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Outdoor Picnic Games for Children Age 5-12

Many people have outdoor picnics to celebrate birthday parties and family reunions each year. When planning a picnic, be sure to have a few games planned for the children to play. Games keep the children busy and give any unfamiliar faces a chance to make new friends. A few simple outdoor picnic games are easy to create and perfect for children ages 5 to 12.

Baseball Bats
- Play a few games with a baseball bat at an outdoor picnic. Mark a standing line and a goal about 30 feet apart. Have all the children line up at the standing line and give the first person in line a baseball bat. He must place one end of the bat on the ground and place his forehead on the other end of the bat. He has to spin 10 times and then try to run to the goal. Time each child and the child with the fastest time wins the game. Another game is to duct tape a large beach towel around the baseball bat and use a foam ball to play a funny game of baseball.
Water Balloons
- Draw a large target on a hard surface and write point values in each one of the target's rings. Prepare a large tub of water balloons and place it by a standing line, which should be about 20 feet from the target. The children will toss the balloons in the air at the target to try to score points. The player with the highest amount of points after three tosses wins the game. For another water balloon game, try water balloon volleyball. Players must use beach towels to catch and toss water balloons over a net.
Relay Races
- Mark a starting line and place a cone about 25 feet away. Divide the children into two teams and have them line up at the starting line. Give the first player in each team line a small spoon and a penny. When you say, "Race," the players have to race to the cone and back. They will hand off the spoon and penny to the next players in line, who must do the same thing. The first team to finish the relay wins the game. Another variation to this game is to have the players run with oranges or apples in the spoons.
Tag
- Play a game of freeze tag by selecting one player to be "it." Use a rope to set boundaries so players know how far they can run. When "it" tags a player, he becomes frozen and must stand still until an "unfrozen" player tags him. Once "it" freezes someone three times, that player is the new "it." Another tag game is flour tag. Place flour in socks and tie off with a rubber band. Have all the players wear dark colored shirts and select one player to be "it." Once "it" hits the same player with a flour sock three times, , he is the new "it" player.

Kids Games