Summer games for kids aren’t just a good way of keeping them occupied, they’re also good for keeping them healthy and active. Whether you’re looking for games to play as a family, or games that the kids can play with their friends, here are some ideas for you.
Backyard Sports Tournaments
Hosting backyard sports tournaments can make for some of the best summer games for kids! These are good for the kids and the adults to play together, as long as you divide up the teams so that they’re roughly equal in ability.
You could play soccer, golf, volleyball, even olympic sports. Spend some time together planning it as a family and coming up with prizes for the winning teams and individuals. You could even turn this into a yearly event, where you battle for the title in the annual games!
Summer Party Games
Your kids might be hosting a summer party or two, so it’s definitely a good idea to have some party ideas up your sleeve! A summer favorite is to recreate a beach scene in the garden, with kiddie pools, deck chairs and sand pits. You could do a beach version of musical chairs by using towels instead of chairs, play limbo with a line of water from a hose, or play water balloon toss.
If you’re having a more traditional backyard party this summer then you could try some other summer games for kids like relay races down the garden. You could play “pin the bee on the flower” in the same vein as pin the tail on the donkey, or even treasure hunts in the backyard.
Beach Games
The beach is the perfect place for hosting the kinds of sports tournaments mentioned above, though you can also use it as a venue for many other summer games for kids. You could have a contest to see who builds the best sand castle, or who can dig the biggest hole. Or you could have relay races where each child needs to carry as much water to fill a bucket away from the shore using just their hands.
Indoor Games for Summer
If your kids are getting bored now that they’ve been out of school for a while, and can’t get outside to play, then there are a few games you can suggest to keep them occupied indoors. Now is the perfect opportunity to teach them some games that don’t involve electronics! Play some card games as a family, or reach for the board games.
If your kids don’t feel like playing these kind of games then you could always set them some challenges. Who can build the biggest tower of cards? Or building the longest domino tracks. If all else fails, classic games like hide and seek are always fun.
Summer games for kids aren’t just a way of keeping them busy – it’s an excuse to spend some time with them and have some fun yourself, too!
