11 Backyard Games For Kids That Don’t Require Any Equipment

With long days filled with sunlight and skyrocketing temps, summertime certainly isn’t meant to be spent indoors. Just because it’s sultry outside doesn’t mean that you want to haul a whole ton of toys outside for your tots to play with, though. Luckily, there are lots of backyard games for kids that the whole family can enjoy and don’t require any additional equipment for you to carry. And that means less time for packing — and more time spent having fun in the sun.

Elbow Tag

Shake up traditional Tag with this fast-paced variation. Kids break up into pairs and lock their elbows together. Two players are chosen — one the tagger and one the tagee. The runner is safe when they lock elbows with one of the pairs without getting tagged. But because all the players have to stay in pairs, the child who locks elbows with the runner now has to run. If tagged, the new runner becomes It.

Simon Says

An oldie but a goodie, Simon Says is as simple as you can get. Pick one child to be Simon, and have kids follow the leader’s commands. It might be standing on one foot or spinning around in a circle — but only as long as Simon says so. To make Simon Says super summery, you can give seasonal prompts like, “Simon Says to blow some bubbles,” or “Simon Says to run through the sprinklers.”

Duck, Duck, Splash

Duck Duck Goose might be one of the first games that your child learned to play. But what about adding an aquatic element? Kids sit in a circle, and the person who is It has to walk around touching each kid’s head while saying, “Duck.” When it’s time to say, “Goose!”, err, “Splash!” the child (armed with a water balloon) drops it on the other child’s head and runs around the group until they can safely get back to the empty spot.

Marco Polo

If ever there were a backyard game that screams summer, Marco Polo would be it. Perfect for playing in the pool, pairs or an entire group of kids, One player is chosen to be Marco, and after counting to 10 with their eyes closed, will call out, “Marco.” The other players will respond by yelling, “Polo!” Marco has to find them based on where their voices are coming from. The first Polo kid tagged then becomes Marco.

Heads Up, Seven Up

Heads Up, Seven Up is commonly played in a classroom, but this is one backyard game for kids that you can take outdoors. Seven kids will be the “pickers” and the rest of the kids will sit in rows with their heads down and one thumb pointing up. The pickers choose one person and gently touch the guesser’s thumb, at which point they put down. The seven guessers have to deduce who touched their thumb. If they guess correctly, they become the new pickers, and if not, they remain guessers for the next round. To put a summer spin on this classic game, kids can use splash their unsuspecting guessers with water instead of touching their thumbs.

Karaoke Chairs

Okay, so Karaoke Chairs kind of requires equipment (if you count chairs as gear, that is). Instead of putting on a playlist and starting and stopping the music yourself, one singer gets to channel their inner Swiftie for the game. Line up chairs and have your players stand in front of them. Then, armed with an imaginary mic (or a hairbrush), the singer can start belting out “Bad Blood” while the players move around the chairs. When the singing stops, everyone has to snag a seat. The songs don’t stop until a winner is announced — or your singer needs to catch their breath.

Freeze Dance

Freeze dance is a good way to get the summer sillies out. Choose one child to be the official DJ for the game. Put on some summer songs to get the kids movin’ and groovin’ — until the music stops, that is. Anyone caught shimmying after the song ends is eliminated, and the last kid standing, um, dancing, is the winner.

Leapfrog

Although you can play Leapfrog at any time of the year, it’s especially fun in the summer, when kids can avoid crashing into concrete and take long leaps in the grass. Play as pairs or form teams to see who can cross the finish line first.

Red Light, Green Light

This schoolyard staple has been around for ages but has recently soared in popularity thanks to “Squid Game.” But unlike the Korean drama, the stakes aren’t quite as high for the players of this fun children’s game. Players gather at the starting line, and when you say, “Green Light,” everyone moves forward as fast as they can. But when you say, “Red Light,” everyone must stop immediately. Those caught still in motion are either sent back to the starting line or (ahem) eliminated with parent approved water guns.

Wheelbarrow

In Wheelbarrow, teams of two try to cross the finish line first. Sounds easy, right? With one child walking on their hands while their partner holds up their legs, the goal is to be the first to make it to the finish line. Since they’ll definitely be working up a sweat as they wheelbarrow their way across the lawn, you can give them a warm (or cool) welcome with sprinklers waiting for them when they finish.

Shadow Tag

This is a variation of Tag where if the person who is It tags you, you have to freeze where you are. But in Shadow Tag, there isn’t any actual touching. Instead, the player who is It tags another child’s shadow and yells, “Tag!” This backyard game is fun to play during the later afternoon hours, when shadows are longer and it’s (hopefully) a little cooler outside.

Summer is a season meant to be spent outdoors, staring at the stars or being fascinated by the flickering of evening fireflies. But if you’re thinking of games to keep your kid occupied, backyard games are a great way to beat boredom and create cool bonding moments, too.

 

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