Athletic Games for Kids

Children are, by nature, energetic creatures who require constant physical activity. Structured athletic games teach children rules about sportsmanship while providing an outlet to burn off built-up energy. The key to any good childhood game is that it gets kids moving. This release of energy can help children focus in school and help curb the obesity epidemic.

Games of Tag

• Tag is an easy way to get lots of kids involved and moving. Basic versions involve having one or multiple people be "it" while running around chasing their friends and trying to tag them. Those who are tagged also become "it." Another version would be blob tag, where kids lock arms in groups of three. One person starts out as the tagger and one person starts out as a lone wolf. The lone wolf may join any group of three he wishes, but each group can only have a maximum of three, meaning one person would have to leave and become the lone wolf. If the lone wolf is tagged by the tagger, they switch roles.

Relay Races

• Relay races can be fun and made to involve challenges. There are several examples of relay races, such as the egg relay, water relay or alphabet relay. In the egg relay, team members have to race back and forth balancing a raw egg on a spoon. If they drop the egg and it breaks, they have to race back and pick up a new one. In the water relay, team members race down with an empty cup and dip it into a bucket of water. They then must transport the cup back to their group and pour its contents into their team's empty bucket. The first team to fill their bucket wins. In the alphabet relay, team members must race down and write a word for each letter of the alphabet on a sheet of paper. The words they write must have to do with a topic given to them prior to the start of the race. For example, school supplies. Each person only writes one word per trip.

Games of Strategy

• Kids enjoy playing games where they have to use strategy. Capture the flag is a great game of strategy. In this game, there are two teams divided evenly on a field. Both teams have a flag at the back end of their half of the field with team members spread out to protect it. The object is to capture your opponent's flag and transport it back to your side of the field without getting tagged. If you get tagged while on your opponent's side, you go to jail at the back of your opponent's defenses. If you get tagged while in possession of the flag, the flag goes back to its starting point and you go to jail. Teammates can break you out of jail by coming across enemy lines and tagging you while you are in jail. The first team to successfully capture the opponent's flag and bring it back to their side is the winner.

Obstacle Courses

• Obstacle courses combine a wide variety of challenges in one activity. Obstacle courses can require kids to run from location to location over balance bars, perform physical activities such as push-ups or sit-ups and complete sports challenges such as throwing a ball through a hoop. Obstacle courses can be a timed event or the goal can be to have all members complete the course.