Outdoor Games

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Barbara J. Feldman

The weather is great. Turn off that computer and go play outside. Today's web picks feature hundreds of games to play by yourself, with just a few friends, or with your entire scout troop or classroom. Whether you are looking for rules to a game you vaguely remember from your childhood, or want to find something entirely new, these sites have it all.

Games Kids Play

5 stars

Games Kids Play is my pick of the day because of the sheer volume of outdoor kid games they list: over two hundred games and jump rope rhymes. The site isn't fancy (it doesn't have any pictures or graphics) but the games are organized alphabetically and by category. If you are looking for something specific, use the site search. I really enjoyed perusing the jump rope rhymes. I remember reciting a few of these in front of my stoop in Brooklyn, bouncing a pink spaldeen. "A my name is Alice, and my husband's name is Al."

Kids Running: Running Games

4 stars

Kids Running is "devoted to promoting the sport of running for kids so that they can enjoy the benefits of a fit and healthy lifestyle both at school and home." An unusual twist is the integration of academic skills such as spelling and arithmetic into these original K-3 games. Visit to discover the fractions game "Jog, Tempo, Sprint" and the spelling game "Ready, Set, Spell." Although most games require an outdoor space or gym, a few can be played in a classroom.

Party Game Central: Outdoor Games

4 stars

With 113 outdoor games, you are sure to find what you're looking for, but if not, try the customized game search. Click on Build Your Custom Game List, and you can search the game list by age, group size, venue (indoors or outdoors) and activity level (passive or active.) And Party Game Central doesn't stop with kids games. You'll also find hundreds of games for teens, pool parties, bridal showers, baby showers, couples parties, and holidays.

Streetplay: The Games

5 stars

"Using whatever is at hand bottle caps, a stick, or the ubiquitous spaldeen city kids though the ages create games that are the envy of any sportsman or marketeer. ... While it's impossible to document and categorize every game any kid ever played in the street, we've tried to hit the major ones here." I was a city kid in the fifties, so this site struck a nostalgic chord. Games are organized by type (jacks, hopscotch) and tool (ball, playground, stoop.)

Zoom Games: Turn Off Your Computer and Play

5 stars

Not all of the games from the PBS television show Zoom require outdoor space (there are also Mind Games and Word Games) but the good news is that none of them require a computer! Outdoor games are organized as Chase Games, Sports Games, Relay Races and Physical Challenges. To save printer ink, be sure to switch to the Printer Friendly page (look for the printer icon) before printing.