Great for field trips too! Outdoor recreation and games for elementary school kids: hands-on play
Many people probably imagine that when it comes to how today’s elementary schoolers play, they’re gaming or enjoying their favorite streaming videos.
Even if you want to play outside together or let them experience nature, you might find yourself thinking, “What do elementary school kids actually enjoy?” or “They’ll probably get bored right away…” and struggle to come up with good ideas.
So in this article, we’ve gathered outdoor recreations and games that are recommended for elementary school students and can be enjoyed outside.
There are plenty of activities that let you play using things found in nature, even without balls or special equipment.
Try incorporating them not only into family outings, but also on school field trips and during extracurricular lessons.
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- A simple and fun co-op game that enhances teamwork
- Indoor and outdoor activities that avoid crowding. Enjoyable for students from first to sixth grade.
Great for field trips too! Outdoor recreation and games for elementary school kids: experiential play (1–10)
Stacking Game
It’s a simple game of stacking objects.
Even indoors, we play by stacking small pieces, like in Othello or Jenga, but since this is an outdoor activity, let’s try a more dynamic version where we stack larger items.
Things like Styrofoam or empty cardboard boxes may look easy to stack at first glance, but their sizes vary, and they can quickly exceed your height, making it harder to keep stacking beyond that.
You could throw items to get them on top, but that increases the chance of everything collapsing.
It also seems like it would be fun with empty cans.
Observing river creatures
These days, we have fewer chances to connect with nature, so for outdoor recreation, it’s nice to choose activities that let you experience it.
When you visit a riverside, be sure to try observing river creatures.
Depending on the season, you’ll find a variety of wildlife you wouldn’t see in urban areas.
Adults can also relive their childhood while playing, making for wonderful memories.
campfire
At school training trips and camps, having a campfire is a staple, isn’t it? Even among adults, many probably learned folk dances in elementary school and danced around the campfire.
Just gazing at a fire is said to have a relaxing effect, so it’s a recommended recreation not only for children but also for adults battling stress in today’s society.
[Great for Field Trips, Too!] Outdoor Recreation & Games for Elementary School Kids: Experiential Activities (11–20)
Night hike
The winner of the 2nd Japan Booksellers’ Award was Riku Onda’s Nighttime Picnic.
It’s a coming-of-age story about high school students who take part in an event where they walk 80 kilometers through the night, and it was also adapted into a film starring Mikako Tabe.
Shihori Kanjiya and Aki Nishihara also appeared in it.
It’s perfect for the long nights of summer—how about organizing a night hike for elementary schoolers? They can’t handle an 80-kilometer trek, of course, but a shorter walk could become an unforgettable event!
Rock Picking Game
If you’re going somewhere with a pool, I recommend trying the “stone collecting game.” In this game, you drop stones or similar objects into the pool and dive to pick them up.
The rules are simple: the child who collects the most stones wins—but it gets surprisingly exciting.
This activity also has the added benefit of helping kids naturally learn how to move underwater.
outdoor cooking
Cooking, which would be categorized as housework at home, turns into a fun recreational activity just by doing it outside with the kids.
Making curry or having a barbecue is a camping classic, right? These days, there are even campgrounds where the staff handle fire-starting and cleanup so you can just enjoy the cooking, so let’s check out places like that too.
Snorkeling
Unlike scuba diving, snorkeling is an easy activity to enjoy and is hugely popular at tourist spots and seaside resorts.
If you stay within a depth where you can stand, there’s no risk of drowning, and even children who aren’t confident swimmers are sure to have a blast! If water gets into the snorkel, it can cause panic, so make sure to properly teach how to clear it.
If your school isn’t near the ocean, you can use a pool and turn it into a treasure-hunt event to enjoy snorkeling! Fun fact: “Schnorchel” is German, while “snorkel” is English!