Suggested Family Activity • Outdoor 🏃♀️ 🏁 🏃♂️ Fun
If you’re looking for some fun ideas to get your family outside and moving around this weekend, check out some of these great classic activities:
Remember sack races? Introduce your children to the fun, but challenging, game by marking off a start and finish line 🏁 outside. Traditionally, burlap sacks have been used but you can substitute large pillowcases for small children or sleeping bags for adults and older kids. Another classic field day and family reunion game is the two-legged race, where you tie together the right leg of one person to the left leg of the second person and see if they can make it to the finish line without falling over.
Yet another classic outdoor game to try this weekend is hopscotch, which can be played by one person or several. An adult will need to draw the hopscotch pattern on a porch, patio, or sidewalk with chalk using the following pattern: Squares 1, 2, and 3 are stacked on top of each other. Squares 4 and 5 are drawn next to each other. Then squares 5, and 6 are stacked on top of each other. The pattern ends with squares 7 and 8 next to each other in a double pattern and single squares for 9 and 10. There are many ways to play hopscotch, depending on how many people are playing. The following is just one version:
The first person throws a small stone or other small place marker into the first square. They then try to hop on one foot into the first empty square (#2), and then every subsequent empty square, skipping the square that the marker is on. At the pairs (4-5 and 7-8), they jump with both feet. When they reach square 10, they hop with both feet, turn around, and head back toward the starting point (#1). When they reach the square with the place marker again, they pick up the marker, while on one foot, and go back through the numbers again. If they can finish without any mistakes, they pass the marker to the next player for them to try. If they are playing by themselves, they start the process over by placing the marker on square 2. And on and on … If anyone falls, jumps outside the lines, or misses a square or the marker, their turn is over and they must repeat the same number on their next turn. Whichever player gets through the whole course with the marker at square 10, wins.
