Do your kids miss playing with their friends? While a day playing at the park with friends may be a little tricky to pull off at the moment, it’s totally doable! Here are three outdoor park games that kids can play while social distancing to get the outdoor time and social interaction vital for their development.
Jumping Jacks and the Beanstalk
This storytelling game is great for creativity and staying active! Kids stand in a circle, each one six feet apart. One child, the story starter, begins by saying one word, and then they go around the circle, each one adding a word to the story. If someone can’t think of a word, they do 10 jumping jacks to get their juices flowing and then rejoin the game as the new story starter.
Detective
Set up this game the same way, with kids standing six feet apart in a circle. Choose a “detective” who will walk away for a moment so they can’t hear the kids and parents. While the detective is away, a parent picks the leader. The leader’s job is to initiate moments (tapping feet, squatting up and down, doing “the wave,” which everyone will copy. Once everyone is doing the movements, the detective returns and stands in the middle of the circle. Their job is to figure out who the leader is in three guesses. Once the detective has figured it out, the leader becomes the detective, and a new round begins!
Cornhole Toss
Cornhole is a fun game that everyone can join! This game would work well with two groups of siblings. Set up the boards opposite each other (at least six feet apart) and have teams take turns tossing the bags into the board across from them. Each team earns one point for their bag landing on the board and three points for getting a bag through the hole, even if it was pushed in by another bag. Borrow a set of boards and bags if you know someone who has them, or buy your own if you enjoy it—it’s a great game that you can play for years to come!
Head over to Maxwell Park to give some of these games a try! Whether your kids enjoy storytelling, solving mysteries, or practicing their aim, there are great outdoor park games they can play with their friends while maintaining social distance.