Outdoor Games For Your Children

1. Kickball

As I grew up I could not help, but notice that I lived in a neighborhood full of children. We would play kickball. We would attract several children from other neighborhoods. Sometimes we would have as many as 20 to 30 children. There was a large field in back of my house, so we had plenty of room. I would play kickball sometimes all day long. Usually there would be 2 leaders. Each leader would pick who they wanted to be on their team. There would be those that could kick the ball really far. Everyone always wanted to be on their team. The game is played using a similar softball diamond which includes 1st, 2nd, third and home base. It is played similar to softball, only you kick the ball instead of hitting it with a bat. The pitcher and any offensive players can actually hit you with the ball as you attempt to run to each base. Once you have 3 outs then the other team comes up to kick the ball and the opposite team goes into the field.
Kickball originally called “kick baseball,” was invented around 1917 by Nicholas C Seuss.

Below is a video of a group of children playing kickball. Although they are playing on hard pavement in their neighborhood, I would suggest that you play on a diamond softball field.






2. Hopscotch

Have any of your children ever heard of hopscotch? Have you ever played it as a child. I remember playing hopscotch nearly all day. I just could not get enough of it. It can basically be played alone or with several children. It is much more fun with several children. We use to draw the hopscotch court on the sidewalk with chalk. The single squares must be hopped on one foot, 2 feet may land on the double squares. The player must hop to 10 and then turn around and hop back to one at the beginning. The player must throw a marker into square one and proceed to hop through all the other squares without touching a line or bouncing out. If a player touches a line he/she is out. Players begin their turns where they last left off. The first player that completes the game for every number wins the game. There are various forms of hopscotch around the world. This is just one of them.

Below is a video of a girl demonstrating hopscotch. Note Hopscotch numbering and patterns can vary and may not be exactly like the one shown below:







3. Dodgeball

Do you ever remember playing dodgeball? This is a game where one player attempts to hit other players with a ball. When a person is hit with the ball, they are out. The ball can be picked up by any player left standing to attempt to hit another. The last person left without getting hit by the ball is the winner. It is typically played between ages 6-12 years, but I remember playing as early as age 4 years.

4. Hide “N” Seek

Do you remember playing Hide “N” Seek? This was one of my favorite games. This game involves several children hiding and waiting to be found by one seeker. The one seeker usually closes his/her eyes and counts to 10, then hollers, “Ready or not hear I come.”

5. Croquette

I remember playing hours and house of croquette. This game is typically played on the lawn. It involves hitting wooden or plastic balls with a mallet through hoops embedded in the lawn. Similar to pool, each opponent has a ball color that he or she must hit through the hoops. The first person to hit all of their balls through all of the hoops is the winner.


6. Jump Rope

Jump rope can be done by yourself or with several others. Generally 2 people turn the rope and one or several others will jump. This just another great sport that involves physical endurance and is plenty of fun too. It has become so popular that there is a National Double Dutch League yearly camp that holds competition in which teams compete all over the world.

Below is a video of a 2009 National Jump Rope Competition - Double Dutch Pairs Freestyle.




Do You remember interesting outdoor games that you played as a child?

Resources:

http://www.indianchild.com/outdoor_games.htm

http://fun.familyeducation.com/play/outdoor-activities/33394.html

http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/1871679/fun_outdoor_games_for_kids.html?cat=25