Best outdoor games for kids

This category describes outdoor games known in many countries, often under different names. Hopscotch is played on a numbered grid drawn on the ground, where players throw a marker and hop through the squares. Hide and seek asks one player to count while everyone else hides, then search until all are found. Tag, in its many forms, is a chasing game where one player tries to touch the others, who then take over the chase. Iran has its own rich outdoor tradition, including Haft Sang, Alak Dolak and Gorgam be Hava, which you can find in our classic Iranian games section.

For each game we give a common version of the rules, suggestions for different ages and group sizes, and safety tips, such as choosing a space free of traffic and agreeing on boundaries before starting. These games belong to nobody, so families, teachers and youth leaders can use our descriptions freely. When it is time to come inside, our free browser games offer a calm way to keep playing.