Guest post by Heather Neves

The pandemic has forced many kids and adults indoors. Too much time indoors increases the incidence of asthma and allergies in kids, especially those whose homes have poor air quality. Nowadays, parents are coming up with many ideas for activities and entertainment that will keep their children preoccupied indoors. But no matter how much a parent tries, it is not always possible to come up with new, fresh, and fun ideas. It is also not good for children to be constantly stuck in front of the television or playing video games on mobile phones, as too much screen time can lead to vision problems, attention disorders, and weight gain. Most of the time, it is good for children to get outside and play in the backyard so that they can get some fresh air. But a big question for parents these days is what their children will do if they need to spend a long time in the backyard. This post suggests several activities that kids can do in their own backyards.

1.    Putterball game: The putterball game is a great game for kids. It comes with a golf ball, portable turf board that has six holes, golf putters, and turf hole cover. Putterball is also known as backyard golf. It enhances physical strength and focus This is a good game for those who want to keep a distance from others, so it is suitable in our present pandemic scenario. The putterball game is so easy to play that your kids will be able to learn it within a few minutes. However, at least two players are required to play this game; if there are more than two children, they can make a pair and while one pair of children plays the other pair can wait for their turn. .

2.    Builders and Bulldozers: This is another top backyard game for kids of pre-K, kindergarten, and elementary school ages. With this game, you will not only be able to keep your kid engaged in your backyard but you can keep them healthy, fit, and active. This game can also help you to strengthen your childrens’ heart and lungs. In this game, there should be two teams, builders and bulldozers, that work at cross-purposes to earn points by standing traffic cones up or and tripping them over. The bulldozers of this game knock over cones with their hands just to gently tip them over (no kicking allowed!) whereas the builder returns the cones to the upright position. This game also provides some good mental math practice since each kid can keep track of his or her score.

3.    Detective: This is another great game for kids that can be played in the backyard. In this game, all of the players need to sit cross-legged in a big circle. Choose one player as a detective; the remaining two players will serve as the guards. The first Guard will lead the detective away from the circle and will need to ensure that his or her eyes remain closed and ears are plugged. Another player in the circle is chosen as ‘it’: the leader of the group. ‘It’ will choose actions like clapping, snapping, stamping their feet, etc. for all of the other players to follow. The second guard stays close to the circle to learn who “It” is. After the first action starts, the second Guard brings the Detective and first Guard back to the circle. The second Guard whispers the identity of “It” into the first Guard’s ear, and both Guards then join the circle and begin making the actions with the group. In this game, the Detective needs to guess who is ‘It’ and ‘It’ changes the motion when the detective is not looking. The other players of the game will follow the leader without providing his or her identity. The detective gets three opportunities to guess the identity of ‘It.’

4.    Vocabulary word balloon game: This is another outdoor game that your kid can play in the backyard. In this game, the players need to blow several balloons and write a high-frequency word from the appropriate grade level with a sharpie on each of them. The player will toss in one balloon with a vocabulary word written on it. After that, the player will bat the balloon around the circle and prevent it from dropping to the ground. The twist of this game is that before the player hits the balloon, they have to read the vocabulary word loudly so that others players can hear it. In this game, you can have several rounds and generally, the first round remains pretty easy followed by a little difficult one. When the players have read the word, a second balloon with a different word will be introduced, so that the players need to keep two balloons afloat. In this game, a new balloon and a new word are introduced after every few minutes. If any player cannot guess the word before they bat the balloon away then they have to allow the balloon to drop and they must sit down.

5.    Snakes and worms: In this game, the players cut a bunch of 12-inch sections of brown and green yarn for representing snakes and worms. Then players divide into two teams - the green team is snakes and the brown team is worms. On each of the teams, there will be one captain who remains on the base. The rest of the players on both teams will be searchers. The searcher needs to run out to the specific area and search the colored yarn segment. Whenever a player finds the colored segment that is appropriate for their team’s identity, he or she brings it back to the team’s base and gives it to their captain. The captain ties the piece of yarn together. Set a time for a designated period. When time is called, the team that has the longest “Snake” or “Worm” wins.

These games can get your kids away from their screens and turn your backyard into a fun zone. As an added advantage, these backyard activities help your kids’ physical and mental growth as well. Play any one game, or combine them all. Life for your children will be instantly more exciting and enjoyable.

Heather Neves is an avid content writer and gamer. She is also a proud mom of a dog named - Buzzo. In her free time, she likes to research, read about epidemiology, and cook.

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