Engaging in outdoor games for kids is a fantastic way to keep them active, entertained, and boost their mental health. From classic favourites to creative new twists, these outdoor yard games for kids will ensure hours of fun and excitement.
Whether you’re planning a party, looking for no-equipment options, or seeking games that encourage physical and mental development, this compilation of outdoor games for kids has it all covered. Let’s explore a diverse range of outdoor games suitable for kids of all ages.
Outdoor Yard Games For Kids
1. Bumblebee Tag
This is a tag based game for kids who love to run and move around. It is a fast-paced, strategic game that will keep kids active and teach them cooperation.
Number of Players: At least 10 players (5 Wasps, 5 Bumblebees)
How to Play:
- Divide players into two teams: Wasps and Bumblebees making sure that the number of bumblebees is more than the wasps.
- Wasp goal: To tag the bumblebees! Bumblebee Goal: To escape wasps and untag other bumblebees until the end of the game.
- Wasps are given pool noodles as “stingers.” and can tag bumblebees only with stringers. However, they cannot tag Bumblebees anywhere except the head.
- Scatter Hoola hoops (Called flowers in this game) at a good distance in the yard to create safe spaces for the bumblebees. Bumblebees cannot be tagged when inside the flower. These safe flowers should be less than the number of bees playing the game.
- A bumblebee bee can stay in the flower only for 30 seconds and must leave if another bumblebee approaches the flower and says ‘Be Gone’.
- If a bumblebee is tagged, they have to stay frozen until another bumblebee thaws or revives them.
- Bumblebees can “thaw” a tagged Bumblebee by touching their hand.
- The game goes on until all Bumblebees have been tagged or the set time is up!
2. Up and Down Cup Game
This is one of the easiest to set up backyard games to play with friends and family, making it perfect for birthday parties. All you need is lots of cups for this fun lawn game!
Number of Players: At least 6 players (3 players per team)
How to Play:
- Divide the players into two teams—the Up team and the Down team.
- Scatter plastic cups all around the backyard or lawn, with half of them turned up and the other half turned down.
- When you say “Go,” both teams try to turn the cups in their pre-decided directions (whether up or down).
- Decide the timer depending on the number of cups. The more cups, the more the fun!
- When the timer is up, shout “Stop!” to let everyone know the game is over.
- The team with the most cups pointing in their chosen direction is the winner of the game.
3. Capture the Flag
This is a fun outdoor game for kids of all ages that is similar to classic tag games but has a unique twist to make it more exciting.
Number of Players: At least 12 players (6 players per team)
How to Play:
- Divide players into two teams and mark two courts.
- Each team places a flag at the back of their court.
- Players must dash into the opposing team’s court to steal the other team’s flag and bring it back to their side without getting tagged.
- A player is “out” and has to go back to their base if they are tagged by an opponent while in the opponent’s courts.
- A player who is carrying an opponent’s flag and is tagged by an opponent must drop the flag where they were tagged, and the player who tagged them must return the flag to the opponent’s courts.
- The game ends when a team successfully captures the opposing team’s flag.
4. Head Shoulder Knees & Cup
This is another easy outdoor game for kids. Perfect for kids of all ages, this is one of the best lawn games to play on a cool evening.
Number of Players: 4 or more players
How to Play:
- Everyone pairs up and stands facing each other.
- Place a cup in the middle between each pair.
- The leader calls out commands like “Head,” “Shoulder,” “Knees,” or “Cup.”
- Players must touch the called body part or grab the cup accordingly.
- If the leader calls the “Cup,” players compete to grab the cup.
- The winner finds another winner to pair up with.
5. Blindfolded Sculptor
If you are looking for novel outdoor party games, you have hit the right spot! A creative and exciting outdoor game for kids as well as adults, this one assures silly laughs.
Number of Players: Two or more players.
How to Play:
- Select one child to be the “sculptor” and blindfold them.
- Give the sculptor a lump of modelling clay or Play-Doh.
- The other players give instructions to the blindfolded sculptor to create a specific shape or figure with the clay.
- The sculptor must try to mould the clay based on the instructions they receive.
- Once finished, the players compare the sculptor’s creation to the desired shape or figure.
- Rotate the role of the sculptor, and continue playing.
6. Squirt Bottle Tag
If you are planning to host a backyard birthday party and looking for low prep games, this is where your search ends. Squirt bottle tag, like the name suggests, is a classic tag game played with water.
Players tag each other by squirting water from their bottle and the one who stays dry the longest wins the game!
Quick Tip: Add humour with Silly Jokes for Kids for more fun!
7. Tic-Tac-Toe
Get kids strategizing and planning their moves with outdoor tic-tac-toe. Simply use chalk or washable sidewalk paint to make a giant tic-tac-toe.
8. Hot Potato
Why not play the old fashioned hot potato with family? Only this time around, you stand in a circle and catch the potato instead of passing it. The person who drops not only gets out but also a truth or dare question
9. Tug of War
This game needs no introduction! Tug of war has always managed to entertain kids of all ages and is one of the very best and most loved backyard games of all time.
10. Freeze Duel
Get ready for an exciting crossover between freeze dance and Harry Potter. Sure to get kids delighted, it is a perfect game for a Harry Potter themed outdoor birthday party!
Number of Players: 5 or more
How To Play:
Assign drum sticks or simple pencils as wands to each child. The players duel with pretend play wands, fighting off spells but only as long as the music plays. The moment the music stops, the duelling wizards freeze! Anyone moving is out.
11. Water Balloon Toss
One of the most loved backyard games to beat the summer heat, Water balloon toss always gets kids excited.
Number of Players: At least 2
How To Play:
- Fill up the water balloons and set a bucket one each player
- Let the players stand at least 3 feet away from the buckets.
- Give 10 water balloons to each player and let kids toss them into their buckets.
- The player who manages to get the most balloons in their bucket wins the game.
12. Water Balloon Tag
How about playing tag with water balloons? This game is just that! We bet even adults would want to join in!
13. Hula Hoop
Set up a Hula Hoop challenge and let the fun begin. Hula hoop is a great exercise for kids and an excellent way to build their coordination, core strength, endurance and focus.
Quick Tip: Stuck indoors? Keep fun rolling with these Pen & Paper Games.
14. Paper Airplane Challenge
This is a great way to involve kids into making their own play things and testing them. Let kids make their own paper planes and then test them which planes fly the farthest.
This game will get your kids into thinking like engineers and picking up STEM skills the play way!
Best Outdoor Games For Kids, No Equipment
15. Splat
Splat is a game of razor fast reflexes that promise complete family entertainment. A great outdoor/yard game for tweens and teens that can be played anywhere – while camping or in the comfort of your backyard.
Number of Players: At least 6 players
How to Play:
- Form a circle with all the players. Choose one player to be the splatter and he must stand in the middle of that circle.
- The splatter spins around aiming his finger gun. He randomly points to someone in the circle and shouts “SPLAT!”
- The player being pointed at must immediately dive to the ground and players of his either side should point their finger guns at each other and shout ‘Splat’.
- The last person to call ‘Splat’ gets eliminated and must sit down. If the player pointed at is late at ducking down, they are out too!
- The game continues till two players are left standing. The last two players then stand with their backs at each other and walk away from each other when the splatter signals.
When the splatter calls out ‘Splat’ the players must face each other with their finger guns pointing and call our ‘Splat’. The first player to call wins the game!
You can make the game funnier by handing out water guns to all the players! Instead of pointing out their finger gun, they will spray water!
16. River and Bank
Outdoor games for kids that require little to no-prep are a big hit with parents. River and Bank is one of those active games that will not only keep kids entertained but also burn off their extra energy!
Besides, this lawn game is great for boosting listening skills and reflexes.
Number of Players: At least 4 players
How to Play:
- Mark two parallel lines on the ground. The inner side represents the “River” and the outer sections of the parallel lines are the “Banks.”
- When the leader says “In the River,” all the kids must jump inside the line. When the leader says “On the banks,” the kids must jump outside the lines.
- What’s the fun part? The leader calls out the commands randomly, trying to trick players.
- Players must stay on the correct side to avoid elimination. The last player standing is the winner!
17. Fit On The Line
This is a clever twist on the classical game of Musical chairs to take the game outdoors and make it all the more exciting!
Number of Players: At least 5-10 players
How to Play:
- Chalk out a long line on the ground. The line should be long enough to accommodate the number of players but not all!
- One person becomes the caller. The caller blows the whistle and shouts ‘Fit on the Line’. On the command, all players rush up to line and form a queue.
- Players who cannot fit on the line get eliminated.
- Shorten the line after every round.
- The last person standing wins the game!
18. Ghost in the Graveyard
Ghost in the Graveyard is a spooky version of the famous outdoor game “Hide and Seek” with a lot of fun twists.
Number of Players: At least 4 players
How to Play:
- Choose one player to be the “Ghost.” You can use “Stone, paper, scissors” to choose the “Ghost” for this backyard game. The rest of the players gather together and start counting from 1 to 12 with their eyes closed.
- The ghost has to hide within 12 seconds of the counting.
- Once the counting is done, players chant a spooky phrase like: “Star light, star bright, hope I see a ghost tonight!” or “Midnight! I hope I don’t see a ghost tonight!” and try to find the Ghost.
- The first player to find the ghost has to inform the teammates by shouting, “I have found the ghost! RUN!”
- The Ghost can suddenly show up and try to catch the other players before they reach a specific safe place.
- If a player is tagged by the Ghost, tagged players become Ghosts and help tag the remaining players.
- Players who reach the safe spot without getting tagged are safe.
- The game continues until all players are either tagged or safe.
19. Sardines
This is an exciting twist on hide and seek that will get kids upbeat! Sardines is a great way to get creative with hiding spots while also practicing teamwork and strategy. Perfect for playing in evenings with a big group or family.
Number of Players: At least 5
How to Play:
- To play Sardines, one player is designated as “it” and must hide in the backyard.
- The other players then count to a predetermined number, such as 30 or 20, and then set off to find the player who is “it.”
- When anyone finds the player who is “it,” they must quietly hide with them in the same hiding spot. The game continues until all players have found the hiding spot, leaving only one player left searching.
- The game can be played in teams or individually, and the player who finds the hiding spot last becomes “it” for the next round.
20. Hopscotch
You can spend hours playing hopscotch! This classic entertainer is a great way to keep kids moving and build their gross motor skills.
Outdoor Games for Families
21. Balancing Challenges with Parents
Let your creativity soar with these fun balancing challenges. Pick any balancing challenge and do it as a pair with your kid. Like walking holding hands while balancing a book on the head” or ‘stand back to back and participate in a spoon race, with both players of the pair balancing a spoon with a ping-pong ball’.
Think of jump rope games, three-legged races (or three-legged hopscotch!) anything that challenges you to balance and coordinate! Be creative in your challenges.
Related: Try Fun Family Reunion Games for boost bonding!
22. Pass The Water
This is one of the most fun outdoor games for families and friends. Perfect for summer, this game will get everyone into a jolly good mood and take bonding to the next level.
Make it into a fun outdoor game with a challenge between parents and kids.
How to Play:
- The game is played between two teams.
- Team members stand in a line.
- Each team receives two buckets— one filled with water at the starting point, the other bucket is empty and should be placed behind the last player in the row.
- Everyone has an empty cup with them.
- The goal is to fill the bucket placed at the end of the line. But it is not as simple as it may sound. The first player in the line fills up his/her cup and passes the water to the player behind him/her in the line without looking and turning back. So they need to take the cup over their head and pour the water down for the second player to catch it. The last player to receive the water empties their cup in the bucket, again without turning back or looking behind.
- The first team to fill their bucket with the most water wins!
23. Memory Game on The Move
This is a great yard game that not only targets fitness but also memory skills. Play it as parent vs child to boost bonding.
Number of Players: At least three players.
How to Play:
- Set up a starting line where the caller will stand and shout out the instructions for players to follow.
- Place numbered cones in your backyard/lawn at a good distance from each other in random order.
- The Caller shouts out numbers, at least 4 to start with. For instance, the caller shouts out 6, 1, 3 & 5.
- The players must run to the cones with the specified numbers in the same order as called out and return back to the starting line. The player to reach the starting line first wins the round.
- The game continues in this manner. Each time, the Caller adds one additional number from the card to make it more competitive and difficult.
The player with the best of 5 rounds wins the game!
24. Hose Limbo
This family friendly version of limbo is a fun lawn game that will beat the summer heat and set the mood.
Be it adults or kids, everyone will love playing it!
Number of Players: Multiple players.
How to Play:
- Turn on a hose and use the water stream as your limbo stick.
- Have a person hold the hose horizontally at a certain height.
- The players bend backward and try to pass under the water stream.
- After each turn, lower the water stream slightly.
25. Two-Person Three-Legged Race
This is a collaborative outdoor game that will give everyone a valuable lesson in teamwork. Besides, it is a fun way to play with kids and bond with them while embracing your fun side.
Number of Players: Pairs of players (even number of participants)
How to Play:
- Pair up the players. You can pair one child-one adult to make it fun!
- Pairs stand close to each other with their arms around one another’s waist. Tie their adjacent legs.
- Mark the start line and finish line with two ropes.
- Pairs race to reach the finish line. The pair that reaches the finish line first wins.
The game teaches your kids how teamwork makes dreams work.
26. Rope Games
There are just so many ways to play with jump rope. This enjoyable game offers great health benefits and is a perfect way to stay active.
27. Frisbee
Challenge your family to the frisbee challenge! This time-honoured game promises serious family entertainment. Make a circle and let the game begin!
