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Ideas for Field Day Activities for Young Children

Field day generally takes place toward the end of the school year and allows children a time to let loose with all their friends. When planning field day activities for young children, you can plan a few games that are simple and have minimal instructions. A few supplies and some creativity are all you need to assure young children have an optimal field day experience.

Volleyball Activities
- Young children can play a game of volleyball with an extra large inflatable beach ball. Divide the youngsters into two teams, and have them hit the beach ball back and forth over the net. Alternatively, you can use beach towels by having two children hold a beach towel to catch and toss the ball over the net. If the youngsters want to get wet, let them use water balloons instead of a beach ball. The children can also select a partner and hit a beach ball to and from each other.
Running Activities
- Plan a variety of running activities for the young children. Some ideas include relay races, such as a sack race using pillowcases, running backward, bear crawling, hopping, crab walking and regular running races. Most young children will enjoy the variety of races. For a messy race, let the children carry raw eggs on wooden spoons to the finish line. If a player drops his egg, give him another one. The first player to cross the line wins the race. Deep spoons might be easier for young children.
Cone Activities
- Small orange cones are easy for young children to handle, and you can make a few games using them. The children can hold the cone upside down and place a rubber ball on top of the hole in the cone. They must race from one point to another point without dropping the ball. For added fun, call this the "Ice Cream Cone Race." Alternatively, you can scatter the cones all over the ground and have the children try to toss plastic rings on the cones. Plastic rings are available at craft stores, or you can make your own using rope and duct tape.
Hide-and-Seek Activities
- Most young children enjoy playing hide-and-seek. Hide several coins or golf balls all over the play area for the children to find. The child who finds the most hidden objects wins the game. For a variation, have the young children play in teams. The players will still hunt for items individually; however, the team with the most points wins the game. Make the game more difficult by tying a rope around the waists of all the players on each team. This way they have to search for the items as a team.

Kids Games