"Children at play are not playing about. Their games should be seen as their most serious minded activity." ~Michel de Montaigne
In celebration of National Backyard Games Week, we have decided to spend our 15 Minutes Outside...well, playing games! So many of the childhood memories I have are from playing games during summer picnics or those that my friends and I shared on the playground. There were so many simple ways we used to amuse ourselves as children when we got together and headed out into the backyard. If you have 15 minutes this week, I encourage you to take the kiddos outside, get some fresh air, and try one of the games on this list!
1. Freeze Tag
2. Red Rover
3. Beach Ball Volleyball
4. I Spy
6. Kick the Can
7. Duck, Duck, Goose
8. Baseball
9. Relay Races
10. Soccer
11. Follow the Leader
12. Shark
13. Water Balloon Toss
14. Catch
15. Swing the Statue
16. Stop and Go
17. Frisbee
18. Touch Football
19. Balloon Bop
20. Mother May I?
21. Scavenger Hunts
22. Find a Fish
23. Capture the Flag
24. Hide-N-Seek
26. Telephone
27. Marbles
28. Up and Down
29. Treasure Hunt
30. Kickball
If your little one is too young for some of these activities, you could adapt them so that they can participate with the family, too! For some games like baseball or soccer, just change the type of ball you use or let the little one create their own rules! You could also take out your family's favorite board game and sit out on a blanket in the backyard to enjoy the evening, along with a few yummy snacks.
Don't forget to stop back to see some of the games that we will be playing this week in our own backyard!
If you have a favorite outdoor backyard game that's not on the list, I would LOVE for you to share it with us in the comments. If you do decide to head outside and play a game with the family, please stop by our Facebook page to share a photo or leave a comment about all of the fun you had!
My husband would say dodge ball. My family's favorite game to play was "Spotlight." It's a combination of hide-and-seek and tag at night. The person who is it counts while everyone hides. Then, they look for the hiders before they are able to make it back to base and shine the flashlight on them.
ReplyDeleteI would love to see G kick the can!
I was always one of the first ones out in dodge ball. :( Spotlight sounds like a fun game, though! We'll have to give that a whirl when he gets a little bigger. Oh, and kick the can is on the list for the weekend...it was a fave for one of my family members! :)
DeleteSo many great ideas! I loved many of these as a child, and look forward to playing them with my girls as they grow :)
ReplyDeleteOh, I do too! It's so fun to watch them trying something new for the first time. :)
DeleteOh, and your blog is looking great Gina! I love the clean new look!
ReplyDeleteThanks so much! I've been trying a few new things out to clean it up. ;)
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