Outdoor games for older kids

In today's high-tech world, filled with computer games and on-demand TV, it can be hard to prise older children away from the screen and get them out in the open air.

If you're looking for some ideas to make a trip the park a little more appealing it's time to reacquaint yourself with some good old-fashioned outdoor games which older kids will love playing.

Most of these games are suitable for children of about 7 years upwards, who will understand the concept of team sports and will have the co-ordination and concentration to play for an adequate amount of time; there are also team games and independent games. Most require nothing more than a bat and a ball, though for boules you may need to purchase the necessary equipment. Not all of the games are exclusively for summer, either, so any time the weather's fine switch the box off, gather a group of your child's friends and have laugh together!

• Rounders
• Dodge Ball
• Sardines
• French Cricket
• Tag/Shadow Tag
• Boules
• 500
• Blanket Ball
• Water Fights

Rounders

Rounders is a great game for mixed ages and abilities. Bring a suitable bat and ball and make up two teams - you need at least six players per team. Create a 'pitch' made up of a hitting area, where the batsman stands, 1st post, 2nd post, 3rd post and 4th post (which should be at a carefully judged distance apart - think how far each child will be able to comfortably run), and opposite the hitting area you'll need a pitching area where the bowler will throw the ball from.

The batting team lines up by the hitting area while the other team chooses a bowler and you need to have a person standing on each post, as well as fielders around the pitch. The fielders have to try and catch you out by throwing the ball to the person on the post to which the batsman is trying to run to. If the batsman reaches the post before the ball they are 'safe'. The idea is to try and run all the way around the pitch, past all four posts, before the ball is thrown back to the post or the bowler. If so, you win a rounder.

If the batsman reaches a post before the ball is thrown to the person on that post, they are safe and stay there while the bowler prepares to throw the ball to the next batsman in the line. Then the original batsman has to run on to the next posts before the ball is thrown back. The batsman is 'out' if the ball is caught by the person on the post they are trying to run to first.

The winning team is the team which wins the most rounders at the end of the game.

Dodge Ball

Divide the kids into two teams. Using a small soft ball, one of the children has to try and throw the ball below the waist of a member of the opposite team. You can throw the ball to one of your own team in the ordinary way. If someone hits a rival team member below the waist they are out. The team with the last remaining person wins.

Sardines

A twist on hide and seek, this game is great fun and can be played indoors if necessary. Children younger than 7 can also play. One person hides and then the rest of the group splits up and tries to find the person hiding. If you find that person, you have to hide with them. When someone else finds the two 'hiders' they must also hide with them, and so on and so on. The aim is to get as many people hiding as possible, with just a couple of people left.

French Cricket

Take a cricket bat or tennis racket and ball along to the park with you. All the players stand in a circle - upwards of 4 children can play (but it's best to keep numbers down to about 8 in total). Someone is chosen to bat first and they stand with their feet together, defending the 'stumps', which in French cricket are the batsman's legs below the knees. The players in the circle now take turns to bowl at the 'stumps' and the batsman must hit the ball away. The bowler can use trickery and cunning to distract the batsman - that's part of the fun of the game!

If the batsman's legs are hit he is out. He is also out if he moves his feet at any time from their original position - the fun of the game is watching the batsman twist his torso to defend his legs! Furthermore, if the bowler or any of the fielders around the circle catch the ball the batsman has hit before it hits the ground he will also be out. Everyone has a go at bowling until the batsman is out - the bowler then takes the batsman's place. There is no real aim to the game. You can allot the person who seems impossible to 'stump' as the winner, but make sure everyone has a go at batting.

Tag/Shadow Tag

Games don't come much more simple than tag! A great one for using up excess energy, in standard tag you simply get on child to be 'it' and then they must run around the group trying to 'tag' the others. Whoever is then tagged is 'it'. For a variation on the theme, try shadow tag, where players don't touch the other player's bodies, but touch their shadow by jumping on it. This one only works, obviously, on a nice sunny day!

Boules

If your children have ever holidayed in France they'll have been fascinated by all those people playing boules in the village square. If you don't have a boules set you can easily buy one, either the traditional chrome-steel ones or plastic sets. Try Amazon for reasonably-priced sets. You'll obviously need somewhere relatively flat to play. You can play with two teams of one, two or three players on each side. With teams of one or two, each player has three boules; with teams of three each player has two boules. Mark a place where each player will stand to throw their boules and then choose a player to throw the 'cochonnet' (or jack) from the spot in any direction.

The first player then throws their boule, trying to get as close to possible to the jack. Players must stay close to the mark when throwing their boule. A player from the other team then has a go, trying to get their boule closer to the jack than the previous player, or knocking the opponent's ball out of the way. The boule closest to the jack is the 'holding point'. The team not holding takes their turn until they place a ball closer to the jack. When a team has no more balls left the other team takes over.

The game is over when both teams have no more boules left. The winning team is the one which has most balls closest to the jack.

500

A really simple game, great for larger numbers of children. Get everyone to spread out in a large area and then choose one player to stand at the front of the group with a racket and ball. This player must then hit the ball into the air. As the ball begins its descent shout out how many points the ball is worth. Whoever catches the ball wins those points. You lose however many points you've collected if you then try and catch the ball but then drop it! Make sure the ball isn't hit too high or far away so the other players have a realistic chance of catching it.

Blanket Ball

You'll need two travel rugs (or coats will do) and a ball. Separate into two teams and make a ‘base' at each end of a field by putting the travel blanket or coats on the ground. Put the ball in the middle of the field. The aim is to get the ball onto the other team's blanket. The rules are very simple: you can run with the ball and pass, throw or kick it; you must drop the ball as soon as you are tagged, and also if you find you can't move forwards anymore. Having scored a goal each team returns to their base and the team that lost the point starts with the ball.

Water Fights

Make sure your windows and doors are all closed and let them loose with water pistols, buckets and hoses. Great on a hot day as they can drip dry without dripping all over the house. Battles can last all day!