Outdoor Games for Children

As far as I can remember, a long time ago I used to have an amazing time playing outside with other kids from my neighborhood, when I was little. These games are simple, but can bring a lot of charm to a kid’s life, providing him with unforgettable memories. So, why not try them out?

Ducks and Hunters

Number of players: 8-10, or even more
Rules: Two players are given the role of hunters (one from the first team, the other from the second team), and the rest of the kids are ducks. The hunters have to throw the ball at the ducks, and the ducks have to pay attention not to be hit by the ball. The ones struck by the ball will have to leave the field, and the last kid remaining untouched by the ball has to tell the hunters his age. Then, they would select a hunter which will throw the ball for as many times as the age of the "target", that is the last kid in the ducks’ team. When the hunter manages to hit the last duck, the two teams change between themselves.

Dear country, we need soldiers!

Number of players: as many as possible
How to play: Kids are divided into two teams. The little ones from each team will have to hold hands very tightly. The first ones will shout: "Dear country, we need soldiers!" And the kids from the other team will answer: "Who do you want?" One of the kids in the first team will name the kid they want from the second team: "We want..." So, the named kid will have to "break down" the wall made up by their adversaries, in order to remain in his team. If he cannot break the wall of kids holding hands, he is taken hostage in the enemies’ team. In the end, the team with only one team left loses the game.

Hide and seek

Number of players: at least 3-4 kids.
How to play: Kids stand up in a circle, and they start counting themselves. The participants will be one by one counted out by the person who counts them. The kids who remains the last is the one who has to seek. He chooses a spot, together with the other players, where he has to count to 100. The other kids have to hide. After the counting stops, the seeker starts looking for the hiding kids. The first found kid will be the next seeker.

Buzz!

Number of players: As many little ones as possible
How to play: One of the players holds one hand over his eyes, and the other at the back, keeping his palm up. He will try and say "buzzzzz" for as long as he can, while one of the other players strikes him on his open palm. The hit kid will have to guess the identity of the person who did it. The game repeats itself until the little one guesses the identity of the "aggressor." Then they switch roles.

The Peacock

Number of players: At least two kids.
How to play: The game begins when one of the kids silently says the alphabet. Another player says "stop", and the letter at which the kid was stopped will make the first letter of the first word the next kid has to say. The next kid will have to form another word in which the first two letters will coincide with the last letters of the word uttered by the previous child, and so on. When a player can no longer for a new word, he gets a "P." Thus, each player will have the right to make eight mistakes, punished, one at a time, with P, E, A, C, O, C, K. After that, he/she will be excluded from the game. In this game, one can never use name of persons. Also, the words should be used only once.

These can help children have fun, achieve social skills, make friends (maybe even for life), stay fit and enjoy life in the open, instead of spending their entire childhood in front of a lifeless computer.