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Family time is beneficial for every member of the family, and a great way to enjoy each others company is through playing outdoor games together. If you want to get your kids outside in the fresh air and encourage an active lifestyle, take a look at these fun games to play without spending a fortune on equipment, playgrounds, and pools.

Kick the Can

Kick the can is a spin-off of the traditional favorite hide-and-seek. A person or a team are designated as “it” and a can is placed in the center of the playing space. The other players hide while the person or team who are “it” cover their eyes and count to 50. “It” tries to find the hidden players while making sure they do not reach and kick the can. When a player is tagged by “it”, they are send to the space for captured (tagged) players. If any un-captured player can kick the can without being tagged by “it” the captured players can play again. The game continues until the non-“it” players are all tagged. It’s ideal to play the game with at least three people and all you need is a metal can and some energy!

Four Square

This game is played on a square court that is divided into four equal sized smaller squares that are numbered one through four. A player stands in each of the squares and the highest ranked player is in the number one while the lowest is in the number four. You need a ball to play, and the ball is bounced among players. To rank up, you must bounce the ball once in another person’s square before the person can catch it. There are additional rules to abide by; player number one can solidify these. When a player violates the rules, he or she moves to number one spot while everyone else advances. If you play with more than four players, the person who is out waits in line to play again while a player from the line rotates in to square four. All you need is chalk to draw the four square court and a playground ball.

Cornhole

Locate a flat surface in your yard, a parking lot, the driveway, or in the sand at the beach. The boards need to face each other with approximately 27 feet between the front edges of each cornhole board. You can play the game with 2 or 4 players. Decide who will go first. Throw the bag to the opposite cornhole board, then your opponent takes a turn, then you go again, then your opponent and so on. If a tossed bag touches the ground then bounces onto the board, it does not count. When all 8 bags have been tossed, add up each teams total points and the winning team can throw first the next round. To calculate the score, you simply count each bag on the cornhole board and give yourself 1 point. Any bags that went through the hole in the board are worth 3 points. Compare your point total to your opponents. Equal points cancel the other out so one team will score each round. As as example, if your team scored 6 points and the opponent scored 4, you would actually get 2 points for that round. The first team to reach 21 points wins as long as the team is leading by at least 2 points.

The list of affordable and fun outdoor family-friendly games is endless. Reflect on your childhood and bring back your favorite games – it’s a guarantee your kids will love to play them as much as you did!

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Category: Camping

Tags: cornhole