Hoorah! The playgrounds are open again! No doubt your kids are excited to get out the house and play, but remember that some may be a bit apprehensive about getting closer to their friends and touching unclean surfaces. So, to help everyone have fun from a distance, why not try a good old-fashioned playground game for children?
These six social distancing playground games are easy to play and need little equipment, so let’s start playing and having fun from a distance…
It’s fair to say all children have had a weird few months. There’s been no school, no seeing their friends, no learning as they normally would. Having anxious feelings and being uncertain is only natural.
Now that parks are open again and some kids are back at school, they may be starting to feel somewhat normal. But if they’re still anxious, then these six playground games will give them the distance they need to feel safe, and allow them to play with their friends as they used to – it’s the best of both worlds.
Social distancing playground games for all ages
#1 Simon says
This one is an oldie but a goodie. It’s a playground game where playing copycat is allowed, but only under the right circumstances. So, grab your kid and three or more of their friends and start playing.
How to play:
First, assign someone to be ‘Simon’, then spread out, social distancing style. Once in place, ‘Simon’ can tell everyone who is playing what to do, and as long as the order starts with “Simon says…”, they have to do it.
For example:
“Simon says…pat your head” or “Simon says…do five star jumps”
Anyone who doesn’t follow the “Simon Says…” order, is out! But ‘Simon’ can also ask everyone do to something without the special phrase. When that happens, they’re not supposed to do it. If they do, you’re out! Last player standing wins.
#2 Egg and spoon races (BYOSE)
This is typically a game for sports day at school, but egg and spoon races have been around since Queen Victoria’s time! The beauty of it is it’s a singular race – so they kids can be as spaced out as they like. Just bring your own spoons and eggs (BYOSE) to avoid potential contamination.
How to play:
Everyone needs an egg and a spoon (hardboiled or plastic please, and none glued down) and you need to decide a track. The idea is to complete the race without dropping the egg off the spoon, so it’s all about balance, concentration and hand-eye coordination. They can do it in teams if they feel comfortable enough, but playing individually is fine as well.
#3 Storytelling
Getting together with your child’s friends doesn’t have to be all go, go, go – it can be calm, relaxing and sociable in other ways. Some playgrounds come with storytelling corners or chairs which are perfect for gathering around with other parents and children to read a book together. You don’t have to sit overly close to each other and you can all enjoy an adventure together.
Top tip: why not talk to the parents and ask them all bring the same book to the park? Then you can all take turns reading.
#4 Hula hoop-a-thon
This one also requires a little bit of preparation. It’s not a game so much as a competition as to who can hula hoop the longest? Get your kid’s friends to bring their hula hoops to the park and get your fellow parents to time them as they hula hoop for the win!
If they don’t all have hula hoops, they can swap it for a football and do keepy-uppys instead.
#5 Red light, green light
Back to the active games, ‘Red light, green light’ is all about awareness, listening and observation. It’s a straightforward game but can be played spread out – they’ll only be limited by how loud they can shout and how far they can see. The aim is to get to the finish line first, but they’re not allowed to run.
How to play:
First, you need to set a start and finish line and ask all the kids to line up. Then when you say “Green light” they can move towards to finish line. When you say, “Red light”, they have to stop. If they carry on moving, they have to go all the way to the starting line again. First one to cross the finish line wins!
You can change it up by adding in other coloured lights too. For example:
Yellow light can mean they have to hop, or Blue light means they have to tiptoe.
It’s a really fun game that can help them develop important listening skills and burn off some energy with their friends from a distance.
#6 Noodle tag
Last but not least, this game is potentially the closest to normal. To play this at the park you’ll need a pool noodle that’s at least 1.5m long and some kids ready to burn some energy.
The rules are the same as the normal tag, you ‘tag’ someone and they’re it, but they’re not allowed to touch each other unless it’s with the noodle. It might be an idea to have some sort of time-out for when they do touch each other without the noodle – as a teaching moment about personal space.
We hope these six social distancing playground games have inspired you to get your children out and about again in a safe manner. If you want more options, you can find loads here. But in summary, playing outside at the park doesn’t need to be a cause for concern, give everyone space, be ready with the disinfectant wipes and encourage your kids to have fun with their friends for (potentially) the first time in months.
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