Outdoor activities for kids are becoming increasingly encouraged as the world becomes more and more online. Parks are one of the best places for children. There are playgrounds, fields, streams, lakes, trails, and more. It just takes a little imagination and some friends to turn a park into an exciting place to play and explore.
Check out some of the best games for kids to play while at the park so your kids and their friends will never be bored.
Freeze tag or regular tag
The classic game of tag is something that will never go out of style. Tag is a great way to encourage kids to run, which will strengthen their muscles and exhaust them so they are ready to pass out as soon as they get home. A more updated version of tag is freeze tag. Freeze tag has a few more rules than regular tag. Freeze tag (or frozen tag) on the other hand, has one person who is “it.”
The tagger tries to tag everyone. Once someone is tagged, they become frozen and can only be unfrozen if another person is able to crawl through their legs. This game continues until “it” is able to freeze all the players. Sounds exhausting, right? But your kids will love it.
This game promotes exercise, teamwork, social skills, and an overall good time.
Hide-and-seek
This game is pretty self-explanatory and is another classic game. A park is the perfect place to play hide-and-seek. It offers wooded areas, bushes, trees, hills, rocks, and other creative places to hide. It is important to establish a zone for this game so no ambitious kid decides to hike two miles away for the perfect hiding spot. If you are supervising this game, ensure you know how many kids you came with and establish a hide-and-seek play area so you can find all the kids easily if needed.
Hide-and-seek promotes creative thinking, comradery, and fun. Kids will love figuring out all of the cool places to hide in the park and you will love watching them giggle whenever someone is found.
Tug of war
If you’ve got a rowdy set of kids who love some competition, then tug of war is the game for them. Tug of war is a game composed of two teams, one rope, and an imaginary pit of lava between them (for motivational purposes). All you need for this game is a sturdy, thick rope. It is best to have a rope that has comfortable grips so no kid goes home with rope burns.
This game is all about teamwork and communication. The kids will learn to talk strategy, develop a plan, and try to beat out the other team with their strength. It is a super fun game to watch and participate in if you want to give the losing team a helping hand.
Any kind of sport
Parks are designed for sports. There are fields for football, soccer, kickball, or baseball and there are paved areas for roller hockey, tennis, or basketball. Some parks even have tennis courts. Even if your park doesn’t have all these amenities, it is still a great location to play sports and other games, you just have to be a little creative.
Sports tend to light the competitive fire in those participating. For kids, it is important to find their competitive drive. Sports help promote a sense of togetherness and teamwork. They are also a great way to get out excess energy and work hard toward a goal.
Scavenger hunt
Nothing intrigues a child more than the idea of a scavenger hunt. Searching for things and following clues or a map is super exciting. It connects with a kid’s sense of adventure and wonder unlike any other game. Scavenger hunts are great because of how customizable they are. You can design a whole scavenger hunt around your local park and let your kid solve the clues to find the treasure.
You can make it a pirate-themed, jungle-themed, or desert-themed game, to name a few. This is a great way to get your kids and their friends excited about the park. It allows them to work together, use their critical thinking skills, and have a great, adventurous time.
Kids love to play and the park is full of playtime opportunities. There are so many fun games that kids can play to help them develop a variety of skills. It is a time where they can learn teamwork, competitive drive, comradery, critical thinking, creativeness, and more. Your local park is much more than a playground and some sports fields.
It is a great place for your kids to get outside, get some fresh air, and explore their surroundings.
Editors' Recommendations
- How to play hopscotch (plus 5 great variations)
- The best outdoor games for kids – try these fun, classic activities
- Plan a great family road trip: The best aquariums in the U.S. for kids
- 4-year-old birthday party ideas: 7 low-stress themes your child will love
- Healthy extracurricular activities kids and teens should explore
