Field day is one of the most exciting days of the year for students, teachers, and parents alike! Whether you are helping to plan one at the end of the school year or as a treat for the kids in the middle of the year, you will want to set up some fun games to get the kids laughing and enjoying themselves! The best field day games will bring together all of the children, help them make some awesome memories, and maybe even make new friends. These games will surely tire out the kids while still leaving them wanting more. With these classic kid’s games, your field day will go down as one of the best days ever!
Here are the 10 best games to organize and play for a kid’s field day.
SCAVENGER HUNT
Who doesn’t love a good, old scavenger hunt? This fun kid’s field day game is a great way to get the party started and lift up the energies before you dive into more physical games. Test the children’s problem-solving skills and offer a prize to the winner!
WHAT YOU NEED
- Designated area for the hunt
- 5-10 objects
- Paper
- Prize
- Tape
- Scissors
- Pen
HOW TO PLAY
Before the game begins, the organizer must hide all of the items, write clues, and scatter them around the designated area for the hunt. Try to be age-appropriate with the hints but make them fun and creative as well!
Once everything is scattered and hidden, give each team of children one clue to start them off. This clue may lead to an object or another clue. The teams must solve all the clues until they have found all the objects! The team that finds all of the objects first is the winner! Give a prize to the winning team.
THREE-LEGGED RACE
The three-legged race is a classic kid’s field day game that will bring out the competitive side of all of the children participating! This race will also bring out the social side of the children as they are quite literally stuck to another player.
WHAT YOU NEED
- Band, string, ribbon, or velcro
HOW TO PLAY
Set up a start and finish line on a field. All the children must line up behind the start line and divide into pairs. When the pairs are decided, tie the right leg of one child and the left leg of the other child together using a band, string, ribbon, or velcro. In doing so, the teams of two will have to run with three legs, using the two middle legs as one leg.
At the signal, the pairs must race to the finish line, using coordination and communication to run to the end the fastest. The fastest pair wins the game!
TUG OF WAR
Who hasn’t played the fun and competitive game of Tug Of War as a child? Bring back this classic game and tire out the children by having them pull on a rope with all their might to win the game.
WHAT YOU NEED
- Rope
- Red tape
HOW TO PLAY
Put a bit of red tape in the middle of a long rope. Divide the group of children into two teams with equal numbers. Each team picks up either end of the rope. A referee stands by the middle of the rope where the red tape is.
At the signal, the two teams must try to pull the rope with all of their strength to try to get the red tape over to their side past the center point (the referee). When the rope crosses over to one team’s side, the referee stops the game. The team that manages to pull the rope past the center point wins!
WHEELBARROW RACE
Wheelbarrow race is another well-known game that is played at parties, at family gatherings, and, of course, at kid’s field days! This race will surely get the children huffing and puffing while laughing at the sheer absurdity of the game.
WHAT YOU NEED
- None! Just a designated area for the game.
HOW TO PLAY
First, designate a start line and a finish line. Then, divide the children into pairs and put them at the start line to get started. Each pair must decide who will be the driver and who will be the wheelbarrow. The wheelbarrow puts their hands on the ground and the driver must pick up the wheelbarrow’s legs and hold them. To move to the finish line, the pair must coordinate and move by using the wheelbarrow’s hands while the driver holds the legs and drives.
At the signal, the pairs must race to the finish line in this formation. The pair that gets to the finish line first wins the race.
EGG AND SPOON RELAY RACE
Test the children’s ability to run fast while holding a delicate object with the egg and spoon race! This game is everything you want in a fun field day game: exciting and frustrating in the best way possible. The look of concentration on the children’s faces will be amusing to watch, even as bystanders.
WHAT YOU NEED
- Eggs
- Spoons
- Chair
HOW TO PLAY
Divide the group into two teams and give each child a spoon and an egg to put on top of it. Designate a start line and a turnaround point (which can be designated with a chair), and have all the children line up behind the start line. As this is a relay race, each team must line up behind the start line, ready to go when the previous player comes back to the start line.
At the signal, the first two players from each team must carry their eggs on the spoon to the turnaround point and back. When they make it back to the start line, the second player from each team must do the same. If the egg falls off a spoon at any point, the player must put it back onto their spoon before they can continue the relay race.
The team that completes the relay first wins!
LIMBO
A game of limbo is a fun and simple way to keep children entertained on a field day. This game tests the children’s flexibility and agility. Make sure to blast some music in the background to make this game even more fun and enjoyable!
WHAT YOU NEED
- Long stick or rope
HOW TO PLAY
Designate two adults or two children to hold a long stick or rope between them. Try to get a stick that is at least 7 feet (or 2 meters) long. They must hold the stick at a certain height so players will have to bend over slightly to pass the stick.
The objective of the game is to pass under the stick without crouching, touching the stick, or falling. Players must bend over backward to pass under the stick.
Line the children up and have each of them try to pass the stick. Anyone who touches the stick, crouches, or falls and touches the ground is out. After the first round, the stick must be lowered. Keep lowering the stick after each round and as more players are out.
The last player remaining wins the game!
HULA HOOP COMPETITION
A hula hoop competition is as simple as it sounds: it’s a competition to see who can hula hoop the longest. Get a prize ready for this competition if you really want things to get competitive. Then turn on some music, and get started! This field day game can even be played alongside adults.
WHAT YOU NEED
- Hula hoops
- Prize
HOW TO PLAY
Give each player a hula hoop and put everyone in a large designated area where a referee can see each player. Put on some fun music and blow a whistle to get the competition started!
All players must hula hoop for as long as possible. There are no limits on where on the body each player can hula hoop – it can be an arm, a leg, or the classic waist. However, the moment a hula hoop touches the ground, that player is out. Continue playing until there is one player left. The last player standing is the winner!
100 YARD DASH
For the runners out there, the 100 yard dash will be a fun game to show off their skills and speed. This simple game will surely have all hearts beating hard by the end of the race. Even for those non-runners, since it’s only 100 yards, it’ll be a quick game that is sure to expel some energy!
WHAT YOU NEED
- Tape measure
HOW TO PLAY
Measure out 100 yards on the field and mark the start and finish lines. Have all players line up before the start line, and at the signal, all players must run to the finish line as fast as they can! The player that crosses the finish line first wins the race.
FREEZE TAG
Freeze tag is a field day classic that all children will love to play. A spin on the traditional game of tag, this game is sure to get the kids screaming in laughter and excitement as they run around the field, getting tagged, untagged, and more!
WHAT YOU NEED
- Designated area for the game
HOW TO PLAY
Depending on how many players there are, designate 1-3 children as “it”. When the game starts, the players that are “it” must chase the other players in order to tag them. When they tag a player, they must yell: “Freeze!” The tagged player must then freeze in place.
The other players must try to dodge and run away from the players that are “it” to avoid getting tagged and frozen. They can also run around the un-freeze the frozen players by tagging them and saying, “Unfreeze!”
The game ends if the “it” players manage to freeze everyone or when a designated time has passed.
SACK RACE
Organize a sack race to bring some goofiness to the kid’s field day game. This game is fun and exciting, and not to mention hilarious to watch the players jump to the finish line in a giant sack or pillowcase!
WHAT YOU NEED
- Sacks or pillowcases
HOW TO PLAY
Designate start and finish lines before you begin the game. Line up all the children before the start line. Each child must hop into a sack with both feet inside. They must hold onto the sack with at least one hand at all times.
At the start signal, the children must hop to the finish line in their sacks. The first player to pass the finish line wins the race!
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