Fun Games to Play Outside

Outdoor games are necessary for children to exercise their natural instincts and the different skills they possess in a carefree and fun-filled manner. There are many fun games to play outside which the kids can enjoy in their holidays and also in their daily schedule. Outdoor games allow the children to play in the fresh air and have a positive impact on their health. Those kids who are physically active tend to be happier than others and take interest in the daily/routine activities and studies. Parents should encourage their children to spend time in outdoor games.

Tug of War
It is a game in which two teams test their strength against each other. The game can be played with as many players as possible in both the teams. In fact, more the number of players, interesting the game is. The format of the game is simple to understand where the opponent teams try to pull each other into their territory using a rope. It is one of the many fun games to play when bored and allows everyone to participate.

Paintball
It is a game played with a gun called 'paintball marker' with paintballs loaded in it. The paintballs are actually pellets of paints which are shot at opponents in the game in order to capture them. The game is generally played at night and requires goggles for protecting the eyes. Paintball which is played outdoors requires plenty of room for players to move around as well as hide. The game can be played individually as well as in teams. In this game, all players of the opponent team need to be captured while if the game is being played individually, the person remaining at last, wins.

Name that Constellation
This fun game to play outside is generally played at night with a clear sky. To play this game, one would require a sleeping bag, torch and a blanket. In this fun game for kids, one has to shout out the name of a constellation which he finds out from among the stars. The person who shouts out names of the highest number of correct constellations, wins the game. Once the game is over, children can create their own constellations just for fun. The night out of such a kind thus, can be enjoyed by incorporating different ideas in the original theme of the game.

Swing the Statue
It is a nice outdoor game played by children from the fifties decade. A lawn is the best place to play this game. In this game, one person is chosen as the 'it'. The 'it' holds the hands of other players and swings them in circles one by one. As the 'it' player lets go the other players after swinging, they must 'freeze' in a position. The players have to remain still in the 'freeze' position until one of them breaks it. The player who first breaks the freeze position becomes the next 'it'. The interesting thing about this game is that players attain strange positions and the effort they put in holding their positions makes it entertaining to watch.

Shadowing
It requires at least six players to play the game of shadowing. In this game a group/team is given the objective to find the 'it' player. The 'it' player gets an additional time of 2 minutes to start early in order to evade the seekers. Two of the seekers or players looking for the 'it' player start searching for him after 2 minutes. After searching for 2 more minutes, one of the player returns to the rest of the group in order to take them along in the pursuit. The first seeker who is searching the 'it' guides his team by creating a trail of corns, pebbles, etc. The team wins, if it is able to find the 'it' player in the specified time limit allotted to them.

Capture the Flag
It is an interesting game commonly played by scout boys. In this game, players are divided in two teams. The objective of the game is to capture flag of the other team from their territory. When a player from either of the team enters other team's territory, he could be caught by the opponents and put in the 'jail'. The jail could just be a corner where the captured player has to wait. The game should end with one of the teams capturing the flag of their opponent team. However, if neither of the team is able to capture the flag, the team which has jailed maximum number of the opponent team members is declared victorious.

There are many fun games to play outside, which could be incorporated in the daily schedule of the kids. Some of the above are fun games to play at a party conducted outdoors. Along with the fun games to play at home, the outdoor games prove to be useful in making the kids more active and energetic.