outdoor games for kids

[Liitha]

i belive there is a few teachers in here...+ i am sure there are plenty others in here who remembers games from childhood

 

i need games i can use for 2hours gymclass for kids around 10ish or so age i think

 

they need to be simple, yet entertaining...i used some of those i could, but they seem to be all outplayed on those and dont find them very amusing :p, so i figured would get them some stuff from out of country that they didnt know how worked too well, and hope that was more exciting

 

since i am a dumbhead when it comes to rules, i need descriptive rule regulations for the games, on what goes and what dont goes..

[Bursius]

Get an inflatable ball and play dodge ball, you need two opposing lines to do it.  If they are all the same gender, leap frog might entertain them for a while.

[JenniferL]

Have you played Capture the Flag? I spent an entire summer playing that with my summer camp kids a few years ago.

[Loreina]

The kids around here are all into Ultimate Frisbee. But I don't know the rules. I also just found out that there's something called frisbee golf. I have no clue what the rules are, but they might be online somewhere.  :)

[Carwyn]

Some rules for frizzbie golf

 

http://www.helium.com/items/651565-the-rules-of-frisbee-golf-explained

 

Creating a timed obstacle course is really fun, and kids are way into it.

 

 

[Eladari Menaka]

My grade 5s right now are really enjoying soccer-baseball.  You don't even need a baseball field to do it - just 4 hoola-hoops (1 for each base) and a good sized ball (such as a soccer ball).  Rules are essentially the same as for baseball, though I usually play more to each player kicking than 3 outs.  It's a challenging enough game, can go on for a good long while and involves all students while allowing them to have breaks too!

 

I also really recommend capture the flag.  It's such a great outdoor game, and there are a number of variations to it.  (# of flags, prisoners, etc).

 

Hope this helps!

 

 

 

[Liitha]

if dodgeball is what i think it is Bursius then they already know it

 

the problem i wont say it is now, but i suspect is that at least when i went to school, the teachers had a few things, and instead of varying through all types of sports, they kept to those, so we knew them inside out and was dead bored with them...also game plays are normal over here in elementary to get to know eachother...so i need something new they aint familiar with

 

we got a game based of baseball here where you use a bat and tennisball called hitball, but yeah they play this in the freeperiods and got other rules then both i was used too and what was online, so ended up in disagreement also cause they no longer has a good marked up bane for it like we did.

 

i would love to hear more about capture the flag, and soccer base ball, however i am not a sporty type, and pure baseball is not a big sport here...so i need explanation like you would give to someone who never heard of it, basicaly as you would explain the rules to kids who never played it (cause i havent and i have to explain it to them)

 

 

[JenniferL]

Capture the Flag.

 

You need a large, preferably wooded area to play. At the very least, you need lots of stuff for the kids to hide in and around.

 

Divide the kids up into two teams. Give each a "flag". I used colored handkerchiefs. Each team then goes out into the woods and hides their flag. Each team also has to choose a "base" where they will keep their prisoners.  When the teacher blows the whistle, the kids have to storm the opposing side and steal their flag. You can be tagged by the opposing side and taken to their base, where you can only be released if someone from your side tags you again. then you both have a "truce" that allows you to walk together back to your base. The game is won when someone brings the opponents flag back to their base without being tagged.

[Vemynal]

"Hit him with the stick"

 

I believe the game should be self explanatory

 

and believe it or not I did do this with great success at my swim teaching job, cept instead of sticks it was pool noodles

[Liitha]

when you tag someone do the tagger have to escort the prisoner to the base, or does the prisoner walk by themself there?

[JenniferL]

They have to be walked back.

 

Also, it helps if you have a "border" between the two sides territory. That way, they know when they can be tagged and when they are safe.

[Eladari Menaka]

Soccer baseball is a good one. 

Set the hula hoops up in a large square (approx. size of baseball diamond).  The first hoop is home base where one team kicks the ball.  Then there's 1st base, 2nd base, 3rd base and then back to home.

Divide the students into two equal teams.  One team sits on the bench and takes turns kicking at the ball.  The other team is on the field, spread out between bases, infield and a couple outfield (outside the square).  One person rolls the ball to be kicked.

When a kid successfully kicks the ball they need to run to 1st base.  The other team tries to tag them out by getting the ball to 1st base first, catching the ball in mid-air before it touches the ground, or tagging the runner with the ball.  Another student then comes up to kick and the kids work their way around the bases and then back to home for a point.  The team is allowed 3 Outs, and then they switch up.

 

It takes a bit of practice for the kids to get the hang of tagging out, but they do understand quickly, and I'm sure you'll have many that know similar rules of play.

 

Hope this helps you more!

 

 

 

[Liitha]

nods we have the one called hitball here which also have a version called deadball where instead of just a playing field with a home and away base, you have hoolahoops, instead of football you use a tennisball, and a wooden plank with a handle (rather then a bat as in baseball)

 

you run to base and home, without being hit by the tennisball, or the other team catching it without it touching ground first

[Liitha]

ok quick question i just came up with

 

in capture the flag, if you found the flag and are on your way back when tagged, what happen to the flag, does it lay where you get tagged, do the flagowner get to hide it, can they throw it between them etc

 

basicaly what happen with the flag after its found if there is a failed try to bring it home

[JenniferL]

The team that owns it gets to take it back and hide it again.

[claireducky]

Another simple game is Red Rover.  You split the children into 2 teams of equal numbers.  The children hold hands with their team in a straight line, with the two teams facing each other from a distance of around 10 meters apart. 

 

One team starts the game, calling out 'Red rover, red rover, send [name of player on other team] right over!"  The person who is named has to leave the linked arms of their teammates, and run towards the other team, particularly toward a pair of linked hands between a couple of the children. 

 

If the child manages to break the link of hands when running through, they get to pick one of the children that formed the broken link and take them back to their team.  If the child doesn't break the link and is stopped by the handhold between two children, the team that stopped them gets to add them to their team. After the turn is over, the other team takes their turn, beginning with the "red rover" chant.

 

The teams go back and forth in this manner until there is only one person left on one of the teams.  That single person HAS to break a link on the other team, or the game is lost.  If they do break a link, they get to take a person back to their team and the game continues.

 

It is a fun game that I remember from my childhood.  Potential problems with the game is that it caters to stronger and swifter children, so it would be good if you picked the teams yourself to even out the odds at least to start with.  Kids can occasionally get hurt with it too, with sore wrists and hands of the link holders (especially if they get targeted frequently), and also sometimes the chests or necks of people running through the links can take a beating.

[Liitha]

thank you guys, the gym today was a hit, and even with several ones geting scraped up there was no complaints about that

[Torrie]

Having a scavenger hunt is good also, and a little less "sporty".

Go outside before class see what you can find and then make a list for the kids. Most items found wins.

 

 

I also took sports (baseball, soccer, etc) and took away the ball and bat. They had to use their imaginations and I was the narrator.

Its very funny to see one kid go running after What they think is the ball only to have me yell "no its on the other side!". This also helps with kids that are not athletic. They can enjoy themselves even if they cannot hit the ball, or are slow runners. When I did it the kids were 7-8 but it may still work with 10 year olds.

 

 

Also look into getting a parachute. (No clue where from) It is endless hours of fun. Have everyone hold onto it, raise it up to get under it, and then have pre-chosen kids run under it and try to make it to the other side before the outside kids can trap them.

 

 

In my Gym class we also had a relaxation day. We all chose a spot to lay down and our teacher would walk us through different relaxation techniques. We all came away from gym class feeling very relaxed.