Young teenagers can play games with more complicated rules and strategy than the games they played as younger children. Introduce more advanced games to 13-year-olds to keep them interested in active play. Outdoor games provide a good source of physical activity for teenagers, as well as an inclusive way for groups to interact.
Capture the Flag
Teenagers enjoy the strategy involved in this classic summer camp game. Capture the Flag works well with large groups and at parties. Play in a wooded backyard or park with plenty of opportunities for sneaking between hiding places. Select several trees or other landmarks to represent the dividing line between the two sides of the playing area. Divide players into two teams, and have one team occupy each side. Give each team a flag to place somewhere on its territory. Teams can then spend a few minutes discussing strategy and determining who will play offense or defense. When the game begins, players must sneak onto the opposing team's side to search for the flag and attempt to bring it back to their own team's side. When players enter the opposing team's side, their opponents can tag them and put them in jail. Players must then wait in a designated jail area until a teammate tags and rescues them. The first team to successfully find and steal their opponent's flag wins the game.
The Blob
In this variation on tag, the "it" player absorbs all the players she tags to form one large blob. Begin the game with one player as the blob. That player chases all other players and tags as many as she can. When a player gets tagged, he must hold hands with the original blob player or any new member of the blob. As the game continues, the blob grows larger and larger. All members of the blob must work together to move as a unit and tag the few remaining players. Continue until only one player remains untagged. That player gets to start the next game as the blob.
Box-Pong
Box-Pong, a pingpong-inspired variation on four square, requires coordination and agility. Use sidewalk chalk to draw a rectangular court on a driveway or sidewalk. The court should run 6 feet long and 3 feet wide. Divide the court into two equal squares by drawing a line down the center. One player stands behind each square. Players toss a coin to determine who serves first. The server then hits the rubber playground ball out of the air with one hand and into the opponent's square. Players continue the rally by hitting the ball back and forth into each other's squares without ever stepping into their own squares. Players can run around their squares to retrieve balls that land at the sides. When one player fails to return the ball or hits the ball out of bounds, the other player wins a point. Play to 15 or 21 points. If more people want to play, have extra players line up to the side of the court. The player who wins a point stays on the court and takes on the next person in line. See who can hold the court the longest.
