Last year my neighbor invited me and my kids to join her for their end-of-school field day. We all do school at home so this was a fantastic idea. We had such a wonderful time I wanted to share the fun field day activities that we did and how to keep it simple but super fun! These can be used for a family fun day, team party, or just a fun get-together with friends.
Preparations for the Field Day Activities
The Snack Store
Before I get into the games we played I wanted to share this genius idea my neighbor has always done as part of her field days – the snack store! For each activity, the kids are awarded tickets. The tickets can be pre-printed like you buy at the store or homemade. They receive 1 ticket for each activity they participate in (encourages everyone to at least try!) and then the top 3 winners of the event get more tickets.
What do they do with the tickets? They buy their snacks from “the snack store!” All their favorite snacks (both store-bought and homemade) are out on a table with a ticket price on each. All the kids loved this and it was a huge hit! It also kept them from overeating all the fun snacks and getting a tummy ache!
T-Shirts
I tie-dyed t-shirts for all the kids last year and they were a big hit. I have not tie-dyed a lot in my life but I followed this tie-dye tutorial. Our shirts were supposed to be navy blue and white and somehow I messed up and they turned out purple and white. Still a big hit! I ordered white t-shirts in their sizes from Amazon, a bunch of rubber bands, and used Rit dye. You need to do this at least a few days before if you are going to do it so plan ahead.
The Field Day Activities and Games
We divided the kids into two teams with a mix of ages. Overall team winners did get extra tickets at the end also but it was all in good fun. We had a purple team and a green team. We also had a schedule to keep the day running smoothly. (The other moms are amazingly organized and it really helped!)
Most of the activities were simple games made with things we already owned or were common household items. No matter what the activity was- the kids were excited to participate! The first activity labeled “cards” was an encouragement mission. All the kids decorated blank cards with stickers and wrote a nice message to be delivered to a neighbor. At the end of the field day, we walked and delivered the cards to the neighbors’ mailboxes. It was a nice way to make them think of others.
Here are the field day activities and games we played.
Stretching and Team Building Activity: We circled the kids up and had them stretch. For the team building activity, I used a trick from my softball team days. I don’t know the exact name but I have dubbed it “Untangle the Circle.” I had them come together in a tight circle, close their eyes, and each reach out and grab someone’s hand. They have to grab two different people’s hands. Then I had them open their eyes and told them the rules: You can’t let go of anyone’s hand and you must untangle yourselves. At first, it seems unachievable but somehow they always find a way to untangle themselves and form a circle! Have them do it at least twice because the first time is usually a little confusing. The second time they get it and enjoy the challenge!
Jump Rope: We had them compete in small groups and in rounds. Whoever could jump rope the longest in each round was the winner. Once all the rounds had a winner then the winners would compete against each other until you had one final winner. Even if they were not good at jumping rope, they got a ticket just for trying and this was a huge motivation!
Hula Hoop: We did the hula hoop competition the same way as the jump rope competition. It was really fun. Make sure the teams cheer on their teammates!
Bean Bag Toss: We used a corn hole set for the bean bag toss. We set a timer and the kids competed to see how many they could land in the hole during a certain amount of time. We let the younger ones stand closer to make it a little easier for them. It helps if you have extra bean bags because the game is fast-paced. Also, assign someone to sit by the corn hole and quickly toss bean bags back to the thrower.
Basketball Toss: Again we made the older ones shoot from farther back. We gave them a time limit and counted how many baskets they made. It helps to have more than one basketball and others around to rebound for them.
Football Toss: You need a hula hoop and at least a couple of footballs. See how many footballs they can throw through the hula hoop in an allotted time. You need someone to hold the hula hoop in place and another to retrieve and return the footballs to save time. Again, younger kids can throw closer to the hoop than the older kids.
Clothes Relay: This one was really fun! We gather random items of clothes from home. (bathrobes, winter vests, pajama pants, costume wigs, etc) All the clothes were too big for the kids. We placed two sets of random clothes about 20 yards from the starting line. Each team member had to run down to the clothes, put all of them on, pose for a picture, then remove the clothes and run back to tag the next person in line. Simple, silly, and loads of fun!
Water Relay: This field day activity is better for later in the day when the kids are hot. Find 2 large containers the same size and two other large buckets to fill with water. Place one bucket filled with water at one end and the empty container at another end of the relay. Using a large sponge, each kid must soak their sponge and then run it down to the empty container and squeeze it out. The first team to fill their empty container wins!
We ended the day with a swim in our pool and more snacks of course!
Bonus Tips for Fun Field Day Activities for Kids
Attitude is everything. Adults get into it! Wear crazy clothes, play fun music, and participate in the relays! The kids feed off your energy and enthusiasm and they will love seeing the adults act like kids.
Also, consider any other games or toys that you may have already that could be thrown into the mix. I am an avid inflatable costume collector so I brought out my inflatable t-rexes, unicorn, gorilla, and jungle hunter. I let the kids try them on if they wanted and they had the best time playing chase and acting silly.
With a little planning and a lot of enthusiasm, you can create fun field day activities for kids that they will never forget!
