June 2010

Welcome to the June 2010 issue of our Family Games Treasurehouse newsletter. As the weather warms up and the days get longer in the northern hemisphere, many people turn to the great outdoors for entertainment. This may well include a picnic for a family reunion, youth group, church or business.

In our last issue, we looked at four games suitable for our whole family to play together. This month we will look at a number of outdoor team games suitable for a large group of players. Some involve no preparation or equipment while others need nothing more than a ball or two. They can be so much fun as everyone enjoys a combination of sunshine, friendship and healthy exercise.

Outdoor Team Games

Square Chasing is a team game that suits younger children or active participants. It requires four even teams who line up along the four sides of a square. The corners of the square should be marked. Members of each team are numbered, so that one player on each team has the same number. For example, if there are 20 players (five per team), each team will have the numbers 1 to 5. A leader calls out a number at random. The four players with that number run around the outside of the square in a clockwise direction. If the leader yells "Change!", the runners must run in an anti-clockwise direction. When one player gets tagged by any other player, they all return to their teams and another number is called out. The team with the most tags wins the game.

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Tunnel Ball needs one basketball or soccer ball for each team of 6-10 players. Players are lined up behind each other, facing the same direction, with their feet spread apart to form a "tunnel". The front player in the team pushes the ball backwards between their legs, trying to get the ball all the way through the tunnel. Other players can help the ball through, as long as they don't move their feet. If the ball goes out the side of the tunnel it is returned to the front of the line. If the ball gets all the way through the tunnel, the rear player picks it up and runs to the front of the line. The game continues in this way until the original player returns to the front of the team again, with the first team to achieve this winning the game.

Under and Over is a team game similar to Tunnel Ball. The ball is passed over the head of the first player, then under the legs of the second player and so on, alternating down the line. Again, the first team with the front player to return to their position wins the game.

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Captain Ball is also similar to Tunnel Ball except the front player (the Captain) faces the rest of their team about two metres/yards away. The Captain throws the ball to the first player of their team, who catches it and throws it back to the Captain before squatting down. The Captain then throws the ball to the next player, and so on. The final player of the team catches the ball, runs to the front of the team and becomes the new Captain, while the old Captain becomes the first catcher. The rest of the team stands up. The winning team is the first to go through all their players and have the original Captain at the front.

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What outdoor party would be complete without Relay races? Try some of these variations to the standard sprint relays.

* Competitors must complete the course by running backwards or sideways
* Ankle relay (where competitors must run while holding their shoelaces or ankles)
* Players must do forward rolls/somersaults
* Crawl on hands and knees
* Three legged relay (where two members of the team are tied together at their ankles by a stocking or similar soft material)
* Skipping relays (with or without a skipping rope)
* Dribbling a soccer ball (or basketball if you have a firm surface)
* Wheelbarrow relay (where one player holds the ankles of a second player who must "run" the course on their hands while their feet are supported in the air)
* Sack relay (where players must jump the course with their legs in a sack held up to their waist. NOTE: Take care with plastic sacks since they may be very slippery)
* Piggy Back Relay (One player carries another player on their back while they run the course)
* Leap Frog Relay (Two players leapfrog over each other along the course)
* Sedan Chairs (Two players link their arms to carry a third member of their team)
* Balloon Sweep (Teams use a broom to push a ball or balloon along the course)
* Balloon Burst (Each team member must blow up and burst a balloon before they can run the course - just watch out for fainting!)
* Egg and Spoon relay (Each competitor uses a teaspoon to carry a hard boiled egg along the course, passing the egg to the next competitor without touching it. You could use raw eggs if you don't mind cleaning up the mess!)

As we have mentioned in our last few newsletters, we hope to publish some family game ebooks later this year. Your favourite games from Family Games Treasurehouse along with many, many more games in an easy to print book form. Look for our Party Games ebook coming out soon.

Finally, click on the image/link below to find out how you too can break the '9-to-5' routine by starting your own website that can earn you money and give you more time to enjoy with your family.

Until next time,
Andrew Low
Family Games Treasurehouse