Free Games to Play Outside With Children Under 10

Lawn Bowling

• Lawn bowling does not require special equipment. You can use nearly anything found in your garage, house or backyard, as long as it is fairly sturdy, light-weight and has a flat base. Find 10 objects and set them up on level ground in a triangular format. The back row needs four “pins;” the next row needs three, then two and one in the front. Your child can use a soccer ball, basketball or rubber ball to roll and knock down as many pins as possible. Each player gets two turns at a time. Count all the pins knocked down and record it. Play until someone reaches a certain score or until each player has had 10 turns.

Tag

• There are so many variations of tag it is hard to do it incorrectly. You and your kids could even make up your own tag game. However, most tag games are more fun with lots of players, so invite the neighborhood kids to join you.

  Freeze tag is simple. One person is "it," while the other players try not to be tagged by the person who is "it." Once the person who is "it" tags another, that player must freeze in place until another free player touches him.

  TV tag involves the same basic rules. One person tries to tag all the other players. Once he touches another player, that player becomes frozen. Another free player must touch the frozen player and yell out the name of a TV show. You can only use a TV program once per game.

Kickball

• Though kickball has been around for awhile, it still has the appeal of a new game. Divide everyone into two teams of equal sizes. One team kicks a large rubber gym ball while the other takes the outfield. Set the bases up like a baseball diamond, with home plate, first, second and third. The pitcher’s mound is not typically raised, but you can work with whatever landscape you have where you play. The pitcher rolls the ball to the kicker. He kicks it and tries to run to first base without his ball getting caught or him getting tagged out by a player holding his ball. The kicker&'s goal is to run the bases in order back to home. Once the kicking team has three players tagged out, the teams switch positions and the outfielders come in to kick while the kickers go to outfield. Play as many innings as you like. If you choose to keep score, teams earn one point for each player making it around all bases to homeplate.