to go and get their stuff and get ready to go home.

© I also play the game so that when a kid is hit and has to sit out, s/he can be rescued by another team member - who tags them back into the game. That way everyone 'wins' and the kids can keep on playing

DUCK DUCK GOOSE GAME

Kids sit in a circle

A kid is selcted.

S/he walks around on the outside of the circle and gently taps the other kids on the head saying "duck duck duck duck . ." THEN, at some point s/he will touch someone on the head and say "Goose"

That child will get up and run around the circle i nthe opposite direction of the kids who tapped him /her

The first one back to the empty space is safe.

The other one now has to g around and do the "duck, duck, duck . .. goose" thing.

The kids love this game.

One rule I have is that they needs to select a girl/boy interchangeably.

because boys tend to choose boys and girls tend to choose gorls at that age.So if a girl is up she has to choose a boy.

That makes them more competitive too.

Sometimes I have them use a bean bag and drop the bean bag behind the kid, who then has to pick up the bean bag and run the circle and try to get to the empty space.

CALIFORNIA KICK BALL

This is a take of on baseball using a soft soccer ball.

I think you can find the rules on that one, in the internett.

The kids love this one too.

SOCCER

I play a lot of soccer with kids - they love it

I often play it so that when a team kicks a goal, we change team composites, so its not about winning but just playing. . .

Hope this makes sense . . and the kids and you will have fun . . .

[peaches]

responses.....phew!

thanks