10 Playground Games to Teach Your Kids This Spring

As the weather warms up, you’re bound to want to take your child to the playground. Spring is the perfect time to teach your child about new games they can play with you, their siblings or their friends. These games are just a few of the many that kids can easily play on a playground using their exciting and dynamic surroundings. 

1. Simon Says

Simon Says is a game that even adults can play in their own way. While adults may use computer games with lights to help them build their memory, children tend to play the game the old-fashioned way on the playground. Children only need their imaginations for this game, as it involves staying relatively in one place. 

One child is designated to be “Simon,” and the others have to follow their rules — but only when “Simon” prefaces their order with the phrase, “Simon says.” If a child follows “Simon”s directions without that phrase in front, they are out of the game. The last kid standing becomes the next “Simon.” 

2. Red Rover

A more active game than Simon Says, the game of Red Rover is a challenge that encourages children to use their developing analysis skills. This game can also foster teamwork and critical thinking in children, as they have to work together to repel anyone who tries to break through their chain link, just as another child would have to carefully consider which link looks like it could be the weakest and most easily broken. 

One chain of kids will chant, “Red Rover, Red Rover, send X right over,” where “X” denotes a child’s name. The child called then must choose one link to run between. With enough force, they can break the link and take someone from the opposite team back to their team. If they fail, they join the new group. The game is over once one team only has one person left or the last link is broken. 

3. Four Square

Four Square can be difficult for a kids’ game, but most kids are up for the challenge. Your child can play this game with three or more friends. It only entails having four squares drawn on the ground in chalk or tape. The squares you draw have to be marked from the highest (often called square four) down to the lowest (called square one). You can make up other names for the squares if you feel creative. 

If the ball ever goes out of bounds, the person who should’ve bounced it back is “out,” and everyone moves up a square. The game has no defined finishing point — so some parents may find it more productive to set a time limit rather than an ultimate goal for this game. 

4. Keep Away

Keep Away is a fun game that you should monitor closely. You may have an object that a team of people has to keep away from one player. Some children may feel left out, and the game could turn to bullying quickly if a guardian doesn’t watch the kids. If you notice your child seems withdrawn from their peers or see a difference in their performance in school, you may have a case of subtle or not-so-subtle bullying on your hands. Only teach your children this game if you can be around to see how it plays out. 

5. Capture the Flag

Capture the Flag is an excellent game for older kids who can understand the nuances of strategy. Each team takes their flag and hides it somewhere in their defined “territory,” while the other group conspires to get the flag while keeping their own flag safe. Older kids may develop the strategy to have some team members scout ahead for the flag while others hang back to defend their flag. 

6. Tag

Tag is typically one of the first games a child learns to play on the playground. It’s one of the first games your child may come in contact with that employs cooperative play, the final stage of play that means that your child has learned the skills they need to socialize effectively with other kids their age. It’s a celebration of all that they learned, and the games will start to look more complex from here on out. 

Look deeply enough, and you’ll find several variations of the standard game of tag. Still, the basic premise remains the same: The person who is “It” will run around trying to tag someone. Typically, after a person is tagged, they become the new “It.”  

7. Duck, Duck, Goose

Duck, Duck, Goose is a thrilling game for all ages. Children sit in a circle, and one person goes around tapping heads. When they say “duck” as they touch a person, that person is safe. If they happen to say “goose,” that child must stand up and chase the one who tapped them around the circle before they can claim the empty spot in the circle. Whoever is left standing becomes the next person to go in a circle and select someone. 

8. Hopscotch

Hopscotch is an old game, but your children can still play it as long as you have some chalk. Some playgrounds may already have a hopscotch area drawn out. In this case, your job gets a lot easier — you only need to find something for the kids to throw. 

Once you find a rock or something else suitable, instruct your children to toss it onto one of the squares. Then, they must hop either on one foot or two feet to the same square that the stone has landed on. This game is an easy way to improve your children’s motor skills while having fun. 

9. Hide and Seek

Hide and Seek is all about your child using the environment around them. A playground is a perfect place to play this game because all the equipment provides ample hiding places, perfect for any child to squeeze into or hide behind. As one child counts down, the others hide themselves and hope they aren’t caught. The last person standing then seeks out the others in the next round. 

You can always play this game with your children, too. Tell them to hide somewhere on the playground, and you’ll play an endless game of seeker. That way, you don’t have to try to force yourself to hide in the spaces your children would fit into, and your children get the thrill of figuring out new hiding spots. 

10. Pretend

Playing pretend has no boundaries. By encouraging your children to use their imaginations, you could help them foster new skills to boost their creativity and help them be more involved in their peers’ lives, thereby improving their social skills. There are no boundaries with pretending. Whether your child wants to be a ruler in a castle or a dedicated pastry chef, it’s all up to them. They may choose to enlist others to help them create a story, or you could get the honor of participating in their world.  

Enjoy Playground Time With Your Children 

Parks and playgrounds are great opportunities to introduce your children to others. As they get to know people their age, they’ll develop the social skills needed to carry them through life into adulthood. Aside from those benefits, they could make their first friends by visiting the playground. Even if it’s only you and your child, playing these games can help bring them out of their shell to enjoy a place other than home.