Kids have the opportunity to spend a wonderful amount of hours with exercise games. These varied children's games from the past have been preserved to this day:
1. Snake Tail Catcher: You need at least three children to play the snake tail catcher outside. In this game without any equipment all children stand one behind the other. Everyone holds the person in front by the shoulders or hips. Together, the “children's line” forms a “snake” that tries to bite its own tail. So the child in front tries to catch the last player while everyone else tries to evade. If the child in front manages to catch the last link in the row, the game ends.
2. Fisherman, my fisherman, how deep is the water? "Fisherman, how deep is the water" is great to play on the go with at least three players. The more space there is outdoors, the better. In this puzzle game, a child is named the fisherman. The other children stand at a sufficient distance (approx. 15 metres) in front of the fisherman. Then the question-and-answer game begins. The children ask the fisherman how deep the water is. The fisherman answers with "deep, very deep, not at all deep" or names any depth. Then the children ask how to get across the water. Here, too, the fisherman freely determines the way in which the players move (for example crawl, hop or roll). Then the game really starts. The children try to move to the other side in the movement ordered by the fisherman. They have to be careful not to be caught by the fisherman, who has to move around in the same way. Whoever was caught must help the fisherman in the next round to catch the others. The last child left wins and is allowed to play the fisherman in the next round.
3. Come with me, run away: In this catch game, the kids stand in a circle. One child walks around the circle, taps another child and says “come with me”. When the command “come with me”, the tapped player runs in the same direction as the person tapped. Both try to run into the vacated space first. The child who remains must then tap another child. So the game continues. Alternatively, a player can also shout “run away”. With "run away" they must run in the opposite direction to the free space. A nice running game for many players that is guaranteed not to get boring.
4. Shadow catcher: This game works in pairs or with a shadow catcher. Catcher and runner come together. While the runners run away, the shadow catcher must try to step into the runners' shadows. If he succeeds, the captured child has to stay where they are. If you choose the variant with only one shadow catcher, you have to play until all the shadows are “caught".
5. Wheelbarrow: In the wheelbarrow race, two children form a team. The first child holds the other by both legs from behind. The second child moves the “wheelbarrow” forwards with his hands in a four-legged position. The team that arrives at the specified destination first with its “wheelbarrow” wins.
6. Sack race: As an old children's game, the sack race has never gone out of fashion. Children love this toy-free game in which they compete with each other in a jute sack.
7. Poor little cat: In this game, the children sit together in a circle. A child moves as a whining cat in the middle of the circle. Now the cat chooses a child that has to stroke their head three times. It has to pronounce "poor little cat". Meanwhile, the cat tries to make the children laugh. Anyone who laughs is unlucky and is the cat in the next round.
8. Petrify: Petrify is a great game idea for at least five children. You can play in the garden, in the yard or any other safe place with enough space. One player is the catcher. After the “go” call, the catcher tries to touch the other children. The one who runs away and was caught, "petrified", standing with legs apart. As soon as all players are petrified, the catcher has won the game. Attention: Other players can free a petrified person by crawling through between his legs.
Nice game ideas without physical contact
You can play some games outdoors without physical contact with your child. Such games for children are very helpful in times of restricted contact. The following games work without physical contact, but are just as much fun for the children
1. I see something that you don't see: A child starts and says: “I see something that you don't see and that is (desired colour). The others now guess which object in the area is meant. If you guess correctly, you can start next with “I see what you don't see”.
2. Hit the field: You can play this game with two teams. Outside, draw a large rectangle on the ground with chalk. Halve the box and put a stone in one half. Then each player looks for a stone. This must be thrown into the box with the stone from a distance of three metres. Whoever scores collects three points for their own team. If the thrown stone hits the other field, there is at least one point. If the thrown stone misses both fields, the team receives no point. The team with the most points wins the game.
Classic children games for indoors
Some childhood games are still classics at every birthday party today. These include, for example, fun games like hitting the pot. You blindfold your child and turn them a few times so that they no longer know where they are in the room. Meanwhile, the "players" stand near the upturned pot. Your blindfolded child or player will now crawl on all fours on the floor. With a knock, it "feels" for the pot with the wooden spoon. Meanwhile, the other viewers give useful hints like “cold” (means “far away)” or “very hot” (“very close”). Once the child has found the pot and taps it with the wooden spoon, they receive a prize and end the game.
Another nice game for indoors is Chinese Whispers. The children sit in a circle and start with a simple word or phrase. A child whispers the word / sentence softly in the ear of the next player. So it goes in turn until the last player pronounces the heard word or sentence out loud for everyone. What sounds boring is a lot of fun. In most cases, a completely different word comes out at the end.
If you like mind games, you should also try “I'm packing my suitcase”. In this game without equipment, each player adds an item after the sentence “I'll pack my suitcase and take it with me”. The player whose turn it is next must repeat all previously "wrapped" items until they are allowed to name their item. Want to bet that someone will lose track and no longer remember all the objects? You decide for yourself whether the players have to adhere to the exact order or just list all items across the board.
