Games that can be played by children outside are usually a given for all play dates and birthday parties.
Should the weather be an excuse?
Rain, hail and snow are needn’t be an excuse, provided you’ve got the parents of the party goers to bring a change of clothes for afterwards.
Do you have outside space?
If you do not have access to a backyard (or one that’s big enough for everyone), you could think about trying to find a park closeby where you could take the party goers for the party. If you’re planning on doing this, you should ensure that you have enough adults to supervise.
Make use of the time
Children enjoy
outdoor party games, but they are also very useful for the adults. Not only do they give the children a chance to expend some of their energy, they let the children exercise and enable you to concentrate on the finishing touches (e.g. arranging the party food, setting the table and lighting the cake's candles).
Dodge Ball
"Dodge Ball" is among my children's favorite outdoor party games. This can be played the traditional way (dividing the children into teams and letting them throw balls made of sponge at each other) or by making one person the thrower (whomever the thrower hits with a ball becomes the thrower). This can be changed so that if someone is made a thrower more than twice or however many times you decide, they become a permanent thrower. You should ensure that you have enough sponge balls (about the size of a soccer ball); five should be enough.
Can you hide well?
It goes without saying that “Hide and Seek” has more possibilities when played outside; nevertheless if you are in a public place, you should tell the children where the permitted playzone ends. Trampolines are always good fun.
Are you a scavenger?
Another great game is "Scavenger Hunt". Setting this up in your backyard is quite straightforward; if you do so in a park, you could discover (as I have done before!) that a few of the sweets have been eaten by people who aren't playing!
Do you wobble?
"What's the time Mr Jelly?" is a game children simply love playing. My husband usually plays the part of Mr Jelly (his name comes from the fact that he can only run after the children with wibbly wobbly limbs!).
Can you blow up balloons?
Balloon games are also fun. You could play "Tag" or "Dodge Ball" with water balloons (this game is better in warm seasons); or you could have a race to see who can burst the largest number of balloons.
Can you swim?
If you are able to get access to a swimming pool (whether in your backyard or at the local pool), swimming games are an excellent idea. “Mermaid Swimmer” is where the swimmers have to pretend to be mermaids (or perhaps fish...) and “Dry Hand” is where everyone swims but tries to keep one of their hands out of the water. Obviously, these games depend on the swimming abilities of the group.
Can you do the hula?
Hula hoop games are always great fun. "Hula Marathon" is where the winner is the person who can keep the hula hoop spinning on their hips the longest and “Hula’s Got Ya” which is tag but using the hula hoop to catch people; the list goes on and on!
