Playing outside is not only fun—it also has lots of benefits.
For example, playing with many friends outdoors helps build communication skills, and just running around while you play naturally improves your physical abilities.
This article introduces outdoor play ideas suited for elementary school children.
If you’re looking for outdoor games or exercises for grade-schoolers, please use this as a reference.
Playing indoors is fun too, but moving your body helps release energy and refresh your mood.
Above all, I think every activity will make you feel, “Playing outside is so much fun!”
- Recommended outdoor games you can enjoy without any equipment
- Play ideas kids can enjoy from 1st to 6th grade [indoors & outdoors]
- [Play Right Away!] Exciting Recreation Games Recommended for Elementary School Students
- Indoor and outdoor activities that avoid crowding. Enjoyable for students from first to sixth grade.
- [For Kids] Outdoor Recreation Games: Fun Outdoor Play
- Outdoor Recreation Popularity Rankings
- Fun Ball Sports: A Roundup of Ball-Based Play, Games, and Sports
- Fun Indoor Games for Elementary School Kids Without Any Equipment
- Recommended outdoor games and recreational activities for lower elementary school children
- Recommended for upper elementary grades! Exciting indoor recreation and games
- [Active Outdoors!] A roundup of garden games you can enjoy with your kids
- [For Kids] Exciting Class-vs-Class Games: Team Competition Activities
- [Sports] Play that gets you moving. A roundup of exercises perfect for adults.
Get Moving! Outdoor Play Ideas for Elementary School Kids (1–10)
Cops and Robbers
It’s a team game similar to tag, played with “cops” and “robbers.” It’s best with 10 or more players.
Divide into two teams—Cops and Robbers.
The Robbers run away so they don’t get caught, while the Cops chase them.
When a Cop catches a Robber, they take them to a designated “jail.” If a free Robber touches a teammate inside the jail, the captured Robber can escape and run again.
If the Cops catch all the Robbers within the set time, the Cops win.
If the Robbers evade capture until time runs out, the Robbers win.
Because you move as a team, it also helps build camaraderie and communication skills!
Dodgebee
Dotchbee is a game where you play dodgeball using a flying disc.
Unlike regular dodgeball, the disc you throw is made of a soft, non-painful material, so it’s safe even if you get hit.
Frisbees are easy for anyone to throw, so—unlike dodgeball—the disc doesn’t end up constantly going to the strongest throwers.
It also has strategic depth, making it popular not just with kids but with adults too, and it’s been a hot topic on YouTube.
In Sakura City, Chiba Prefecture, there’s even a matchmaking event featuring Dotchbee called “Sports Matchmaking: Full-Power Dotchbee with a Heart in Love.” It’s highly recommended as a sport for building connections.
Shoe-tossing
An outdoor game using shoes that can be played solo or with a group.
Swing your leg as hard as you can and launch the shoe you’re wearing into the air.
To make it easier to fling, loosen your shoe beforehand, and swing your leg at about a 45-degree angle to send it forward more easily.
Since you’ll be throwing the shoe with force, avoid easily damaged footwear like leather shoes and play with sneakers instead.
You can even use it to predict the weather: if the shoe lands upright, it’s “sunny,” if it lands on its side, it’s “cloudy,” and if it lands upside down, it’s “rain.” When you go to retrieve the thrown shoe, you’ll be hopping on one foot (like “kenken”), which also helps strengthen your legs and hips.
tag
A classic outdoor game! Among outdoor games played by three or more people, this is the most popular.
From the group of players, choose one person to be “it,” for example by playing rock-paper-scissors.
While “it” stays in place for a set time—such as counting to 10—everyone else runs away.
After the set time passes, “it” chases the others, and whoever gets tagged becomes the next “it.” The area for running is basically free, but people often limit the playing field.
Another appeal is that there’s no limit to the number of players.
In fact, the YouTubers Fischer’s once gathered 10,908 people to play tag on their channel and set a Guinness World Record for “the most people playing tag simultaneously in a single venue.”
Kick the can
An outdoor game for multiple players that uses an empty can, derived from hide-and-seek.
First, draw a circle about 1 meter in radius on the ground and place an empty can at its center.
Choose one person to be “it,” and have someone else kick the can far away.
While the it-player searches for the can and puts it back in the center, everyone else hides so they won’t be found.
When the it-player spots someone, they say “Found you, [Name]!” and step on the can.
Once everyone has been found, the first person caught switches roles with the it-player.
If, while the it-player is searching, someone kicks the can inside the circle, the game restarts with the same it-player.
Because of the game’s mechanics, it’s a form of hide-and-seek that can be played in a relatively small area, which also makes it reassuring since players are less likely to get lost.
dodgeball
Hasn’t everyone played this at least once on their elementary school playground? Make a rectangular court from two squares placed side by side, and split into two teams.
Each team goes into one of the square courts, the “infield.” Throw the ball toward the opposing court to try to hit members of the other team.
Hitting someone in the face is a foul, so be careful.
Anyone hit by the ball moves to the “outfield,” which is outside the opponent’s court.
From the outfield, pick up balls that leave the infield and join the attack by aiming at the opposing team or passing the ball to your teammates’ court.
The game ends when one team has no players left in its infield; the team with players remaining in the infield wins.
It’s also enjoyed as a sport, with the All-Japan Dodgeball Championship held every year.
It’s recommended for groups of 20 or more players!
Hana Ichi Monme
It brings to mind an old, nostalgic Showa-era scene: elementary school girls playing Hana Ichi Monme in a back alley.
The “ichimonme” in Hana Ichi Monme refers to “gin ichimonme,” with “monme” being a unit of currency for silver coins.
The song basically means, “We’re happy to buy the flowers cheaply; we’re upset the flowers were bought cheaply.” Adults can revisit their childhood, and first-time grade-schoolers can enjoy Hana Ichi Monme with a fresh spirit! A tip for having fun: don’t get too fixated on competing over one person.
Let’s keep smiling right to the end.
Of course, boys are welcome too!