Bandage Tag
The game of bandage tag adds a layer of strategy to the traditional version by making where somebody is tagged matter as much as the tag itself.
When a player is tagged, he becomes the new "It" and must hold onto the spot where he was tagged to "bandage" it. Players can try to make their opponents look silly by tagging them in places that are difficult to hold while running.
Mother (or Father) May I
Add a new twist to the classic game of polite requests with this quick-on-your-feet variation. Players line up 30 feet from the designated "Mother," who then tells one player at a time to take a certain number of steps forward or back. The player thinks of a creative way to move and asks for permission. For example, he might say, "Mother, may I take twisting tornado steps?" Mother says yes or specifies other steps, for example, "No, but you may take baby bunny hops!" If a player forgets to answer with "Mother, may I?" he must return to the starting line. The first player to reach Mother becomes the new Mother.
Stumps Tug-of-War
The strongest might think they'll rule this tug-of-war game. But just watch what happens when they yank their rope too hard against a wily opponent.
WHAT YOU NEED:/ Two stumps or milk crates
/ 30-foot length of rope
HOW TO PLAY:
1. Set up two stumps (upside-down milk crates) about 6 to 12 feet apart. Lay the 30-foot length of rope between the stumps, leaving the surplus rope coiled at both ends.
2. The players, standing on the stumps, pull or relax the rope, trying to get the other to lose his or her balance and step off. Might is not always right here. A hard tug can be neutralized by a loosened grip?and the sudden slack can make the tugger teeter.
TIPS:
Make sure to play this on a soft surface in case someone takes a tumble. If a smaller person is playing against a much bigger person, try having the bigger one stand on one foot, or have a spottler help the little one control the rope. If you really want to have fun on a hot summer's day, build a few gooey mud pits around the stumps. Just don't forget to have the hose handy.
The Fugitives
Add a twist of mystery and excitement to a classic game of red light, green light.
WHAT YOU NEED:/ Ball, hat, or coat
HOW TO PLAY:
1. Have one player, the detective, stand 50 feet or more away from the other players, the fugitives.
2. To start, she yells "Out of jail" and then turns her back to the fugitives, who begin to advance toward her to steal her badge (a ball, hat, or coat that sits at her feet).
3. At any moment and without notice, the detective can whirl around and shout "Freeze!" Then, the fugitives must halt completely. Any unlucky fugitive caught moving must sit down where he or she stood and remain in this "jail" for the rest of the game.
4. The first fugitive to reach and steal the detective's badge becomes detective for the next game.
Airport Game
Picture O'Hare International Airport on a Monday morning. It may be the busiest airport on the planet, but it's nothing compared to the sheer mayhem this game can produce any day of the week.
WHAT YOU NEED:/ Blindfold
/ Inanimate objects on hand
HOW TO PLAY:
1. Set up a "runway," any open space about 20 yards long and 6 to 8 feet wide. Mark it off with a stick in the dirt, with chalk on pavement, or with sticks or stones on grass.
2. One player, called the pilot, stands at the beginning of the runway and gets blindfolded. His partner, the air traffic controller, stands at the far end of the runway. It is foggy, and the pilot must land her plane with help only from the air traffic controller. The pilot can move but cannot see. The controller can see but cannot move.
3. All the other players remove an article of clothing or grab a couple of things from their backpacks: sneakers, bulky sweaters, notebooks, soccer balls, tennis rackets, jump ropes, or basically anything else that isn't sharp or breakable. The players throw these objects onto the runway and leave them where they land, thus creating an obstacle course.
4. The pilot must walk the course, arms outstretched like airplane wings, guided just by the controller's voice: "OK, OK, two steps forward, but--stop! Little steps! Step to the side now--no, to the other side and then a giant step over the bat. Watch out for the shin guards...wait..."
5. If the pilot "crashes," he must either start over at the beginning of the runway or let another team take a turn. If he reaches the end of the runway, the blindfold is removed and everyone applauds. Then it's another team's turn.
VARIATIONS:
The controller walks the runway next to the pilot but may not touch him.
The controller can't say the name of any of the objects on the runway, so the pilot has no idea what's in front of him.
The players on the sidelines simulate the noises of an airport, with jet engines, back-up alarms, loudspeaker announcements and so on. This makes it challenging for the pilot to hear the controller at all.
Poison Caps Game
Bottle caps are ultimate quick-fun game pieces--cheap, easy to find and perfect for playing this fun twist on hopscotch.
WHAT YOU NEED:/ Stretch of sidewalk or driveway
/ Metal bottle caps
/ Chalk
HOW TO PLAY:
1. Draw a spiral-shaped track of consecutive boxes and give each player an equal number of bottle caps.
2. To start, each player puts one cap on the square of his or her choice and initials the square in chalk. Players flip a coin to see who goes first, then the winner gets to shoot one of her bottle caps (flicking it with her thumb, marbles style) and try either to claim an empty spot or knock another player's cap off the board.
3. Any player that successfully knocks a cap out of bounds gets to claim the cap and the space--everyone else will have to jump hopscotch style over it. Rub out the previous player's chalk initials and write in new initials. However, if a cap is flicked onto a marked space (without knocking that player's cap out), the cap goes to that player.
4. The first player keeps shooting until she misses, then she must jump the course, staying off her opponents' squares.
5. The next player shoots until he misses and then jumps the course, and so on. As the game progresses, more squares become off-limits and longer hops are necessary. A player is out of the game when she runs out of caps. The player who takes over the whole board or winds up with all the caps wins.
VARIATIONS:
When players have mastered the spiral shape, let them design their own grids to hop. Hand out the chalk and get each kid to come up with his own design of consecutive squares (or triangles or circles). Some ideas: rockets, pirate ships, mazes, dinosaurs and snakes.
Dog Chases Its Tail Game
This game mimics the silliness and futility of a dog chasing its tail.
WHAT YOU NEED:/ Bandanna
HOW TO PLAY:
1. Have the players line up, holding each other around the waist. (Do not allow kids to hook fingers through belts or belt loops--this results in ripped clothing and hurt fingers.)
2. Have the last player tuck a bandanna in her pocket, or under her belt or waistband, so that it hangs down like a tail.
3. Next, the front of the line begins to chase the end of the line, attempting to grab the bandanna. Players in the middle can help or hinder the head or the tail, depending on their whims. If the line breaks, the player who let go must step out, shortening the line.
VARIATIONS:
For a two-team variation, set up two lines of kids, creating two dogs who can chase each other's tails. Here, each dog has a great deal of incentive to protect its own tail and to keep from breaking itself in two (making for a gentler game on hands and arms). The first team to lose its tail or break its chain loses.
Jump The Trap
This has to be the simplest game ever invented--it's fast-paced, easy to play and requires kids to do one of their favorite things: jump.
WHAT YOU NEED:/ Rope, 5 to 8 feet long
/ One shoe
HOW TO PLAY:
1. Tie somebody's shoe to the end of the rope. One player holds the shoeless end of the rope and spins around--not too fast--so that the rope sweeps in a circle. The weight keeps the rope fairly near the ground.
2. Players must jump over the rope as it passes them (this is easiest if kids spread themselves around the circle so they're not all in one clump). If the shoe hits a player's foot or leg, he's out. The last person still jumping gets to turn the rope during the next round.
VARIATIONS:
Don't make it an elimination game--just have everyone take turns jumping and spinning. Also, using a repetitive jump-rope rhyme can make it easier for kids to get a feel for the duration of each turn of the rope.
Have the center turner spin the rope progressively faster so that it rises higher and the jumping gets a little more challenging.
Seaside Darts Game
The shore's bounty supplies all the materials needed to play this game.
WHAT YOU NEED:/ Shells, pebbles or other beach finds
HOW TO PLAY:
1. Draw a dartboard with six concentric circles and give each ring a point value.
2. Each player should choose three markers that look the same (three clamshells, three pieces of green sea glass and so on).
3. Take turns tossing the markers at the dartboard and keep score in the sand.
Tag a Friend
THIS COLLABORATIVE version of tag takes the loneliness out of being "It." Two players link hands and become the Taggers, chasing after the other players within the boundaries of a marked-off area. When the Taggers tag someone, that player becomes part of the team, joining hands between the Taggers and running along with them as they pursue others. Tagging can be done only by the original two Taggers, and if the chain should come apart, they lose their power until everyone scrambles to rejoin hands. Play continues until all the players are linked, or parents start calling kids in for dinner.
Turtle Race
Gather around the picnic table and spend some time at the races, the turtle races that is.
WHAT YOU NEED:/ Lined paper
/ Handful of coins
HOW TO PLAY:
1. Gather a sheet of lined paper (legal size works great) two coins for every player, plus two more to "toss" as "dice." Mark a start line at the bottom and a finish line at the top of the paper.
2. Each player gets a turtle. We prefer a quarter for the body and a penny for the head. Line up all the turtles with their heads at the starting line.
3. Players in turn start tossing the dice coins (that is, flipping them in unison onto the table) and moving their turtles as follows: two heads and you move your turtle's head two lines forward (and get to roll again, if you dare); one head and one tail and you move one line (and can toss again); two tails and your turn is over?and you must slide your turtle's head back to its body, losing any headway you may have made during that turn.
4. At any point before rolling two tails, a player can choose to end her turn by moving the body of her turtle forward to meet its head. Continue until one speedy turtle crosses the finish line.
TIPS:
Consider dividing up the coins and giving them as prizes to each player after the game
Red Rover Game
The more the merrier for this outdoor game--perfect for a gathering of party revelers.
WHAT YOU NEED:/ Nothing
HOW TO PLAY:
1. Divide the kids into two groups and have them line up, holding hands tightly. The two groups face each other about 20 feet apart.
2. Each side has a caller. The caller from one side shouts, "Red Rover, Red Rover send [name] right over." If Sally's name has been called, she runs to the opposite side, aiming for what she thinks will be the weakest connection. Her goal is to break through the line. If she succeeds, one person from the opposing side must return with her and join her ranks. If she fails, she joins the caller's side.
3. The caller from the opposite side then shouts, "Red Rover . . ." and the process continues. Players can devise sneaky running strategies and use psychological tactics to spice up the game. Whichever side has the most players at the end of the playing time wins the round.
Behavior Change
Following only the clues of cheers and jeers, players are rewarded for becoming perfect posers.
WHAT YOU NEED:/ Nothing
HOW TO PLAY:
1. One player, the poser, goes around the corner of the house, while the other players agree on a pose they want him to adopt: standing on one foot, sitting with arm and legs crossed, and so on.
2. The poser then comes back and begins moving his arms and legs into various positions. The other players either cheer and clap (if he's getting closer to the pose they want) or quiet down (if he's heading in the wrong direction).
3. Depending on the age and sportsmanship of the players, you might let fly some good-natured boos and jeers if the poser is way off. But when the poser gets the pose right, it's time for wild cheers and a standing ovation.
Wolf And Sheep Tag
Also known as Triangle Tag, this game of chase not only features a hunter and his prey, but faithful sheepdogs for protecting the sheep.
WHAT YOU NEED:/ Nothing
HOW TO PLAY:
1. Choose a Wolf, a Sheep and two Sheepdogs. The Sheep joins hands with the Sheepdogs, forming a three-person triangle.
2. The Wolf, standing outside the group, tries to tag the Sheep, while the Sheepdogs (without breaking their circle of hands) spin around, trying to keep the Wolf at bay.
3. When the Wolf tags the Sheep (easier said than done), the players change roles and give it another whirl.
Outdoor Checkers
There's no point hanging around indoors playing checkers on a nice summer day. Here's a version made for the great outdoors.
WHAT YOU NEED:/ Chalk
/ Plastic container or jar lids
/ Construction paper (optional)
HOW TO PLAY:
1. First make a playing "board." Use chalk on the sidewalk or driveway, scratch a board in the soil, or mark in the sand if at the beach. For dark-colored squares, use diagonal lines or cross-hatching, or wet the squares with water.
2. Collect jar and plastic container lids for use as checkers. For example, the red checkers might be yogurt container tops, while the black checkers consist of metal jar lids. Another approach is to have your child tape pieces of black or red construction paper onto the various jar lids to designate their colors.
3. Play according to the regular rules of checkers.
Stoplight
This classic yard game gives the green light for fun.
WHAT YOU NEED:/ Nothing
HOW TO PLAY:
1. One person serves as the "stoplight," and the others as "cars." The cars line up shoulder to shoulder and face the stoplight from about 20 feet away.
2. The stoplight turns around with his or her back to the cars and says, "green light," at which time the cars can move forward. But without warning, the stoplight can suddenly shout, "red light!" and whip around quickly. Anyone the stoplight sees moving has to return to the starting line.
3. The cars have to weigh the advantage of moving quickly toward the stoplight and risking getting caught in motion, or moving a short distance and stopping before the stoplight turns red.
4. When someone reaches the stoplight, the game is over and the person who made it all the way gets to be the stoplight for the next game (flip a coin if it's a tie). For a more challenging game, increase the length of the playing field.