Backyard Games Will Always Be Favorites

Your child’s “backyard” can be the playground if there’s no room at home. Photos by Amber Thompson.

Summer is finally here, but your kids are on the couch, staring at their devices or claiming they’re bored. Get them up and outside with these classic and modern backyard games. At least some of them are guaranteed to get your kids moving, playing, and having fun.

Freeze tag

Players take turn being “it” and the other players must freeze in place as soon as they’e tagged. They have to stay frozen unless another player tags them; then they can rejoin the game. The game ends when all the players are frozen.

Blob tag

Blob Tag gets its name from the multi-person blob that grows over the course of the game. The “it” players chases the other players and tries to tag them. Tagged players join “It” by linking hands or elbows, forming a blob that keeps chasing the other players, getting bigger until everyone has joined the blob.

Water balloon catch

Players stand across from each other tossing a balloon. After each successful catch, players take one step back. As the distance between players increases, so does the likelihood of popping the water balloon. You could also use plastic bags filled with water or bean bags instead.

Sharks and Minnows

One child is the shark and stands in the middle of the yard. The other kids are the minnows and line up at one end of the yard. The minnows must get all the way across the yard without being tagged by the shark. Tagged minnows immediately become sharks and try to tag the other minnows. The last minnow is the winner.

Sidewalk chalk art and just kicking a ball around are great additions to classic backyard games.

Hopscotch

Players draw and number a hopscotch grid, usually 10 squares. Start by tossing a rock or beanbag onto Square 1. Hop over the square on one foot, going up, then down the grid. Players stop on Square 2 to pick up their marker from Square 1. Repeat, tossing the marker to Square 3 and so on. For added difficulty, players lose a turn when they fall, touch a line with their feet, or miss tossing their marker onto the next square.

Red light, green light

One player is the traffic light, standing at one end of the yard. Other players line up on the opposite end of the yard. The traffic light turns away from the other players and says, “green light!” Players try to run as quickly as they can towards the traffic light. At any time, the traffic light can turn around and say, “red light!” That’s when all players must freeze. If they are spotted moving, the traffic light sends them back to the start. The first player to reach the traffic light wins and gets to be the next traffic light.

Mother May I

One player is “Mother” and stands at one end of the yard. All other players line up at the other end of the yard. Players take turns asking “Mother” if they may take 1, 2, 3 or more steps forward. “Mother” answers “Yes, you may” or “No, you may not.” The first player to reach “Mother” wins and gets to be the next “Mother”. This game invites creativity, too, because players can ask to take baby steps, giant steps, or even spins.

Blind man’s bluff

One player is designated “It” and is blindfolded. To start the game, “It” spins around five times and other players scatter around the yard. When “it” stops spinning, the other players must stay where they are. Players can dodge and duck from the seeking “it” but they can’t move their feet. “It” moves around the yard until all the players are found while whoever gets caught first wears the blindfold for the next round.

So get the kids up and outside playing these backyard games. Maybe you’ll join in the fun, too. And if the crowd tires of these games, don’t forget the likes of sidewalk chalk, bubbles, jump ropes, hula hoops and nature walks to beat summer boredom.