Games and activities for outings in the park

Each of us has his favorite games and activities for the beautiful days spent in the park, and active play in nature is vital for extremely many aspects of a child's development.
But unfortunately, today's always agitated and busy society has turned children into robots, always busy with school, homework, extracurricular activities and many others, who when they have some time at their disposal prefer to retire in front of the television, playing video games and using social media platforms that attract their attention.

Organize family time in such a way that you can all go to the park, as far as possible from work and factors that distract you. Fresh air, physical activity and time spent with loved ones are beneficial for everyone's health, and playtime helps children develop important social skills, problem-solving skills, motor skills, self-regulation and much more. .

9 ideas for fun games and activities for children in the park

Free time spent in the park is crucial for children's physical, mental, social and emotional development, and is an essential part of childhood fun. Plan different types of fun outdoor games that the whole family can play in the park to ward off boredom, to get everyone involved and to create a memorable and fun outing.

Try to introduce the children to the games you played as a child, or if you are ready for some fresh ideas, check the list below of games and things to do at the playground. You might even find some new activities that will become your favorites.

1. Hide and seek or "hide and seek" or simply "girl"

A classic game that can be played in the park is "De a v ati oscetelea", a simple game that does not need special training or equipment, so it can be played almost anywhere and anytime. All players, except one, must quickly find a place to hide. The remaining person "stands" and counts up to a number set in advance by all the players. When the person who "started" finishes counting, he shouts loudly: "Whoever is not ready, I will take him with the shovel!" and starts looking for the other players.

The game helps children practice counting, but it is a game that can be adjusted for all ages and abilities. If you play with small children, set some acceptable limits for hide and seek and avoid venturing too far, otherwise the game does not become too difficult or even dangerous for the little ones.
There are also lots of fun variations of this childhood game, ideal for adding variety. Below are some of these options.
Sardines. In this entertaining version, the roles of the players are reversed, so that only one player hides at the beginning, and all the others look for him. Instead of announcing the hiding place, the one who found it must quietly join it in the hiding place and wait for everyone to find them. The game continues until the last person finds the group, crammed into hiding places like sardines in a box. This option works best in a large area, with many places large enough for several children.
The wolf and the sheep. An ideal version for younger children, in The Wolf and the Sheep there is only one person chosen to be the wolf and to hide, and the sheep must close their eyes. When the wolf is ready, he lets out a howl and the sheep can open their eyes. If one of the sheep notices the wolf, she will cry out and warn the other sheep. All the sheep must reach a predetermined base without being caught by the wolf. If a sheep is caught, it will be the wolf in the next round.
The messenger. This version combines the basic version of the classic Hide and Seek game with another classic game from childhood - Cordless Phone. In the Messenger, a chosen person comes with a short message, and the others must hide. When the time runs out, the seeker goes to look for the other players, and when he finds the first one, he whispers the message to him. The one who initially "started" returns to the base and waits until the next player finds another one to pass the message to. The game continues until everyone returns to the base, and the last player whispers the message to see if it matches the original one.

2. Basketball

In most parks there is a basketball court or at least a basket, which you can use in a variety of ways to play fun games with the kids. If there is a full court and you have a larger group of older children with you, you will divide into two teams and you can play a basketball game.
For smaller groups and younger children, you can try a more versatile and fun version of basketball that can be adapted to different ages and abilities. The players must take turns trying to hit the basket from five different locations near the basket or with five different creative throws.

3. Badminton

Badminton is a fun game that the whole family can enjoy in the park. Although you will have to bring rackets and flyers and maybe even a net, it will be relatively easy to set up and play in a large, grassy area. Each player has a racket that he uses to hit the badminton shuttlecock and send it over the net to the players of the opposing team. If the flyer falls to the ground on the other side of the net, you get a point. The first team to reach 21 points wins.

Badminton can be played singles, doubles or in teams and the rules can be adjusted for different age groups and abilities. Badminton can also be played without a net, simply as a way to spend free time and exercise.
It would be ideal to play badminton on a windless day, because the wind can easily take away the flutters, thus affecting the game.

4. Outdoor bowling

Bring all the fun of a bowling alley to the park! This game will be a fun activity that invites you to move, from throwing the balls to re-seating the pops and (inevitably) running after the ball, because the lane won't give it back to you...
You can buy sets for outdoor bowling from the store or you can make an easy set yourself, using juice or beer cans or tall bottles, filled with sand or water to make them a little heavier. Be creative and turn a bowling game into a DIY project for kids - use colored water inside the bottles or paint to decorate the outside and make the game more interesting.

In the park, place the cans or bottles like bowling pins and try, in turn, to knock them down with a ball. It can be a tennis ball, a small basketball or any other type of ball that works best for your bowling style. Keep score and place all the pops after each round. The player who has the most points at the end of the game wins.

5. THE ROPE GAME, rope of warriors or Pull the Rope

A classic camp or park game, Rope Game is great for large groups, regardless of age. All you need for this game is a long rope and a large area with grass. Mark a middle line on the ground and divide the group equally into two teams. If you have children of different ages and abilities in the group, put the strongest and biggest ones on the outside and the smallest ones in the middle. When the game starts, everyone will pull as hard as they can on the rope to try to pull the other team over the middle line. The team that can pull the other team over the drawn line wins.

6. What I do everyone does

This newer game, which you will also find under the name "Follow the leader", is one of the funniest childhood games and an easy park activity that does not require planning or specific equipment. It is very pleasant for small children and for combined age groups.

You start by walking through the park, with a line of children behind you who have to follow you. The participants will have to copy your every move, doing exactly what you do when passing through the park: running, jumping, jumping on one leg or spinning in circles. If you find something interesting to see, stop and look, and everyone else will do the same.
Give each participant the chance to be a leader in this fun game, because the little ones will really enjoy coming up with their own creative moves for everyone else to imitate. It encourages imaginative play and allows the leader to wander around the park imitating animals, vehicles or whatever he wants. After the walking field is finished, a new leader is chosen and a new movement that will bring the group back to the start.

7. The traffic light

In this fun game, a person chosen to be the traffic light will stand at one end of a field or playing area. The rest of the group will start from the other side of the field and follow the traffic light to receive indications. When the traffic light says "Green", all other players can move forward. When the traffic light shouts "Red", all players must stop moving and freeze in place. For even more fun, the Traffic Light can signal the colors Green or Red by turning its back and facing the players, respectively.
If any player is caught moving on Red, he must return to the starting point. The first player to reach the other side, next to the traffic light, wins the round and becomes the traffic light for the next round. It is an excellent game for younger children who thus learn to follow instructions.

8. The basement

If your favorite park has a large paved or concrete surface, take some chalk with you for this classic park game for children! For the original version of sotron, draw the famous shape with squares and a circle and number the boxes from 1 to 8. For the more modern sotron, the numbers will be from 1 to 9 or from 1 to 10.
To start the game, throw a pebble, a piece of chalk, or a checker into a square (in order - first at 1, then at 2 and so on) and jump over the box with the stone, then continuing to jump on the rest of the numbers. On the way back, jump again in all the boxes until you reach the start. Give the stone to the next player, and the next round continues with the next box.

If you throw the stone in the wrong box, next to the sotron, or if you lose your balance and fall, you lose the round. The goal of the game is to finish the whole sotron by throwing pebbles into each individual box. The game is very appealing to children of all ages - keep it as simple as possible for young children and adjust the level of difficulty for older children.
Draw the most beautiful drawings with colored chalk, or instead of numbers make various personalized symbols, thus giving the little ones the opportunity to capitalize on both their creativity and learning.
You can try countless variations of sotron together, drawing spiral shapes instead of the classic sotron, or very long sotrons. You will thus make the classic game more fun for older children. You can also draw a series of squares, with various instructions inside, such as "jump on one foot", "do a short dance" or "do five jumps in place". Start the timer and see who can read and follow all the instructions in the shortest time.

9. Treasure hunting inspired by nature

This activity requires a bit more preparation work, but it's worth it for the fun the children will have. Visit the location beforehand to plan what clues the children should look for, or create lists of more generic items to find, adjusted for the ages and abilities of the group. Before going to the park, give each game participant a list of clues or the list of treasures they will have to hunt for.
Here are the adjustments according to age.
Small children and preschoolers. For the youngest children, make a hunting list with simple and easy-to-follow instructions. List elements as generic as possible - for example, "tree" instead of "oak" or "bird" instead of "macalendru". Includes items from nature such as common animals, flowers and insects, as well as common playground items such as benches, slides, swings and more. Use simple words and capital letters for children who have already learned to read, and for young children, use pictures and ask them to circle on the list as many times as they find an object that they can collect and bring to the base (stones, sticks , leaves, flowers, feathers and many others).
Schoolchildren. For this age group, the treasure list can be a bit more difficult, with more specific items to find, such as certain types of trees, flowers or birds. Also, instead of the list, you can provide hints for each item, for an additional challenge. Ask the children to write what objects they found or to draw them.
Another option is to organize a letter hunt, with the children having to find objects for each letter of the alphabet.
Preadolescents and adolescents. Older children and teenagers can also handle more difficult lists with harder-to-find items such as rarer plants and animals or more advanced concepts such as animal track evidence, burrows, camouflage, animal relationships and more. Teenagers will go on a quest with phones or digital cameras to capture photographic evidence of the discoveries they make.
Another option is to go ahead to the location, hide coins or small objects along a path in the park and then give the children clues about the locations.