Fun Games for Kids & Teens

Fruit Basket

• Each person chooses a fruit to call themselves, e.g., apple, orange, or banana. Everyone sits in chairs, with one person standing. The person standing calls out the name of a fruit, and everyone who has chosen that fruit must switch seats, including the person standing. One person will be left standing afterward, and that person calls out a new fruit. If the person standing calls out "fruit basket," everyone must switch seats. There is no limit to how many times "fruit basket" can be called. The game continues until children tire of it.

Red Light/Green Light

• In Red Light/Green Light, kids race to be first to reach the traffic light. Someone pretends to be the traffic light and stands at one end of a long backyard or large room. The others line up at the opposite end. The child playing the traffic light starts with his back to the other players. When he turns around to face the other players and says "green light", everyone moves toward the light as fast as possible. When the traffic light turns his back to the other players and says "red light", everyone stops. Anyone caught moving after the traffic light says "red light" must go back to the starting line. The first person to reach the traffic light wins.

Camping Trip

• One person starts the game by saying, "I&'m going on a camping trip and I&'m going to take with me...," then adding something that starts with the letter A. The next player repeats what the first person said, then adds an item starting with B. The game continues with each person repeating all the items up to their turn, then adding something that starts with their letter of the alphabet, until they reach Z. Children who cannot remember all of the items on their turn can be eliminated to keep the game moving and narrow it down to those with the sharpest memories.

Buzz

• Kids stand in a circle and start taking turns counting. When they get to a multiple of 5, instead of saying that number, they say "buzz" instead. This continues until someone forgets to say buzz, at which time the game starts over. You can change the rules and have the kids say "buzz" instead of multiples of any number. This game can help kids learn their multiplication tables.

Frisbee Golf

• You need a large yard or open area to play this game. Every player must also have a Frisbee. Someone chooses a target (e.g., a tree, water fountain, or fence post) at which to aim the Frisbees. Players throw their Frisbee at the target. If they miss, they throw again from the place the Frisbee landed. Once everyone has hit the target, a new one is chosen. The game can continue as long as the players choose. At the end, the person with the fewest throws wins.

Scavenger Hunt

• Create a list of things for kids to find around your neighborhood, in a grocery store, or at a shopping mall. Kids and teens in small groups can try to cross off the items on their list, using a digital or cell phone camera to take a picture of themselves with the item. The first group to find everything on their list--or the group that finds the most items at the end of a set time limit--wins the game.