Recently some adult folks and I celebrated a friend’s birthday outside at a park in the snow. We simple played kid outdoor games: a team tossing game, a ball relay, and a good ol’ fashioned snowball fight. We ran around, egging on members of the other team, getting soaked. It was hilarious and silly and fun.
Playing outdoor kid games can bring a swell of nostalgia for games in the school yard, the backyard, the park, the lot, the court, or the field. Those games taught us important lessons (good and bad) that we remember throughout our adult lives.
I decided to describe and rank various types of kids outdoor games that can be and still are played by adults. Inter-rater reliability (i.e. with my partner) for the aspects of each game type (e.g., high, medium, or low) was about 92%.
What is your favourite outdoor kid game or game type, and why? Reply in comments below!
Accuracy Games
| Criteria | Level |
| Energy | low |
| Skill | med |
| Teamwork | low |
| Inclusiveness | med |
| Silliness | low |
Examples: Ladder toss, horseshoes, washer toss, catch/HORSE, hopscotch
These games that pay attention to detail and precision. They have rules and specialized equipment, and may be played individually or in teams. It’s usually the accuracy games that adults want to play to show kids that they’ve still “got it.”
Snowball/Water Balloon Fights
| Criteria | Level |
| Energy | med |
| Skill | low |
| Teamwork | low |
| Inclusiveness | med |
| Silliness | high |
Snowball and water balloon fights have few rules and are generally a free-for-all of silliness. Often, one need not be the strongest or fastest participant: those who create their own strategy (or find good hiding places) can fare well.
Be careful in these games around those who wear glasses. In northern or southern climates, less popular in Spring/Fall.
Imagination Games
| Criteria | Level |
| Energy | low |
| Skill | low |
| Teamwork | med |
| Inclusiveness | high |
| Silliness | med |
Examples: Lost on an island, Cowboys, Fashion show, etc.
Imagination games (also known as “pretend” or “make believe”) are for those who want to escape rule-bound games with winners and losers that require equipment and physical skill or strength.
In imagination games, anyone with creativity and a playful attitude can participate.
Strength Games
| Criteria | Level |
| Energy | high |
| Skill | low |
| Teamwork | med |
| Inclusiveness | med |
| Silliness | med |
Examples: Red rover, tug of war
Simple, straightforward us-vs-them team games, where the most important rule is…be the strongest and win! Expect the occasional skin burn or scratch.
Sometimes these games can get violent–it was this aspect of tug of war that was emphasized by Netflix’s Squid Game (2021).
Organized Sports Games
| Criteria | Level |
| Energy | high |
| Skill | med |
| Teamwork | high |
| Inclusiveness | low |
| Silliness | low |
Examples: Flag football, baseball, dodgeball, kickball, soccer
Organized sports build skill, stamina, and teamwork. They create opportunities for life-long bonding. But being group-based, rule-bound, and equipment-heavy, these serious games can separate casual from competitive players.
Also, no one likes to be picked last for a team.
Speed Relay Games
Examples: Relays (e.g., egg and spoon race), potato sack racing
| Criteria | Level |
| Energy | med |
| Skill | low |
| Teamwork | high |
| Inclusiveness | low |
| Silliness | high |
Individual or team-based–and often requiring nothing more than a ball, a baton, or a sack–speed relay games can bring the best of a group of people working together.
These games can be not so fun for folks who may struggle to keep up or who take relays too seriously.
Tag and Strategy Games
| Criteria | Level |
| Energy | med |
| Skill | med |
| Teamwork | med |
| Inclusiveness | med |
| Silliness | med |
Examples: Tag, Capture the Flag, Musical Chairs, Red Light-Green Light, Hide and Seek
Combining the skill of accuracy games, the endurance of strength games, and the creativity of imagination games, tag and strategy games can utilize diverse talents. These games attract those who enjoy being the last one standing.
