Field day is a kids’ favorite for the end of the school year! Kids love the chance to run around outside with their friends all day, participating in exciting and challenging events. The best field day games and activities include options for all kinds of students, no matter what their age, interests, or ability. This inclusive roundup can help make your field day a success for everyone involved.
Kids love Minute To Win It games (see all our favorites here), and this one is always a hilarious hit. Shove a ball into the foot of a pantyhose leg, then put the top of the hose over each student’s head. They race along a line of water bottles, trying to swing their “trunk” and knock over each bottle. First to the end wins!
Trace outlines on the playground or tape papers to the floor representing right and left hands and feet. Mix up the order to make it tricky. Students race along, placing the correct hand or foot on every square in the row to advance.
Pass the Hoop
Kids join hands to form a long line. Then, they must pass a Hula-Hoop along the line without breaking the chain, stepping through it carefully to move it along.
Sweet Dreams Are Made of These
Blanket Pull
Go for a ride with this fun race. Kids pair up to pull each other across the field on a blanket. Even things out by having one kid pull on the way down, and the rider pull on the way back.
This football toss game is surprisingly easy to assemble. You can also just hang Hula-Hoops from a branch or pole—swinging targets make things even more challenging!
One team member tosses rings at the other in this life-size ring toss game. The human “target” can move their body but not their feet. (You can use Hula-Hoops, but large inflatable rings make this game a little safer.)
Frisbee golf is another one of those field day games that’s very easy to set up with inexpensive supplies. Set round laundry baskets into tomato cages pushed into the ground to arrange your course. Arm kids with Frisbees, and you’re ready to play!
Make oversized croquet hoops from pool noodles, and grab some lightweight balls. Kids can hit the balls with more pool noodles, or try to kick them through the hoops as they make their way along the course.
Round up a big beach ball and some small parachutes (beach towels work too!). Teams work in pairs to catch and launch the ball back and forth over the net.
Fun-a-Day
Coconut Bowling
Coconut balls make this bowling game much more challenging—and hilarious! The uneven shape of the fruit means it will roll in ways kids will never expect.
Turn the popular game Hungry Hungry Hippos into life-size mayhem! One student lies on their stomach on a scooter, holding a basket upside down in front of them. The other student grabs their legs and pushes them forward to grab as many pieces as possible. After everyone has had a turn, total up the pieces to find the winner.
A Girl and a Glue Gun
Frozen T-Shirt Race
Buy oversized T-shirts, wet them down and fold them, and stick them in the freezer overnight. For the race, each participant works to get their shirt thawed, unfolded, and then put it on first. So funny to watch!
Get ready for some chaos with this one! Tie a balloon to each student’s ankle with a ribbon. Blow the whistle, and let kids loose trying to break each other’s balloons with their feet. Last one standing is the winner. (Make this a team game by issuing balloons of the same color to each teammate.)
This is just plain silly, but it’s so much fun. Kids use pool noodles to pick up rubber chickens and carry them to the finish line. This one’s easy to turn into a relay race.
This is really more about having fun than getting competitive, but kids relish the chance to run around flinging colored powder at each other! If you want a more competitive version, try adding colored powder to a traditional game of Capture the Flag.
You can do the classic pass-the-baton relay race, of course. But these field day games put a new spin on the classic relay race and make the whole experience more fun for everyone.
S&S Blog
Tic-Tac-Toe Relay
Set up three rows of three Hula-Hoops to be the tic-tac-toe grid. Then, have teams race to try to get three in a row first. They’ll be surprised to learn a little strategy can really improve their chances!
You’ll need an equal amount of people on each team, plus enough paper plates for each person to have one and one extra per team. The only way to move forward is by stepping on a plate, so the person in the front lays down the extra plate and jumps onto it. Everyone else moves up one, and the last person passes the extra plate up the line. Repeat until everyone has crossed the finish line.
NOLA.com
Limbo Relay
Throw on some music and grab a long pole, then challenge teams to a limbo relay. Everyone on the team must make it beneath the poles on each round, and the slowest team is eliminated. Lower the poles on each round until only one team can manage it.
This one’s a classic: Each team member is given a balloon. One at a time, they race up to a chair, then sit on their balloon until it pops. Then they race back, tagging in the next team member. Tip: Underinflate the balloons a bit to make it a little more challenging. Or make them water balloons on a hot summer day!
Scooter and Plunger Relay Race
Scooter relay races are fun, but when you add in plungers, they get even better. In this version, kids must hold their feet up and use toilet plungers stuck to the floor to help them propel instead. Tricky, hilarious, and so fun!
Over-Under Relay
Kids stand in a single-file line, about arm’s length apart. Students on each team count off as “ones” or “twos.” The “ones” will pass the balls over their heads, while the “twos” must pass between their legs. Give the first person a ball, then start the passing. After a few seconds, give each team a second ball, and then a few seconds later, a third. Each team must get all of their balls to the end of the line and then back to the beginning. Don’t be surprised when things get a bit nuts!
Rockbrook
Dizzy Bats
Here’s a classic relay, and all you need are some baseball bats. One at a time, team members race out onto the field and place their forehead on the end of a bat while the other end rests on the ground. In this position, they spin around five times, then try to make it back to the finish line so the next team member can go.
You’ll need lots of old clothes for this one: a box each of shirts, pants, and hats, at least, with enough items in each box for every player. (Make it more challenging by adding socks too!) Kids line up in teams. At the signal, the first player runs to each box and puts on one of each item of clothing over their existing clothes. When all items are all the way on, they race back and tag the next runner. The game continues until one team has everyone back at the start and “dressed” in their fun new outfits.
Kid-Friendly Things To Do
Beach Ball Relay
The task: Partners carry a beach ball to the end of the field and back. The twist: They can’t use their hands! If they drop the ball, they need to pick it back up without using their hands, or go back and start again. Each set of partners passes the ball to the next pair on the team, again without using their hands, until one team wins.
Obstacle races are a field day mainstay, but turning them into a relay makes them even more fun! You can make your course as simple or complicated as you like, so every race is unique.
Non-Strenuous Field Day Activities
Not every kid loves running and jumping (and some of them can’t). Make sure field day is fun for everyone by including some of these non-physical activities. They let everyone shine!
This game is pure silliness, and kids are gonna love it! Have them tip their heads back, then place a cookie on their foreheads. When you shout “Go!” they race to move the cookie from their foreheads to their mouths without using their hands.
Everyday Dishes
Ball Toss
This game requires a bit of skill, but it’s easy enough for anyone to try. Label cans or other containers with point amounts. Give each student five balls to toss, and total up their points at the end.
Make a 3 x 3 grid of plastic cups, one for each team. Fill the cups most of the way with water. Then give each team a bowl of Ping-Pong balls, and watch them race to get the balls into the cups until they make three in a row.
Angela Parker via Pinterest
Giant Kerplunk
This game is pretty easy to make with tomato cages and bamboo skewers. Each competitor pulls a stick, trying not to be the one who causes the balls to fall!
You could play ordinary ring toss, of course, but how fun is this version? Grab some lawn flamingos (you might even find them at the dollar store) and set them up. Then give each player a set of hoops and let them do their best.
This clever take on beanbag toss is super-easy to set up. Simply label the rungs of a ladder with various point totals. Then let kids try to land their beanbags on the steps to build up points for their team.
Life Sew Savory
Yard Yahtzee
Buy or make some giant wooden dice, then compete at an outdoor game of Yahtzee. (Don’t tell kids they’re actually practicing their math skills on field day!)
Complete a scavenger hunt as a team, or make it an individual event. We’ve got tons of terrific scavenger hunt ideas here, including the alphabet hunt. Kids try to be the first to collect an object for every letter of the alphabet.
Kids love this fun game where they get to test their reflexes while whacking at those pesky pop-up moles. You can make your own DIY version, or even rent an official game booth for your field day.
Water Games for Field Day
If you’re willing to let kids get a little damp (or, let’s face it, soaking wet), these are the games for you!
The Resourceful Mama
Fill the Bucket
Here’s a classic water game that’s easy to set up and always popular. Teams race to see who can fill their bucket first, using only the water they can carry in a sponge.
Combine Dizzy Bats (above) with Fill the Bucket! After each player spins around with their forehead on the bat, they must pick up a tray of water glasses and carry it back to the finish line. They use any water that remains to fill up a bucket. Play continues until one team tops their bucket off.
We like this one best as a big-team game. Kids line up, one after the other, each holding a cup. The person in front fills their cup with water, then pours it backward over their head into the next person’s cup. Play continues until the last person, who pours it into a bucket. Repeat as many times as needed to completely fill your bucket.
Kids must pick up a water balloon and balance it on a wooden spoon, then race to the finish line. If their balloon falls off and doesn’t pop, they can pick up and keep going. Otherwise, they have to head back to the start for a new one.
All for the Boys
Water Cup Race
Hang plastic cups on strings, then use squirt guns to push them along to the finish line. (Don’t want to use water? Have kids blow through straws to propel the cups instead.)
Give kids the chance to douse their teachers with a DIY dunk tank. Or divide kids into teams, and give each team a chance to soak the other. The team with the most wet players loses!
Drop diving rings, marbles, or other small objects in the bottom of a kiddie pool. Kids have one minute to use only their toes to pull out as many objects as they can. The one with the most items at the end wins.
No candy in these piñatas … just water! Hang them high and arm kids with sticks to hit them. The first team or person to break all their balloons wins.
This water balloon fight variation is perfect for a hot afternoon. Number water balloons and lay them out on a field. Draw a number from the hat, and send kids out to find a balloon with that number. (There will be more kids than balloons, which is part of the fun.) Those that find the right number then get a chance to throw their balloon at any other player. If it hits and breaks, that player is out. If the player can catch it without it breaking, the thrower is out. Continue each round with a new number until there’s just one player left dry.
