10 Fun Outdoor Games to Rock the Picnic

It can be a challenge keeping young kids entertained at a picnic. Even if you do have a couple of ideas for outdoor games, you can’t guarantee that everyone will like them.

Here are 10 great ideas to go with. You’re bound to find at least a few that everyone likes. Have a good family time this weekend!

1. Volleyball with a blanket

This game works best with 8 kids. Divide the group into two teams of 4 each. Get out a blanket and have each team to one end. Place a volleyball in the middle of the blanket.

The first team go dip the blanket to bring the ball in close to their edge and then pull the blanket taut with a snap to launch the ball in the air. The other side catches the ball on their end of the blanket and launches it back up.

2. Crazy ball game

Have everyone form a wide, 25-foot circle and have one kid stand in the middle. Everyone gets a ball and throws it at the kid in the middle (only aiming below waist level).

The idea is for the kid to jump around and avoid getting hit. Whoever manages to hit him changes places with him.

3. Makeshift bowling

Pick up 10 large soda bottles, fill them with water, and line them up. Players take turns rolling a ball at them and knocking them down.

Each player gets to take five turns. Whoever knocks down the most bottles, wins. Incidentally, this game is a great way to help kids learn addition, as they keep score.

4. Duck, Duck, Goose (but with water)

This game is a lot like Duck, Duck, Goose but is more fun – you play it with squirt guns. Have all the kids stand in a circle. The kid who is chosen to be it, runs around the circle and squirts whomever he chooses.

The person who is squirted tags the kid with the squirt gun and tries to get him. If the squirt gun kid gets to the place that the chaser has just vacated before getting caught, he wins and gets to stand in his place.

5. The hunting memory game

The game starts with the first participant saying something like, “I’m going hunting and I’m taking ammunition”. The second one repeats what the first one says, but adds a second item to take that starts with the next letter in the alphabet.

Each person down the line needs to remember everything that was said before him and add one thing more. Anyone who fails to remember the proper sequence, loses.

6. Eggs in a basket

This is a great game to help young kids learn balance and coordination. Form teams of 2 or 3 and have them stand along a line.

Set empty baskets, each labeled with the name of a group, on a table, 30 feet away from the line. Each group gets a spoon and a few eggs.

When the race starts, one person from each group carries an egg on the spoon and deposits it in the basket. He runs back with the spoon and gives it to another player, who does the same with another egg. The team that fills their basket first, wins.

More: 10 Healthy, Low-Calorie Summer Snacks

7. The blind ball hunt

Make two teams and blindfold one member on each side. Draw a line on the ground and have all of the team members line up on one side. A ball gets tossed over the line.

The blindfolded members of both teams venture out over the line and try to find the ball, with their team members shouting them directions. When one finds the ball, his team mates help him get back to them.

8. Cartoon charade

In this game, each child tries to pull off an impression of a character from a cartoon or other children’s show that he likes. The others try to guess who the character is.

Young children love this game. This game will keep your little ones entertained for hours.

9. Guess what you’re drinking

Blindfolded guessing games are making a comeback today, even in adult parties. Children love them, too. Each participant puts on a blindfold. He is given something to eat or drink and needs to guess what it is, just through the taste and smell.

10. The pie eating contest

Children are a natural for pie eating contests – it’s about being as messy as possible with food, after all. Stand each player before a cream pie on a table, with his hands tied behind his back.

The idea is for players to bend forward and eat the pie as quickly as possible, without using the hands. Players need to dunk their heads in their pies and eat way.

More: 10 Best Summer Family Activities

Kids should enjoy picnics just as much as the adults who bring them. With these games, thorough enjoyment shouldn’t be much of a problem. Spending some fun family time is a must if you want to have a happy family.

Do you know any other fun outdoor games? Any ideas to share?