Fun Group Picnic Games

For some reason right now when I’m thinking of playing outside with children water automatically comes to mind. It could be the heat. Then again..yep, it’s the heat.

Here are some ideas for fun group picnic games. Invite some friends to a shelter house at a local park. Ask everyone to come for a potluck lunch. Make sure you are near a playground, large field area, and most important on a hot summer day, by a water spicket. While the children are playing on the playground the adults can be filling water balloons, preparing for the games, and getting the meat grilled. Let the fun begin!

Game #1: Wheel Barrel Race
This first game is the wheel barrel race. There are 2 teams of 6 men. Cones are lined up at the opposite end of the field. At "go!" four young children were placed in the wheel barrel and a guy raced down the field with children, around the cone, and back to his team and unloads his four children. The next guy in line grabs the wheel barrel loads another four children and off he goes. The guys had it perfected the first time. "Unload children", "Load children", Go! The team that finished with their four children wheel barrel runs in the fasted time won.

Game #2: Board Pull
Another game is like musical chairs. Ten wooden boards are placed on one side of a field and ten boards are placed on the other. The boards are large enough to stand on so you can have 20 people playing. One person is assigned behind the line of boards on each side of the field. When someone yells go you have to run from your side of the field and try to stand on a board on the opposite side of the field. The person behind the boards pulls one board away for each time you run across until there is only 1 board standing on each side. The two people left are the winners.

Game #3: Capture the Flag
Read this article for good instructions on how to play Capture the Flag.Game #4: Capture the Flag-Water Style Capture the Flag Water style is great fun! You have the two teams as normal on the field. Behind the flags on each side you position two more teams. These are the water balloon teams. Each of the water teams has a balloon launcher and their goal was to hit a player on the field with a balloon. So you have to watch for those strategic aims as well as tags by the opposite team.

Game #5: Water Softball
This is a version of water softball for the young children. First base is a bucket of water you have to stand in. Second base is a chair with a water balloon you have to sit on and pop. Third base is a swimming pool you sit in. The slide into home base is a well watered heavy duty plastic tarp doubling as a slip in slide. This game creates great excitement in children as they run from one base to another!

So invite a bunch of friends and family, head out to a park and have a great day. The children will love the games, you should too!

From Jennifer Allen