Active games provide a good source of physical activity for children. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends that children get at least 60 minutes of physical activity each day. Playing games can help children get this necessary daily physical activity that they might not get if their only entertainment came from the TV and computer.
Capture the Flag
Capture the flag requires strategy, teamwork and plenty of running. You can play on a large athletic field or in an irregularly shaped backyard or park. A wooded area provides more opportunities for hiding and sneaking about. Divide the players into two equal teams, and divide the playing area into two roughly equal halves. If you aren't playing on a marked athletic field, use natural landmarks to mark the line that separates the two sides. Give each team a brightly colored bandanna or beanbag to place on the ground somewhere on their side of the field or park. You can require players to leave the flag in plain sight. When the game begins, each team must try to retrieve the opposing team's flag and return it to their own territory without being tagged. Some players might choose to play defense, guarding the flag, while others play offense. Tagged players must go to a designated jail location and wait for a teammate to rescue them. The first team to successfully steal the opposing team's flag and return it to their territory wins the game.
Elbow Tag
You can play this variation on tag with a large group. Select one player to be "it" and one player to start the game as the free player. The rest of the players must form pairs and stand still with their arms linked around the playing area. "It" tries to chase the free player, but the free player can give up her role and designate a new free player at any time by linking arms with a pair. The member of the pair with whom the free player did not link arms becomes the new free player and must run away from "it." When "it" finally tags the free player, he becomes free and the tagged player becomes "it."
Cats in the Corner
This variation on dodge ball keeps players moving to avoid being tagged with the ball. Designate a square playing area using four trees, cones or other landmarks to mark the corners. Have one player stand in the middle of the square with a ball. All other players should stand at the corners of the square. When the ball-thrower calls out "Cats in the corner," the other players must sprint to a different corner of the square while the ball-thrower tries to eliminate someone by hitting him with the ball. Play until all but one player have been eliminated. That player gets to be the ball thrower next.
