Outdoor Games
Captain, May I?
(three or more players)
The first player to cross the line wins and becomes the next Captain.
What’s a giant step? How about a banana slip, a scissors, or an
umbrella? These are only a few of the steps you can take while playing
Captain, May I?
One player is chosen as Captain. The Captain draws a line and faces the
other players, who line up on the far side of the yard. The Captain
starts the game by calling out a player’s name. The Captain tells the
player the kind of step to take and how many. He may say, “Susan, you
may take two giant steps.”
Before the player moves, he or she must ask, “Captain, may I?” The
Captain then replies, “Yes, you may,” or “No, you may not.” If the
player moves without asking permission, he or she must go back and start
over again.
baby step: Move forward the length of one foot.
backward step: Turn around and take a step backward.
banana slip: Slide one foot forward as far as possible, then draw
the other foot up to it.barrel step: Leap up and spin around, moving forward at the same
time.bunny rabbit: Hop with both feet together.
frog jump: Jump from a crouching position.
giant step: Take as large a step as possible.
soldier step: Step forward with your legs stiff.
scissors step: Jump forward and land with feet apart; take a second
jump and land with feet together.
umbrella step: Twirl around on one foot with arms stretched out. As
you complete the turn, step forward with your other foot.
Statues
(three or more players)
Draw a line on the ground or pavement. Draw another line some distance
away. The players stand on one line. Whoever is “It” stands on the other
line. The idea of the game is to see which player can reach the other
side first.
The player who is “It” turns his back and counts aloud to ten. As he
counts, the other players walk or run toward him. At the count of ten,
“It” whirls around. The others stop and freeze into statues. Any player
caugnt moving must go back to the starting line. The one who is “It” can
count as slowly or as fast as he wants. He can also start to count
slowly and then speed up, or start to count quickly and then slow down.
This goes on until one player crosses the line and wins the game. The
winner is now “It” and the game starts again.
Duck, Duck, Goose
(ten or more players)
In this chasing game, the player who is “It” is the Goose. The other
players are Ducks. They squat in a circle.
To start the game, Goose walks around the outside of the circle,
touching each player on the head. Each time Goose touches a player,
Goose says, “Duck.” But if Goose touches a player’s head and says
“Goose,” the fun begins.
That player jumps up and chases Goose around the circle. If Goose
reaches the player\’s place before being tagged, the player becomes the
next Goose. But if Goose is tagged, Goose is “It” again.
Tom Tiddler’s Ground
(five or more players)
Draw a straight line or a large circle on the ground. The player who is
Tom Tiddler stands on one side of the line or inside the circle. The
other players stand on the other side of the line or outside the circle.
The players tease Tom by crossing over the line or into the circle. They
add to the teasing by chanting:
I’m on Tom Tiddler’s ground, Picking up gold and silver!
Then they run back to safety before Tom tags them. If tagged, that
player becomes Tom Tiddler and the game continues.
Fox and Geese
(ten or more players)
Choose one player to be the Fox and another to be the Gander. The other
players become the Geese.
To start the game, the Geese line up behind the Gander. The first Goose
places his hands on the shoulders of the Gander. The other Geese place
their hands on the shoulders of the players in front of them. The Gander
tries to keep the last player in line from being caught by the Fox.
The Fox tries to tag the last Goose. To keep the Fox from doing this,
the Gander runs, dodges, twists, and turns. The Geese follow the Gander,
keeping their hands on the shoulders of the players in front of them.
But they can also twist and turn to help the Gander protect the end
player from being tagged by the Fox.
When the Fox tags the last Goose, that player becomes the Fox and the
Fox becomes the Gander. The game is usually played until every Goose
gets a chance to be both Fox and Gander.
