Activity 1: Hide and Go Seek (Ages 5-8)

Number of participants: At least two, but a large group makes for a fun and joyous game.

Length of time: About 20 minutes for each round.

What players will need: A space with plenty of safe places to hide.

Background: If there were such a thing as a basic game for children to pick up and enjoy, Hide and Seek would top the list.

Rules of the game: This game starts exactly the same way many others do. One person volunteers to be 'it'. This person chooses a spot to be their home base. This might be a tree, the side of a building, or anything large and stationary.

Play begins when the child who is 'it' closes their eyes, they wait at the base, and counts to 20. While the child who is 'it' counts, the other players creep off and discover interesting places to hide. When the child who is 'it' finishes counting, they call, "Ready or not, here I come!" They open their eyes, study the area, and seek out to find the other children. Their hunt continues until someone laughs or moves and alerts 'it' to their location. Once 'it' spots this person, it becomes an action packed race to the base. If the child who is 'it' tags the player before they get to the base, then the player is out. If they reach the base before they are captured, they are safe. Then 'it' goes back out into the playing field to catch the rest of the children.

Since the players' objective is to make it back to the base without getting tagged by the child who is 'it', they can run for base at anytime that they wish. The person tagged first or last is 'it' for the next round.

Activity 2: Conked Out Car Race (Ages 4-6)

Number of participants: Two to five

Length of time: At least 20 minutes

What players will need: A large open area, such as a backyard or a field, and plenty of imagination.

Rules of the game: In the conked out car race, each team runs three continuous races. In each race they will pretend that they are part of a car with a problem, such as a jammed horn that's making lots of noise or windshield wipers that won't stop moving. The children run the race performing what is broken. For example, the car might be jammed in reverse, the children will run backwards. Before each race begins, tell the runners what problems their car will have!

Choose a starting point and a turnaround line that are about 10-15 metres apart and then divide the children into two teams. Each team lines up in a single file behind the leader. Start the race! One by one the children run to the turnaround line and back again to tag the next person in their team while pretending to be the car with the problem. After all the children on each team have finished, do the same thing again but with a different problem.

Activity 3: Cat and Mouse (Ages 5-8)

Number of participants: Eight or more.

Length of time: About 10 minutes.

What players will need: A big, open space that's safe to run around in.

Rules of the game: To start, have all the children except for two make a circle and join hands. For the two who are left, one is the cat and the other is the mouse. The mouse can go inside the circle, but the cat must keep his feet outside. He can, nevertheless, try to reach into the circle and tag the mouse.

The game starts with the mouse hurrying out of the circle and attempting to avoid the cat, whose main goal is to capture the mouse. The mouse can cut across the circle on his pursuit for shelter, but can't stay in there for more than 10 seconds. The players in the circle can help the mouse by lifting their arms for him to go in and trying to block the cat from reaching in.

Once the cat catches the mouse, the mouse becomes the cat, the cat joins the circle, and the group picks a new mouse.

Activity 4: Cops and Robbers (Ages 6-8)

Number of participants: Six or more, but there must be an even number of players.

Length of time: For as long as your children can handle it for.

What players will need: A large area with plenty of safe hiding places and a place to use as home base.

Background: Cops and Robbers is a variation of Hide and Go Seek (Activity 1). In this game, the cops go up against the robbers and then they get to switch roles.

Rules of the game: Divide the children into two even teams (the Cops and the Robbers) and select a home base. Trees and porches are always good home bases. The Cops stand at the base, close their eyes, and count to 50. They then start hunting for the robbers. When they find one, they say "I see you!" or tag them, and they go to jail (in this case, home base) and wait. If another Robber is feeling heroic, he can attempt a jailbreak by running to the jail and tagging it without being tagged by the Cops. The robbers are then released and sit out for the rest of the round.

When the last Robber is captured, the Cops count the prisoners, and the teams switch roles. The second round is played just like the first. The team that captures the most robbers at the end of the game is the winner.

Activity 5: Dodge Ball (Ages 6-8)

Number of participants: At least ten (make sure each team has an even number of participants)!

Length of time: About 15 minutes.

What players will need: A large soft rubber ball and a space for play.

Background: Dodge Ball is a lasting favourite. Dodge Ball is popular because children get to show off their skills by avoiding the flying ball and knocking their opponents out of the game every chance they get.

Rules of the game: This game requires boundary lines, so use a basketball court that has lines around the outside and down the middle, or draw your own with chalk. Divide children into two teams, one on each side of the line. The game begins when one player throws the ball at someone on the opposite team. If the player is hit with the ball, they are out of the game. Another player on his team will pick up the ball and try to hit someone with it. If the intended victim catches the ball, the thrower is out and the catcher throws the ball at the "enemy". If the ball bounces without touching anyone, then no one is out and the receiving team gets the ball. Any player, who steps over any of the boundary lines, including the center line, is out. The game ends when all of the players on one team are sitting on the sidelines.

Because the ball is thrown at fast speeds sometimes, it is a good idea for an adult to supervise the game to make sure it doesn't get out of hand. I good rule to make is you must aim for the children's legs! Anything above the waist does not count.

Activity 6: Spotlight Tag (Ages 6-8)

Number of participants: Four or more.

Length of time: As long as the children are interested.

What players will need: It needs to be dark. They need a flashlight and a backyard or other safe, enclosed space.

Rules of the Game: Spotlight Tag is a night-time version of the tag game. In this version, players spread out and try to hide from one person chosen to be the tagger. The only difference between spotlight tag and normal tag is that in Flashlight Tag, the tagger doesn't do their tagging with their hands. They do it with a flashlight. When the light shines on another child, they are out.

Activity 7: Water Follow the Leader (Ages 5-8)

Number of participants: Three or more.

Length of time: About 20 minutes.

What players will need: A pool, a shallow lake or the ocean and a slight imagination!

Rules of the game: Start by picking one child to be the leader. Who you pick is not important because everyone will have a chance to be the leader before the game is complete. Line up everyone behind the leader, who goes around the water while performing lots of inventive actions. The other children copy the leader. When the leader blows bubbles, they blow bubbles. When the leader stands on her hands, they stand on their hands.

After 3-4 minutes the leader goes to the end of the line and the next player becomes the new leader. The game is over when everyone has been the leader.

No one wins or loses in this game, but everyone has great fun!

Activity 8: Fisherman (Ages 5-8)

Number of participants: Five or more depending on the size of your pool.

Length of time: Anywhere from 30 minutes to an hour or more.

What players will need: A pool or a safe and shallow lake or river.

Rules of the game: In Fisherman, players try to stay away from becoming a shark as they scramble across the pool.

First, choose one player to be the shark. They go to the middle of the pool while the fisherman line up on the side. When the shark calls, the fisherman must get to the other side of the pool without being tagged. If the shark gets them, they become sharks and try to capture more fishermen together.

The game continues this way until all the fishermen have become sharks. The last one captured becomes the shark for the next round. There are no winners and losers in fisherman, because all the children are on the same team at the end. End the game when the children get bored of playing.

Activity 9: Treasure Hunt (Ages 7-10)

Number of participants: At least four.

What players will need: At least 14 objects that can be easily hidden, two bags, pen and paper, and a good reading ability.

Length of time: One-two hours.

Rules of the game: Everybody loves a treasure hunt! This game is a great time for parents to join in and play with their children, and it's effortlessly played indoors as well as out. Before the game, select about 12-14 objects that will be easy to hide. Objects we suggest using include a toy animal, a postcard, a wrench, a toy car, a hat, rocks, bottle caps, a map and shoes. Divide the objects into two groups, and list each group on a piece of paper. Then hide all the items.

To play, children divide into two teams. Give each team a bag and a list of hidden objects. Each time the children find an item, they dump it in the bag and cross it off their list. The first team to finish the list, or the team that finds the most items in a set amount of time, wins.

Activity 10: Simon Says (Ages 3-6)

Number of participants: Three or more players, but the larger the group the more fun the game is.

What players will need: Plenty of space to jump, twirl, and be active.

Length of time: Between 45 minutes depending on the age of your children and their enjoyment, as with all of these activities only play them if the children are enjoying them. It is essential we make activity fun for our children!

Rules of the game: Choose one child to be Simon. Children love it if you play with them. It is a good idea for an adult to be Simon to keep the children interested. Make it exciting and funny. Spread the children out so they have enough room to be able to move without hitting one another. A good rule is if they can hold their arms straight out to their sides and twist without hitting anyone, they're far enough apart. Simon should stand facing the group.

Simon will give the group directions such as "touch your toes" or "turn around". If Simon is said before the command with the phrase "Simon says" (for example, 'Simon says touch your toes'), the group has to follow the command. If the directions aren't preceded by "Simon says" (for example, 'touch your toes'), then anyone who listens to Simon and follows the direction is out of the game and must sit down. The last person standing is the winner and gets to be Simon for the next round.

Email me for more information on children's activities, nutrition or just have a question you need answering! I look forward to hearing from you!