Have a Ball

Fun games to play when you have a ball and a group of kids.

 

 

Dodgeball - Avoid being hit by balls the opposing team is throwing while trying to eliminate the other teams players. 

Foursquare - Played on a large square divided into four smaller squares.  The object of the game is to move up to the first square and stay there. 

HORSE - Fun game using a basketball and basketball goal and trying to outdo each others shots.
 

Hot Potato - Fast moving game.

Juggle Circle - Fun outdoor game for kids involving lots of balls.

Kick Ball  - Great outdoor game for kids played like baseball, but kicking the ball instead.

SPUD - Super fun kids game using a playground ball - fun for kids and adults to play together too.

 

Ball Tag

This is a fun variation of the traditional tag game where players touch or tag each other using a playground or beachball instead of their hands. Use a soft ball that won't hurt when tossed at the players.  Make a rule that the thrower is to only aim at the other players feet to avoid anyone throwing balls at someones head. The last player to be tagged becomes the new "it".

Catagory Catch

Players must say an item in a catagory (determined before the game starts) before they catch the ball or they are out.

Before the game begins decide on a fun catagory that will be used for that round.  Some fun catagories are: Animals, First Names, Cities (for older children), Food, Colors, etc.

 

Kids stand or sit in a circle and one player is given a soft ball.  The player with the ball tosses it to another player in the circle.  Before the player catches the ball that is thrown to them they must say an item in the catagory.  If they catagory is Food then the player must call out a food item such as "Banana!" before they catch the ball.  Then immediately they toss the ball to another player in the circle who has to call out a food item ("Hamburger!) before they catch the ball.

 

If the player that is catching the ball can not think of an item to call out, or if a player drops or misses the ball then they are out of the game.  The last player left in the circle wins! 

 

Then start a new game with a different catagory.

 

 

The 500
This is a fun fast paced game and can be playing with as few as 3 children.  The object of the game is to catch balls that are worth a certain amount of points and the first one to 500 points is the winner.

 

Choose a player to be "it" first.  They stand in the middle of the game area with a ball and all the other players form circle around them.  The player with the ball throws the ball high into the air (straight up) and calls out a point number from 25 to 100.  To make the game easier have the numbers be called in 25 point increments 25, 50, 75, 100, 125 ect. The player with the ball can call out any number they want. 

 

The other players try to catch the ball.  The player that catches the ball gets that many points added to their score. If a player tries to catch the ball but misses then the number of points are deducted from their score.  The players must get exactly 500 points, without going over, to win.