Best and safe outdoor games for children

One of the best ways to strengthen the relationship between adults and children, as well as between the little ones themselves, and at the same time, promote mutual learning is through games. Taking things this way, the smallest of the house will learn many things by paying the necessary attention and seeing it as an obligation. Also, playing with them is the ideal method to encourage their creativity and promote cognitive development.

There are many games to entertain and teach children, but among the most positive are those outdoors. Away from screens, consoles and other devices, they must interact with both the people around them and the environment. Sometimes it is difficult to start a game that attracts the attention of the little ones but do not worry. We help you with this article about outdoor games for children.

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Outdoor games for children

Dodgeball

There are many outdoor games with the ball for children to have a great time exercising, and one of the best known is the dodgeball.

It is necessary to make 2 teams and divide a track into two parts.
Each team will occupy a part of the court: one will start to throw the ball to hit an opponent from the other team.
The ball cannot touch the ground before hitting the opponent.
If he manages to hit an opponent, he will be a prisoner; If, on the other hand, a fellow prisoner blocks the ball without it falling, he will be released.

Handkerchief game

Among the traditional and most popular outdoor games for children is the handkerchief game. Its mechanics are very simple:

After forming 2 teams of at least 4 players, each team member must identify themselves with a number that ranges from the number of teammates they have.
There will be a person responsible for holding the handkerchief in the middle of the court and this person will say a number out loud (one that is in the range of players on the teams).
The players identified with this number in each team will have to run to get the handkerchief and return to their place or starting point.
Whoever succeeds without being touched or caught by the opponent wins, but if he takes the handkerchief and is touched, the opponent who has reached it wins.

Sack-race

If you are looking for entertainment activities for children, sack races can be a good solution.

You have to prepare the number of bags identical to the number of players to get inside.
Starting from the same starting line, they will have to go jumping to make a route until they reach the same goal.
As in all races, the winner will be the one who reaches the finishing point first.
Sacks can be made in many ways, such as pillowcases, large bags or bags used to store food, such as potatoes.

4 corners

There are also outdoor games for children without material. One of them is the one with the four corners:

A minimum of 5 people are needed and 4 of them stand in a corner and the rest stay in the middle.
This game aims to move to the next corner without the person in the middle occupying that place.
The player who runs out of the corner will go to the center to try to take the corner from another player on the next lap.

Caterpillar race

Some activities are ideal for entertaining a large group of children. One of them is the caterpillar race game:

2 or more teams are formed and, in each team, the members stand without touching one behind the other. In this way, they represent a caterpillar.
A balloon or a ball is placed between them: they will not be able to catch it with their hands, but they will have to hold the object together enough and move at the same time to prevent it from falling. Thus, each caterpillar will move towards the goal avoiding that the balls or balloons fall on the way.
The team that manages to arrive before without any ball falling will be the winner.
Another version of this game is done sitting on the floor, one behind the other, the children grab the feet of the one behind them, which will be level with their sides. Thus, they will have to advance to the finish line crawling in unison so that the track does not dismount. There are many more versions and they can be invented according to the material we have.

Pilla-pilla or hideout

If there is an outdoor game that all children know, this is the pilla-pilla or hide and seek. It is very easy to practice and no material is needed:

At a base or starting point, one of the players counts to 10 (or whatever number the group decides) while the others run away and hide.
As soon as he finishes, he has to chase the rest of the children until he catches them.
Children who touch the base without being caught are saved. For their part, those who have been caught are eliminated until the next round.

The blind chicken

This is another classic game for children outdoors, but it can also be played indoors when the weather is not favorable. Playing blind man is very simple:

A boy or a girl starts out being the blind man, as they will have to find others without seeing them. To do this, you have to place a handkerchief or blindfold.
The others must run around them, in a delimited area, ensuring that whoever plays the chicken does not touch them.
Runners may make noises, such as clapping, talking, singing, or yelling to give clues to whoever plays the chicken to get a little better orienting themselves, or even make them a little more disoriented, at least at first.

When the blind chicken manages to catch another of the boys or girls, this becomes the chicken and the game begins again.

Hopscotch

Hopscotch has many versions and is played all over the world, but the most popular way to play is as follows:

Paint hopscotch on the floor using squares with numbers on the inside. From 1 to 3, the squares follow each other until reaching 4, at which point squares 4 and 5 are painted together so that one foot can fit in each. Then box 6 goes and then 7 and 8 are painted together. Finally, 9 and 10 are drawn successively, two boxes that are separated. This is a version, but the number of numbers and their position can be adjusted.
Once the hopscotch is painted, each child will have to jump on it individually, putting both feet together when there is only one box and one foot on each side when there are two boxes together.
When the player reaches square 10, he turns around and throws a stone or chalk into one square.
You will have to arrive at that number by skipping all the squares on the loose foot. The child has to return to the starting point without falling and if it happens, there are several options: that he starts the altar part again on the limp, that he start all over again or that the turn passes and he will try again when he the turn comes again.

3-legged stroke

Outdoor games for children also include 3-legged races, also called 3-foot races. Through this activity, the coordination of the little ones is encouraged.

You have to divide all the players into pairs.
Each player has to stand next to their partner and one leg is tied to the others. In this way, they have 3 “legs”.
All pairs are lined up at the starting point.
As soon as the race begins, the duos must reach the goal running or walking and for this, they have to coordinate the steps very well with their partner.
The first couple to arrive will be the winner.

English hideout

This game is another of the most famous in the world. It is ideal for playing outdoors and without materials, but it can also be played indoors without the need for a large space and it is very easy to play:

One of the children stands in front of a wall, with his back to all the others who will line up at the other end of the space that has been delimited.
The one facing the wall, when everyone is ready, begins the game by saying: “1, 2, 3, hide and seek English.”
As he says this, the other children have to take a few steps forward. They can do it at more or less speed. They can change their position, etc. However, as soon as the count finishes, the children should stay completely still.
Once the counting is done, the little one will quickly turn around to see if the players are completely still or not. If he sees someone move, he will have to go back a section and as soon as he is sure that everyone is still, he has to turn and count again.
The children have to move quickly until they reach the ‘watchman’ and touch the wall before he catches them.
If you want to include materials, you can play with stilts or other objects that reinforce the little ones’ abilities.

The camber

Jump rope is a game that children can play in groups or alone. If they play individually or in pairs, the rope must be shorter, but if a group of children plays, the rope will have to be the long rope and it will have to be held by two children or, if it is large and heavy, two adults.

Each one must jump the rope while in motion, avoiding touching it, so the rhythm must be calculated, paying attention to when the rope is up and when it is touching the ground. The difficulty is to increase the rhythm of the rope twist or perform all kinds of movements depending on each participant’s skills. You can even jump two ropes with opposite movements at the same time.

Broken phone

The broken or smashed phone is a classic to play with the little ones. These are the basic indications:

All participants sit in a circle.
The one who begins comments in the ear of the one next to him a phrase in a low voice.
The recipient of the message quickly repeats it to the next and so on until the circle is complete.
The last player in the circle will have to say aloud the sentence that has come to him to check if it is the same as the one that the first one has said. It is rarely hit and the results are always strange and fun.

Limbo

You need a type of bar or stick to play limbo, be it wooden, a broom or any long stick and some upbeat music.

The stick is placed supported between chairs or similar support or, two adults will have to hold it.
Children will have to go under the bar.
As everyone succeeds, the height of the bar will lower. For this reason, the first level or the first round must be with the high bar and then progressively lower.
If you hit the bar you lose and are disqualified. The game ends when there is only one boy or girl left because the others have been disqualified by touching the bar and this / a has managed to overcome all levels.

Rope game

In the rope game, you will have to follow these instructions:

You start by dividing the children into two teams.
Each will be placed at one end of the rope.
In the middle, put a handkerchief that matches the drawing of a line marked on the ground.
As soon as you warn, they will have to start shooting.
The team that manages to pull the most rope and makes the first player from the other team cross the line will be the winning team. To do this, they will have to resort to force and coordination.