ALL THE ALL THE CLASSICSCE . ee i NY E FIRST RULE TO ALL FIELD GAMES is try not to have too many rules or too many bound- aries. The best games control themselves and work fine in weird-shaped, tree-filled spaces. Most of the games listed here qualify on both scores. Those that don’t are so noted. If a ref is recom- mended, it’s because the game is (a) terrifically popular and (b) prone to arguments. Kids are fanat- ics about “fair” and rule-heavy games often break apart in squabbles. If you’re wise, you'll avoid games like that whenever possible. 8 minimum / A big yard or so 3-10/ Not really, but an announcer A PARTICULARLY GOOD GAME FOR THE 5- AND 6- year-olds. Two teams (“Sticks” and “Stones”) form and stand in two lines facing each other, only a few feet apart. Behind each team—by about 30 giant steps—is a safeline. The ref then yells “Sticks”—and the Sticks take off after the Stones who hightail it for their safe- line. Any that get caught have to switch sides. Then they reform their lines and do it again.Sweater Grab How Many? 6 minimum / Space? A front yard or so / Ages? Anyone who's mobile. The biggest 7 can play with the littlest/ Need a ref? Not really TWO TEAMS FORM UP, FACING EACH OTHER, about 25 giant steps apart. Call them the red and blue teams. A sweater sits in the middle between them. On each team, everyone numbers off. Then someone who's not playing hollers “ONE and THREE!” (or whatever). That means #1 from the red team and #3 from the blue team dash for the sweater. Say you’re #1. You have to grab the sweater and take it to the OTHER team’s line without getting tagged by #3. Good luck. The Huge Sitdown How Many? 5 is minimum, much more is much better Space? Very little / Ages? It doesn’t matter Need a ref? Nope THIS IS A GROUP ANTI-GRAVITY GATHERING. Everybody forms a tight circle (How tight? Your nose is pressed into the back of the person’s head right in front of you). On a signal, everyone sits down very carefully onto the lap of the person behind them. (The World Record Sitdown? 1,215.)Tennis Ball Ultimate How Many? 6 minimum / Space? Depends on the group size. From a vacant lot up to a soccer ] field / Ages? Have to be able to catch Ref? Nope LIKE BASKETBALL OR SOCCER, ULTIMATE IS HIGH- energy, non-stop. The idea is to advance a tennis ball down a field across an end line—but only by passing. You can never run or even move off a pivot foot with the ball in hand. The game is non-contact. If you have the ball, you’ve got ten seconds to get rid of it. The defense can get in your face, scream, holler, wave arms—but no touching. If a pass falls incomplete, it goes over to the other side. If it’s intercepted, it goes over. If someone holds onto the ball longer than 10 seconds, it goes over. Passes can go forward, sideways or backwards. Sockg Bonk How Many? 2 or more / Space? Indoors is fine Ages? Anything A TRULY GREAT INDOOR/OUTDOOR GAME FOR WHICH your equipment needs are as follows: A rolled-up sock. Everyone lays down on their backs—head to head. Somebody's got the rolled-up sock. Their goal? Bonk someone else on the nose with a soft, perfectly accurate little lob. If the toss is off the mark, the victim can catch it. If it’s not, if it’s a perfect nose-bonk, the victim has to let it go. Back and forth it goes, bonk to bonk. Body Parts Version: For those who like to keep score, eliminate catching and assign points to various body parts (as in... a lob that lands on the left leg = 8 points, one that lands on the right ear = 20 points... etc.)Tad in All Its Many Forms PLAIN VANILLA TAG YOU KNOW THE RULES ALREADY: Somebody's IT and the rest get chased é a and tagged. First tagged is the next IT. Unfortunately, Plain Vanilla Tag can turn into a teasing kind of game with the slowest kids always being IT. For new, improved models of Tag, check out some of these vari- ants. All of them need at least a front yard to run around in and work best with 4 players or more. POISON TAG SOMEONE IS CHOSEN AS IT. Everyone puts their hands on their chests (the IT person can use a hand to tag) and takes off. If the IT person tags you, no matter where they tag you, you have to put your hand there and now you're an IT too. Soon everyone is running around with their hands on weird parts of their bodies. Last person tagged is IT for the next round. FREEZE TAG . A PLAYER WHO IS TAGGED MUST IMMEDIATELY freeze and sit down. They can be unfrozen only if they ~ are touched by another free player. Tunnel Variation: Frozen types stay standing and can be unfrozen only if the unfreezing player crawls between their legs. (Works well for the under-6 crowd.) BLOB TAG A GREAT VARIATION, BUT IT NEEDS A REF AND A larger, birthday-party-sized group. Starts out the regular way, with one person as IT, but every person who gets tagged joins hands with the IT person, forming the “Blob.” As the Blob gets bigger, the field has to get small- er (hence the ref) until only one person is left loose, being chased by a Blob of five or six (or whatever).ty Fo Deadly Aim Catch How Many? 2 or more / Space? A yard or so Ages? 10 and up A GREAT WAY TO JAZZ UP A GAME OF BASIC CATCH. The idea is simple. Players lock themselves into position by nailing one foot to the ground (not literally, but you get the idea). Then the tosses go back and forth in the normal manner. a Any toss that forces the catcher y to move his or her nailed foot gives the catcher a point. Any toss that should have been caught, but wasn’t, gives the thrower a point. Deadly Aim Catch 11 FOR ADVANCED PLAYERS, MAKE EACH TOSS A SKY- high throw. Then, count the number of steps that the catcher has to make (if any) in order to make the grab. For each step, that’s a point for the catcher. Note that the thrower and catcher, if I they want, can be Ay standing right next to each other. If the catcher could have made the catch— but didn’t—L0 points for the thrower. If the throw was uncatchable—10 points for the catcher.SARDINES How Many? 5 is minimum, more the merrier Space? Inside is fine, or some kind of defined outside space with good hiding spots / Ages? Doesn't matter THIS IS THE REVERSE VERSION OF PLAIN VANILLA Hide and Seek. It’s a tried-and-true sleep-over special. One person goes off to hide, the rest stay behind. After a count of 100, everyone scatters to look. If you're one of the lookers, and if you find the hider, you have to squeeze into the same hiding spot and keep quiet. Ditto for the next one who finds the two of you...until every- one is squoze into the one spot, and only one looker is left looking. A great chance for the giggles. STATUES How Many? At least 4 Space? A fair-sized yard Ages? 3-7 / Ref? Nope A CLASSIC LITTLE GIRLS’ BIRTHDAY PARTY ACTIVITY. One player is the sculptor. She goes from player to play- er, taking each by the hand and spinning them on the lawn. As she spins, she asks “Coffee, tea, or milk?” If they say “coffee,” that means maximum speed; “tea” means medium; “milk” means slowest. When the spin- nee is flung loose, they have to freeze into some weird statue position. The sculptor then goes from statue to statue trying to make them laugh. No fair touching them, or yelling in their ear, Last one to hold out is the next sculptor.Capture the Flag How Many? At least 8 / Space? Something approaching a soccer field with well-defined boundaries / Ages? 5 and up / Ref? It helps IF YOU HAVE A BIG PLAYING SPACE, AND A FAIR- sized group of kids, and there’s an adult willing to settle disputes, Capture the Flag is a good choice. It’s very popular, although a little heavy on the rules. First step is to set up the side and end lines. Mark them with sweatshirts and such. Set-out a rectangular field with endzones and a dividing line in the middle. The “flags” (two more sweatshirts) go in the back of the endzones, one per. The teams form up and each occupy their half of the field. The object is to dash through the opposing team’s territory, steal their flag, and get it back across the mid- line without being tagged. If you’re tagged, or go out of bounds, you have to go to jail (another sweatshirt some- where near the endzone) and can’t be released unless one of your untagged teammates touches you. ABOUT THE ENDZONES: You can’t ever go into your own endzone. Your opponent can go in but only if he or she is there to steal your flag. No one is allowed to hang out in an endzone. You have to get the flag and go. COPS ant K046ers How Many? 5 is minimum, more the merrier / Space? Something complicated like a house + trees + shrubs + yard + dogs etc./ Ages? Doesn't matter / Ref? Nope A CLASSIC AFTER-SCOUT- meeting kind of game. Plays well at night. Needs an out- door space with lots of good hiding places. Two teams form and split up. The cop team has a jail (tree) and guards it. The robbers take off. Their goal is to ramble around and avoid capture. If they get tagged, they go to jail where they can be freed only by the touch of a free teammate. When all the robbers get caught, sides switch. llBombardment How Many? At least 6 / Space? A fair-sized yard or (ideally) a gym / Ages? Keep them similar. Not a good game to mix ages and abilities / Equipment? At least one soft, big playground ball / Ref? Almost a must THIS GAME HAS THE DISADVANTAGE OF NEEDING A ref. And the kids should all be, more or less, the same age. Nevertheless, it is big time popular with the rowdy crowd. After all, the whole game revolves around plunk- ing your opponent with a ball. Mark off some kind of pretty big space, draw a mid- line, and toss down a sweater somewhere to make the “jail.” Teams form and split up on either side and a ball is tossed onto one side or the other. No one is allowed to cross the midline ever. At the whistle, whoever has the ball tries to throw it across the line and plunk an opponent (remember, we said use a big, SOFT ball and no aiming for the head!). If no one is hit, play goes on. If someone is hit, that someone has to go to jail. If the throw is caught, two things happen: One, the thrower goes to jail; and two, if someone is languishing in jail from the catcher’s team, that person is freed. Sharks and vias 1s How Many? At least 6 / Space? A fair-sized yard / Ages? Anything goes / Ref? Not really A GOOD NO-REF-NEEDED GAME. SIMPLE RULES. The only disadvantage is that you need a good open space with defined sidelines and endlines (mark them with sweaters if you have to). Someone is picked to be the “shark.” He or she sets up in the middle of the field and can run anywhere inbounds (can’t cross an endline). All the other players (the “minnows”) gather behind one endline or the other. At a signal, the minnows dash through the field. If the shark tags them, they become a shark too. If they get through to the other line, they wait for the next go. Pretty soon, there are a lot of sharks in the middle and only a few minnows waiting behind an endline (this is a tough game on minnows). When the last minnow is caught, start over with a new shark.Six Great Relays ALL OF THESE RELAYS NEED A REF, IF ONLY TO BLOW the whistle, but they are each of them tried and tested true. Big time fun. BASEBALL BAT SPINNER YOUR GOAL? RUN TO THE HALFWAY line. Pick up a baseball bat that’s ra lying there, pin it between the io ground and your forehead and spin around it 10 times, keeping it vertical. Then wobble back to the finish. WETHEAD RELAY YOUR GOAL? CARRY A PAPER CUP OF WATER and run to the halfway line where your partner is lying on her back with a sport-drink bottle on her forehead (no hands allowed). You have to pour your cup of water into the bot- tle and go back for another cupful. When it's full, grab it and head for the finish. BALLOON RELAY ANOTHER RACE FOR PAIRS. THE two players must keep a balloon in the air, batting it back and forth, as they run to the finish. You can play with no hands for additional challenge.BACH BA IL. IL. THIS RELAY IS RUN IN PAIRS. A BALL (or sweater) is stuck between the backs of two players. No hands. They have to “run” that way with- out dropping—or back to the start they go. WATER BALLOON PROBABLY THE BEST RELAY TOSS ever invented. Players form two lines one step apart. Your partner is the per- son standing directly in front of you. On the first round, toss a water bal- loon to your partner. If it’s j : caught and doesn’t break—or if it hits the ground and doesn’t break— 3 then each of you has to back up one step and try again. A broken balloon means you’re out. Winning team is the last one with an intact balloon. ICE RELAW THIS IS THE ONLY NON-RUNNING relay here. You'll need a tray of ice cubes. Players form into pairs and take an ice cube. Their goal? Melt it. Rules? No putting into mouths and no breaking it up. Other than that, anything goes.All the Rules! All the } Classics! © Capture the Flag e Cops and Robbers © Sharks and minnows Goa Kinds of Tag © Sardines (3: Statues 9 ® Tennis Ball Ultimate e Six Relays @ Bombardment e Sock Bonk o> ®° Sweater Grab e And Lots More! Free catalogue available. www.klutz.com ao cnan aremngengen slips ul 5 042398 KLUTZ.,., I wi Inc., Palo Alto, CA. U.S. Patent No. 5,063,637 ISBN 1-57054-071-3 455 Portage Avenue peel off Palo Alto, CA 94306 ©1997 Printed in U.S.A. Photographs by Peter Fox Manufactured and sold un Pir8’s 4 Kids e from 9