3 Fun Games Kids Can Play Outdoors

If they had their choice, most kids would rather play outdoors than inside their homes. But sometimes finding exciting and interesting games to play can become routine and repetitive. Activities such as bicycle riding, roller skating, playing Frisbee and using a backyard swing set can get boring, even for hyper energetic kids. But there are three proven games most every kid will love to play once he's introduced to them and he learns how to play.

Blind Walk

This is one of the best games because you don't need to buy any expensive game equipment. In a blind walk, a parent or an older child gathers together several kids at one end of a backyard. The person who's not participating in the game creates a destination for them to reach across from the yard.

It's more fun to put something at the destination point that's can be easily grabbed such as a bicycle or a tall scooter. Each kid is told that he has to reach that destination point as quickly as possible. The catch is everyone has to be blindfolded. No one who's watching is allowed to call out directional hints to try to steer them to the right course. They have to blindly walk all on their own. The first one to the destination and touch the object wins. This game also provides lots of healthy exercise.

It should only be played, however, in a wide open area for safety reasons. A front or back yard without too many trees or rocks is perfect. This fabulous game can easily be played three times in a row for more outside enjoyability.

Drag The Body

A group of children gather outside for this game. The surface should be on the soft side, such as grass, sand or dirt. Hard asphalt, blacktop, or concrete should not be used. All kid contestants in the game are given blankets of the same size and texture.

One child makes the decision to be the person who sits on the blanket and holds on when he's dragged. The other partner pulls the blanket and does the actual dragging. The goal of the game is to cross a distinct finish line first. The finish line should be made with either chalk drawn on the ground or with a rope strung between two trees or posts. This can be an exciting, fast game. But it could get a little bumpy, so the kid on the blanket needs to hold on tight. Prizes can be given out for first, second and third place. Small amounts of money could also be exchanged instead of the material prizes.

Cereal Box Bowling

This is one of the most creative outdoor games imaginable. Kids need to bring over to one outdoor location their empty boxes of cereal from their home. A large rubber ball is also part of this game, but a standard volleyball could also be used with equal effectiveness.

This game needs to be played on a hard surface such as a driveway or a wide walkway. The kids then stack all the cereal boxes the way a set of ten bowling pins are stacked up. They stand back behind the boxes approximately 20 feet. Each child then proceeds to carefully roll the ball at the boxes. The kid who knocks down the most boxes on each roll accumulates the most points for that roll.