Fun Games for Children to Play

Treasure Hunts

• Children don't dream of winning the lottery, they just want to find buried treasure. With a little imagination, you can stage a treasure hunt which is a fun game for young children. Kids love to fill empty bags, so provide them with a brown bag before the hunt. Hunting for treasure can be as easy as spray-painting nature finds like rocks, shells or even pine cones with silver or gold paint. Scatter these around the yard prior to bringing the children outdoors for the hunt.

Bean Bag Play

• Set out a variety of containers for children to use as targets--such as laundry baskets for younger children to smaller coffee cans for the older kids. Encourage children to explore target practice by throwing beanbags in various ways. What happens when the bag is thrown underhand, overhand or from the side? The main objective in this game is to get the bean bag inside the container. Move the standing line farther and farther with each round. Keep tabs of points if you wish to find a winner or just play for fun.

Obstacle Course

• The object of an obstacle course is for children to have fun doing events at their own speed. Find all types of items for children to go over, under, around and through. Suggested ideas: Walk the plank with a board propped about a foot off the ground, old tires to jump into or crawl through, table to slither under, or if the weather is warm, small swimming pools to wade across.

Shadow Play

• On a sunny day, take the kids outside and experiment with shadow dancing. See how big or long the shadow becomes. Play with it by adding motions like running, hopping, shaking and dancing. Older children may enjoy shadow tag where they step on each other's shadow to tag a player.

Do The Limbo

• Start with a rope stretched out by two players about five feet off the ground. Each child has a turn to travel under the rope without touching it. Gradually lower the rope a few inches each round--it gets more difficult to get under the rope the closer it gets to the ground. Play some limbo music, such as the "Limbo Rock" and get into the rhythm as the game goes on.