Nature games for Summer

To those sweltering in the north Indian heat, this may not sound like a great idea, but the fact is Summer is a great time to have some outdoor fun with kids. Especially when you’ve organized a play date and are saddled with taking care of more children than you are used to handling Just ensure that you avoid the peak sun hours, and you can easily do that, because the extremely long days give you ample time in the day to find an hour to step out. Do it early in the morning, or even between 6 and 7 after you’re back from work, you’ll have enough light to make the most of the day! 

We’ve put together a list of 4 interesting summer outdoor games to play in the park with your kids and their friends.

1.Red Rover (ideal for 5+ year olds)

• Divide the players into two teams with a leader for each team. Each team stands in two parallel lines opposite each other and holds hands with other team members. 
• The leader of one team picks a player from the opposite team to play on their side by calling “red rover, red rover, let [player’s name] come over!”. 
• The person who has been called then runs at the opposite team and tries to pass himself through the chain.
• If s/he fails to break the chain and cross over, s/he joins that chain, and the turn passes to the other side.
• This game ends when one team has almost all the players on its side. To keep things under control, you can also set a time limit, and whoever has more players in their chain wins at the cut off time, wins.

This summer fun game can bring a whole lot of kids together.

2. Duck  Goose (ideal for 4-7 year olds)

• Have all the kids sit in a circle facing each other.
• Someone is chosen to be “It” and has to stand up and walk around the outside of the circle tapping each child on the head and call them ‘Duck’.
• Suddenly the caller chooses a child and says ‘Goose’. Now the ‘Goose’ has to jump up and chase the caller around the circle and tag him / her before sitting down in the Goose’s place. If the ‘Goose’ manages to tag the caller, the first child has another go. If he / she fails they becomes the caller or ‘It’.

Isn’t this summer fun game interesting?

3. Hunter and Guard (ideal for 4 – 8 year olds)

• This summer game requires around 6 people. Pick one player to be the Hunter while another takes on the role of Guard. The remaining children are going to play the role of Animals.
• Make a circle 10 feet in diameter on the ground, this will be the pen for the animals. The circle can be marked using stones, sticks, chalk or anything else you can find.  
• The Guard should stand in the pen during the game while the animals run around the play area to escape the Hunter. If the Hunter catches an animal, they must enter the pen. No escaping is allowed from the pen.
• However, once you have been caught and are being take to the pen, if another animal touches you, you are free. But if during the process the hunter touches the animal trying to free the captured one, the 2nd animal too has to go in the pen.
• The Guard can also reach out at any time and capture animals that come too close to the pen area. This game is best played with a time limit.
• In a nutshell, the kids need to be quick on their feet and think fast to escape both the Hunter and the Guard… and stay safe!

Getting your kids out, and close to nature in summers is a great way of reducing the time they spend on the TV or iPad. It makes them resilient, and cuts down on your AC bill! It also fosters a greater connection between them and the environment.

Have any other nature games for summers? Share them with us