Fun Old-Time Games for Kids

• Show your kids outdoor games.kids image by Marzanna Syncerz from Fotolia.com
  
  When children spend their time in front of a television or a computer monitor, they are depriving themselves of the old-time games for kids that their parents used to play. Playing outside gets kids needed exercise and exposure to fresh air and sunshine. Help your children learn the benefits of playing outdoors by getting them involved in the fun games that have been played by generations before computer technology.
  
  

Kick the Can

• To play kick the can, you need only places where children can hide and a can. The game requires a team to guard the can and a second team to hide in the shadows. The guarding team members close their eyes for a count of 20, and the other team runs off to hide. Boundaries should be established so kids are not hiding in places too far away. The guarding team sets out to find the members of the hiding team. When a hiding team member is found and tagged by being touched by a can guarder, the hider has to sit near the can as a prisoner. A member of the hiding team can release the prisoners by kicking the can. The game ends when the hiding team is completely captured, and then the teams switch sides. It is a good idea for the guarders to have at least one person watching the can.
  
  

Capture the Flag

• Capture the flag is best played in a wooded setting. There are two teams, and each team has a flag. The flag can be someone's T-shirt or a real flag. Decide on the size of the playing area, and then set each flag at opposite ends. The object is to capture the other team's flag and bring it back your flag area. The other team stops you by tagging you. Once you are tagged, you must sit in the other team's jail. You can only be released by a teammate tagging you back out. The center line is important in capture the flag because teams are safe from each other on their own sides of center line--you cannot be tagged while on your side of the line.
  
  

Red Light/Green Light

• In red light/green light, one child is designated as the traffic light. The other children form a line approximately 20 feet behind the traffic light. The game begins when the traffic light turns his back and announces a green light. The children in line can then start moving toward the traffic light. At any moment, the traffic light can turn around and announce a red light. When a red light is sounded, all the children must stop and stand in the exact position they were in when the red light was announced. Any children who fall are out. Any children who do not stop are also out. The game ends when either the traffic light has gotten all of the children out or one of the children is able to tag the traffic light.