by Anastasia Fermin, Sunshima blog writer
Summer is a season of fun, good weather and ample time outdoors. After over a year of pandemic restrictions, the world is slowly opening up and more activities are getting the green light. Kids especially, spent a lot of time cooped up indoors as they traversed online school. Any opportunity to bask in the sun outdoors should be seized and embraced. Whether it’s your garden, the local park or at the beach, here are some classic and not so classic outdoor games to play this summer!
Tag
Tag is a classic game that gets you active. The rules are simple and it’s suitable for all ages. To start someone has to be ‘it’, then they try to catch other players to pass on the ‘it’ mantle and let someone new be the pursuer. Tag is a fun game for the whole family!
Simon Says
Another timeless game is Simon Says. This game allows players to get very creative and silly. One person gives instructions such as “Raise your hands” or “Hop on one leg”. The catch is, players must only complete the actions when the speaker uses the phrase “Simon Says”. If they don’t and a player completes the instructions, they’re taken out of the game.
Musical Chairs
Musical Chairs is perfect for parties in the garden and kids’ birthdays. Chairs are laid out with one seat short; players dance or walk around the perimeter of chairs while music plays. When the music stops everyone must find a seat. Whoever is left standing is out and another chair is removed. This is repeated until there are 2 players and one chair. The winner is the player who sits first in the last chair.
Charades
Charades is another game that boosts imagination and creativity. It also requires teamwork. Two teams compete against each other to correctly guess words or phrases within a certain time limit. The phrases are acted out by miming the words or syllables, without speaking. The team that guesses the most correct answers before the timer is up, wins. This is a great garden game for family gatherings.
Hide and Seek
Hide and Seek is another childhood staple that everyone can join in to play. One person starts by covering their eyes and counting. During the countdown, everyone else must find a hiding spot. When the countdown is complete, the ‘seeker’ yells “Ready or not, here I come!” and proceeds to locate the hiders. Whoever is found last becomes the next seeker.
Games made for the Beach
A family favourite that can easily be transferred to the seaside is Sand Pictionary. Draw pictures in the sand and guess what the person is drawing. And for something a bit more boisterous, how about Tug of Towels? Tie a bunch of towels together and see which team falls over first. Moreover, no one gets hurt in the sand and you can even play it in the water.
Fun for all ages
Outdoor games are a great way to get some activity in for both children and adults. They also allow grown-ups to release their inner child and engage in fun, bonding experiences with family and kids. Running, jumping and mental challenges like charades are bound to keep everyone entertained and experience the joy of summer. If you and your family are looking forward to summertime activities, toss a few outdoor games in your daily schedule. Not only will you have fun, but you will also decompress and release a lot of stress and anxiety simply by laughing with your loved ones!