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“Children learn best through their everyday experiences with the people they love and trust, and when the learning is fun. And the best place for these experiences is outdoors, in the natural world.” Center for Families, Communities, Schools and Children’s Learning.
When I was a little girl, whenever I got bored at home I would pick fights with my little sister. Therefore, whenever this would occur my parents would tell us to go play outside. Whenever we got out of the house, we always seemed to get along better, play longer and have more fun and adventures. We also played with the neighbour children and have big epic games such as street hockey, capture the flag and soccer games. Now as an adult, I am aware that there are children living in my neighbourhood, however I never see those children playing outside in my neighbourhood.
It has been proven that there are so many benefits to children's development when they have the opportunity to spend time in the great outdoors and have regular opportunities for free and unstructured play. Children improve their social skills, develop capacities for problem-solving and improve self-discipline. It also enhances peace, self-control and children are most likely to be healthier and happier. - Joelle Gaudet
Games
Lemonade
Goal
The goal of this game is for children to engage in physical activity in a game that emphasizes creativity, imagination and participation. This game is suitable for children of all ages and for a larger group (8 or more).
Steps
To play this game you need a forested area and cones to mark off a designated playing area. With younger students you may want to assist in suggesting what objects to emulate.
Spider and Flies
Goal
The goal of this game is to get children out into nature and be active. Every child should be active for at least an hour a day. This game also encourages creativity, imagination and play. This game is suitable for children from 4 – 12 years of age and is better if played with a large group (10 or more).
Steps
Materials/resources
To play this game you need a forested area and cones to mark off a designated playing area.
Silent Stone
Goal
The goal of this game is for children to engage in a physical activity in a game that emphasizes creativity, imagination and participation. This game is suitable for children of all ages and for a larger group (10 or more).
Steps
To play this game you need a forested area and cones to mark off a designated playing area. You will also need blindfolds for at least half the players and a small stone for each blind folded player. Supervisors should assist the children in the application and removal of blindfolds. This game can also be played using flashlights in which the blindfolded player beams the light at the approaching player.
You're Only Safe If
One of the great outdoor games for children is a variation on the game of tag which is called “you're only safe if.” The rules of the game are as follows:
1. The instructor calls out various things in the landscape by saying “You're only safe if…” and then call on a specific herb, rock, tree or other feature on the landscape. The idea is to encourage them to learn to recognize various things by name, such as big-leaf maple, dandelion, raccoon track, white clover and so forth.
2. You give all the children a moment of time – generally a few seconds – to locate the item in question. The more experienced the students, the less time they get to find the item.
3. Then, the instructor chases the children with the intent of tagging them before they touch the item in question.
4. If the children touch the item before they are tagged, they are safe. If not, they become one of the “its.” As another tagger they can assist you in chasing the rest of the group.
5. The game tends to end quickly when more and more people get tagged and become its. It can be helpful to restart the game before everyone has become a tagger.
Depending on the age and experience level of the children present, certain aspects of the game can be adjusted. If for instance, none of the children are familiar with the particular tree or herb you call out as the instructor it helps to introduce some of them to the kids ahead of time. It is helpful to play in relatively open areas such as woodland edges, fields and open forests. Be mindful of hazards such as poison ivy or bramble patches or whatever other hazards might exist in your area.
Eagle eye
Eagle eye is another one of the best outdoor games for children. It is basically an elaborate variation of the game of hide-n-seek. It is an excellent game to teach children how to be comfortable down in the undergrowth and dirt. Eagle eye is one of the truly amazing outdoor games for children because it can also help you teach children how to be still and quiet for extended periods and how to move about more quietly in the natural world. The rules are as follows:
1. You as the instructor delineate a small area several meters in circumference that will be the “eagle’s nest.” Use whatever material is available – sticks, rocks, pine cones, backpacks – to create a clear visual boundary as the edge of the nest. It can help to include a tree or large boulder as part of the edge of this circle so it can be leaned against, and faced into when counting.
2. Announce how long you will be counting. As you count to between 40 and 60 seconds, face away from the children and if possible cover your eyes and lean against a tree or boulder for an added light barrier. At this time, the students go out and hide. When you are done counting, you can open your eyes and visually scan around to see if you can spot the students. You announce that you are done counting by saying something to the extent of “the eagle’s eyes are open,” or “the eagle is awake.” You can move to any place inside the boundaries of the eagle’s nest and look from there, but you may not step outside of that boundary at anytime.
3. The children must hide so that they are not seen or heard by you. They must, however, keep one eye on you – the instructor (or “eagle”) – no matter where they are hiding and at all times.
4. Any children that are spotted by you come and sit quietly in the nest. They are not allowed to tell you nor point to where the other children are hiding. You can have them pretend to be eagle chicks or pretend to be some kind of eagle food, i.e. a rabbit, fish or bird.
5. After about 1 to 2 minutes of visually scanning, you can turn around again and count. This time count 5 or 10 seconds less. It helps to announce what number you are counting too each time you count.
6. At this time, the children have to move 5 steps closer to the eagle’s nest. With each consecutive time you count, they have to come closer to you by 5 steps. The goal for them is to get as close as possible to you without being spotted.
7. The last child to be spotted becomes the new eagle. If the children are very young, it might be best for you to remain as the eagle, as sometimes it can be a challenge to remember all the rules.
This outdoor game for children is generally best played in a forested area with some undergrowth. Although the intention is to spot the kids, it can add a bit of fun to prolong the time which it takes you to spot them. Even if, you can already see some of the children as you scan. Consider taking the opportunity before or after the game to talk about how many animals have to stay hidden to stay alive. After the game, you can also ask the children questions such as:
What colors blend in well in this landscape?
Where are the good hiding spots?
Can you name an animal that has to hide to stay alive?
What animals do you think live and hide around here?
What might happen to a mouse, rabbit or small bird that makes a lot of noise and does not hide?
Capture the flag
Goal
The goal of this game is to get children out into nature and being active. Every child should be active for at least an hour a day.
Steps
(Setup)
(Rules and game play)
To play this game you need a forested area, lots of cones, pinnies for half the children, four hula-hoops, and something easy to carry as Flags X 16.
Camouflage
Goal
The goal of this game is to get children out into nature and being active. Every child should be active for at least an hour a day.
Steps
To play this game all you need is a hula-hoop and a forested area.
Man Tracker Tag
Goal
The goal of this game is to get children out into nature and being active. Every child should be active for at least an hour a day.
Steps
To play this game you need a forested area and cones to mark off a designated playing area. To make things a little easier you may also want to use a piny to designate who is “It” and have a bunch of pinnies on hand so when children become it they grab a piny and put it on.
Owl and Crow
Another one of the great outdoor games for children is owl and crow. Owls and crows often have an adversarial relationship in nature. Large owls prey on young crows. Crows often chase and harass owls that they find roosting or flying during the day. This game plays off of this relationship, while also combining aspects of tag and true-false type games. The rules are as follows:
1. Have the children form 2 lines that face each other. It helps to have group or 4 or larger for this game.
2. You are the announcer, and as such you ask true and false questions. These questions can cover all kinds of natural history and outdoor related questions on whatever topic is relevant. For example you might ask, “Do robins eat worms?” or “Are bats blind?” or “Does water run up hill?” and so forth.
3. You do not give the answer immediately; rather you let the children decide if this is a true or false statement. If it is true, the owls chase the crows. If it is false, the crows chase the owls. You do not announce what the answer was until the children have started chasing each other or you can wait until they have returned to the line. Once they are back in line you can give a short description of why it is true or false.
4. If the owls chase the crows, and one of the crows is tagged it becomes an owl and vice versa.
5. The game restarts when all of the players end up on one side of the line, i.e. all crows or all owls.
You as the announcer can make the questions as difficult or easy as you want. If some confusion happens because the kids don’t know the answer, and they end up running in the wrong direction this is okay. Making mistakes is a big part of the process of learning.
Outdoor games for children are an excellent teaching tool. Try using these and other outdoor games for children to help encourage kids to maintain and grow their connection to the natural world.
Now, go out and play!
It has been proven that there are so many benefits to children's development when they have the opportunity to spend time in the great outdoors and have regular opportunities for free and unstructured play. Children improve their social skills, develop capacities for problem-solving and improve self-discipline. It also enhances peace, self-control and children are most likely to be healthier and happier. - Joelle Gaudet
Games
Lemonade
Goal
The goal of this game is for children to engage in physical activity in a game that emphasizes creativity, imagination and participation. This game is suitable for children of all ages and for a larger group (8 or more).
Steps
- Divide the group into two equal teams.
- Both groups will gather at opposite ends of a field. These will be two marked “safe bases”.
- One group will decide on a creature or object to emulate. They will do this quietly as the other group remains at the other end of the field.
- Both groups will line up facing one another at the center of the field. They should be about ten feet apart.
- The first group will act out their chosen object or creature in a similar fashion as charades. The other team will try and guess what they are.
- If the team choses correctly, the supervisor will blow a whistle. This will signal the second team to chase the first team back to the first team’s base.
- If someone is tagged before reaching the base, they join that team.
- Next, both teams return to their respective bases. The second team will now decide on a creature or object to emulate.
- The game continues until there are no remaining players on any one of the teams.
To play this game you need a forested area and cones to mark off a designated playing area. With younger students you may want to assist in suggesting what objects to emulate.
Spider and Flies
Goal
The goal of this game is to get children out into nature and be active. Every child should be active for at least an hour a day. This game also encourages creativity, imagination and play. This game is suitable for children from 4 – 12 years of age and is better if played with a large group (10 or more).
Steps
- Mark out a designated area using cones approximately ten feet in diameter. This will be the base, also referred to as the “spider’s web”.
- Select a child to be the spider. This child will go in the spider’s web, crouch down and cover their eyes
- The remaining children will be flies. They will emulate a fly, spread their arms, and make a “buzzing” sound. They will circle the spider’s web.
- The supervisor will blow the whistle at any time. This will signal the spider to leave their web and attempt to tag the flies. If a child is tagged, they also become a spider and return to the spider’s web.
- After about a minute or so, the supervisor will blow the whistle. This will signal the spider (along with the newly tagged spiders) to return to the original crouching position in the spider’s web. The remaining flies will also return to their original position of circling the spider’s web.
- This game continues until all flies have been tagged.
Materials/resources
To play this game you need a forested area and cones to mark off a designated playing area.
Silent Stone
Goal
The goal of this game is for children to engage in a physical activity in a game that emphasizes creativity, imagination and participation. This game is suitable for children of all ages and for a larger group (10 or more).
Steps
- Divide the group into two smaller groups.
- One group will be blindfolded and will be scattered. These children will spread their feet apart approximately twelve inches or more.
- A small stone will be placed in-between their feet (not touching their feet).
- The other group of non-blindfolded children will sneak up on the blindfolded players and attempt to steal the stone. The blindfolded players will listen for sounds. If they hear someone approaching they will yell “silent thief!” and point to the player. If they are correct and a player is attempting to steal the stone, they will switch places with that player.
- A player wins the game by collecting the most stones without getting caught.
To play this game you need a forested area and cones to mark off a designated playing area. You will also need blindfolds for at least half the players and a small stone for each blind folded player. Supervisors should assist the children in the application and removal of blindfolds. This game can also be played using flashlights in which the blindfolded player beams the light at the approaching player.
You're Only Safe If
One of the great outdoor games for children is a variation on the game of tag which is called “you're only safe if.” The rules of the game are as follows:
1. The instructor calls out various things in the landscape by saying “You're only safe if…” and then call on a specific herb, rock, tree or other feature on the landscape. The idea is to encourage them to learn to recognize various things by name, such as big-leaf maple, dandelion, raccoon track, white clover and so forth.
2. You give all the children a moment of time – generally a few seconds – to locate the item in question. The more experienced the students, the less time they get to find the item.
3. Then, the instructor chases the children with the intent of tagging them before they touch the item in question.
4. If the children touch the item before they are tagged, they are safe. If not, they become one of the “its.” As another tagger they can assist you in chasing the rest of the group.
5. The game tends to end quickly when more and more people get tagged and become its. It can be helpful to restart the game before everyone has become a tagger.
Depending on the age and experience level of the children present, certain aspects of the game can be adjusted. If for instance, none of the children are familiar with the particular tree or herb you call out as the instructor it helps to introduce some of them to the kids ahead of time. It is helpful to play in relatively open areas such as woodland edges, fields and open forests. Be mindful of hazards such as poison ivy or bramble patches or whatever other hazards might exist in your area.
Eagle eye
Eagle eye is another one of the best outdoor games for children. It is basically an elaborate variation of the game of hide-n-seek. It is an excellent game to teach children how to be comfortable down in the undergrowth and dirt. Eagle eye is one of the truly amazing outdoor games for children because it can also help you teach children how to be still and quiet for extended periods and how to move about more quietly in the natural world. The rules are as follows:
1. You as the instructor delineate a small area several meters in circumference that will be the “eagle’s nest.” Use whatever material is available – sticks, rocks, pine cones, backpacks – to create a clear visual boundary as the edge of the nest. It can help to include a tree or large boulder as part of the edge of this circle so it can be leaned against, and faced into when counting.
2. Announce how long you will be counting. As you count to between 40 and 60 seconds, face away from the children and if possible cover your eyes and lean against a tree or boulder for an added light barrier. At this time, the students go out and hide. When you are done counting, you can open your eyes and visually scan around to see if you can spot the students. You announce that you are done counting by saying something to the extent of “the eagle’s eyes are open,” or “the eagle is awake.” You can move to any place inside the boundaries of the eagle’s nest and look from there, but you may not step outside of that boundary at anytime.
3. The children must hide so that they are not seen or heard by you. They must, however, keep one eye on you – the instructor (or “eagle”) – no matter where they are hiding and at all times.
4. Any children that are spotted by you come and sit quietly in the nest. They are not allowed to tell you nor point to where the other children are hiding. You can have them pretend to be eagle chicks or pretend to be some kind of eagle food, i.e. a rabbit, fish or bird.
5. After about 1 to 2 minutes of visually scanning, you can turn around again and count. This time count 5 or 10 seconds less. It helps to announce what number you are counting too each time you count.
6. At this time, the children have to move 5 steps closer to the eagle’s nest. With each consecutive time you count, they have to come closer to you by 5 steps. The goal for them is to get as close as possible to you without being spotted.
7. The last child to be spotted becomes the new eagle. If the children are very young, it might be best for you to remain as the eagle, as sometimes it can be a challenge to remember all the rules.
This outdoor game for children is generally best played in a forested area with some undergrowth. Although the intention is to spot the kids, it can add a bit of fun to prolong the time which it takes you to spot them. Even if, you can already see some of the children as you scan. Consider taking the opportunity before or after the game to talk about how many animals have to stay hidden to stay alive. After the game, you can also ask the children questions such as:
What colors blend in well in this landscape?
Where are the good hiding spots?
Can you name an animal that has to hide to stay alive?
What animals do you think live and hide around here?
What might happen to a mouse, rabbit or small bird that makes a lot of noise and does not hide?
Capture the flag
Goal
The goal of this game is to get children out into nature and being active. Every child should be active for at least an hour a day.
Steps
(Setup)
- In a forested area mark out a playing area with cones
- Using cones create a half-way point in the playing area
- Also using cones or hula-hoops create a jail and an area to hold the flags. These should be placed closer to the back of each team’s side of the playing area, but not to close to the back.
- In each of the flag areas place 8 flags or anything that can be carried easily while running.
(Rules and game play)
- Break group into two even teams based on athletic ability give one team pinnies to wear.
- Objective of the game is for one team to steal all flags from the other team and get them into their flag area. A player may only steal one flag at a time and must return that flag to their side before going after another flag.
- There can only be two guards on each of the jails and the flag areas and the guards must stand one meter away from the marked off jail or flag area.
- Once a player crosses the half way line into the other teams side that can be tagged and if they are tagged they must go to jail. If there are arguments over if someone was tagged or not have the players play a round of rock paper scissors to determine the outcome
- If a player runs outside of the playing area that is marked off by cones they must also go to jail.
- A person can be rescued from jail if a person from there team runs into the jail and tags them. The person who was rescued and the person who did the rescue get a free walk back to their side. If jails are becoming full and people have been stuck in jail for a long time yell “JAIL BREAK” and allow people in jails to return to their respective sides.
To play this game you need a forested area, lots of cones, pinnies for half the children, four hula-hoops, and something easy to carry as Flags X 16.
Camouflage
Goal
The goal of this game is to get children out into nature and being active. Every child should be active for at least an hour a day.
Steps
- Create a designated area that has been marked off by the leader in which children may hide.
- In the center of that designated area place a hula-hoop where the person who is it must stand. The person who is it cannot leave the hula-hoop.
- To start the game the person who is it sticks their hands out to the side and counts to 30. While the person is counting with their hands out everyone tag the persons hand and then runs and hides
- Once the person who is it is done counting they open their eyes and tries to find people from their hula-hoop area. If a person is found they must come and sit out next to the person who is it.
- If the person who is it cannot find any more people from their hula-hoop they must close their eyes and yell “FOOD & WATER” stick their hands out to the side and again count but this time they count to 25 and every time they have to do this they take 5 seconds off the count time. When the person who is it is counting everyone hiding must come and tag the hand of the person who is it then re hide in the amount of time that is counted for and they must not hide in the same spot twice.
- The game continues like this until everyone is caught and the last person who is caught becomes it for the next round.
To play this game all you need is a hula-hoop and a forested area.
Man Tracker Tag
Goal
The goal of this game is to get children out into nature and being active. Every child should be active for at least an hour a day.
Steps
- To start chose one or two people to be “It”
- Have the person(s) that is it counts out loud to 30 at this time everyone else runs and hides in the area that you have marked off as the designated playing area.
- After the people or person who is it counts to 30 they may run and try to find the others that have hid.
- If a person is found they may try and run away but once they are tagged they must become it with the person or people that are already it. If a person is tagged they must yell out to everyone else playing that they are now it. “DAN IS NOW IT”
- The game continues until everyone playing has been tagged and becomes “It”. The last one to be tagged starts as it in the next round if you chose to play multiple rounds.
To play this game you need a forested area and cones to mark off a designated playing area. To make things a little easier you may also want to use a piny to designate who is “It” and have a bunch of pinnies on hand so when children become it they grab a piny and put it on.
Owl and Crow
Another one of the great outdoor games for children is owl and crow. Owls and crows often have an adversarial relationship in nature. Large owls prey on young crows. Crows often chase and harass owls that they find roosting or flying during the day. This game plays off of this relationship, while also combining aspects of tag and true-false type games. The rules are as follows:
1. Have the children form 2 lines that face each other. It helps to have group or 4 or larger for this game.
2. You are the announcer, and as such you ask true and false questions. These questions can cover all kinds of natural history and outdoor related questions on whatever topic is relevant. For example you might ask, “Do robins eat worms?” or “Are bats blind?” or “Does water run up hill?” and so forth.
3. You do not give the answer immediately; rather you let the children decide if this is a true or false statement. If it is true, the owls chase the crows. If it is false, the crows chase the owls. You do not announce what the answer was until the children have started chasing each other or you can wait until they have returned to the line. Once they are back in line you can give a short description of why it is true or false.
4. If the owls chase the crows, and one of the crows is tagged it becomes an owl and vice versa.
5. The game restarts when all of the players end up on one side of the line, i.e. all crows or all owls.
You as the announcer can make the questions as difficult or easy as you want. If some confusion happens because the kids don’t know the answer, and they end up running in the wrong direction this is okay. Making mistakes is a big part of the process of learning.
Outdoor games for children are an excellent teaching tool. Try using these and other outdoor games for children to help encourage kids to maintain and grow their connection to the natural world.
Now, go out and play!