Recommended outdoor games you can enjoy without any equipment
We were all set to have a blast playing outside, but realized we didn’t have any equipment like balls or rackets! So here are some outdoor games you can enjoy even without any gear.
All you need are the people you’re playing with! You might use things you find in nature or draw lines in the sand, but there’s no need to bring anything from home.
There are games for big groups as well as ones that are fun with just a few people, so if you find something you want to try, give it a go!
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Recommended outdoor games (11–20) that are fun to play without any equipment
Tag (or Tag, holding hands)
Do you know “Hand-Holding Tag”? It’s a classic outdoor game you can enjoy with a crowd in a big park or on a playground.
The person who’s “it” chases everyone, and when they tag someone, they hold hands and become “it” together.
The number of “it” players keeps growing, so the runners are on the edge of their seats! It’s not just about speed—keeping an eye on your surroundings and finding good escape routes is key.
You don’t need any special equipment, and everyone can get excited together.
Kids of course, but adults too can have fun and feel like a child again.
How about getting some fresh air and moving your body to the fullest?
Gatekeeper Rock-Paper-Scissors
A game that combines tag and rock-paper-scissors—the rules are easy to understand because it merges two classic games.
When a child is caught by the tagger, they play rock-paper-scissors.
If the child wins, the tagger must wait in place for 10 seconds, and the child avoids being caught and keeps running.
If the tagger wins, the child is taken to the tagger’s base and must stay there until rescued by a teammate.
Children who haven’t been caught try to evade the taggers on the field while challenging the gatekeepers at the tagger’s base to rock-paper-scissors in order to rescue their teammates.
Even those who aren’t fast runners have a chance to escape if they can win at rock-paper-scissors, so it’s likely more accessible than regular tag.
Hide-and-seek
Hide-and-seek brings back that childhood thrill, doesn’t it? The charm is that you can start as soon as everyone’s gathered.
Once you pick who’s “it,” all that’s left is to find a hiding spot.
You can tuck yourself away in the shade of trees at the park, behind playground equipment, in the shadow of buildings—there are so many places to hide.
That heart-pounding feeling of almost being found is irresistible.
Some people race to see who’s fastest, others plan out strategies—everyone has their own way to have fun.
It’s a game that gets everyone excited while keeping safety in mind.
And the best part is, you can still enjoy it as an adult with family and friends.
grass sumo
It’s a game where you hook long blades of grass together and pull to see whose grass stays intact without breaking.
Since it’s a play activity that uses plants, an important aspect is how it draws attention to the surrounding nature.
The key to winning is choosing a stronger plant than your opponent’s—try to gauge how dense and sturdy it is and prepare the toughest grass you can find.
If you both pick plants from the same area, it reduces differences in species and makes the game fairer.
As you play more rounds, you might also discover better pulling techniques.
hopscotch
Kenkenpa is such a nostalgic game, isn’t it? All you need are circles or squares drawn on the ground—no equipment required—and you can have a great time.
The best part is that everyone, from adults to kids, can enjoy it together.
It helps train your sense of balance and is perfect for getting your body moving.
It’s a great recommendation for playing with friends or family at the park.
If you make it a relay, it sparks a competitive spirit and makes it even more fun.
Simple yet profound—that’s the charm of kenkenpa.
I hope you’ll give it a try, too.
It’s sure to become a wonderful memory!
Simple rhythm game
Let me introduce a simple rhythm game that can also serve as jump rope practice.
Place a circle on the ground to mark the starting position, and use it as your reference point for jumping.
Follow the caller’s instructions on where to jump.
At first, you’ll get simple commands like “forward,” “right,” and “up,” but as the level increases, combinations like “right-left” or “front-back” get mixed in, testing your reflexes.
The more complex it gets, the more excited kids are likely to be.
It doesn’t take up much space, so give it a try!
Tag, child-catching demon (a variant of tag called “Kotorooni”/“Kotoro-oni”).
It’s a game played with an “it” (oni) and a line of children.
In regular tag, you run away so you don’t get caught by the tagger, right? In Kotorogui, the oni targets the child at the end of a single-file line.
The oni moves to try to tag the last child with a ball.
The child at the front of the line spreads their arms to guard the last child from the oni.
It’s surprisingly strenuous, making it perfect for kids who want to be active.
As the line gets longer, it becomes easier for the oni to exploit gaps in the guard.
Arranged ice ogre
In freeze tag, if a child is touched by the It (oni), they freeze and can’t move; if a teammate touches them, they can run again.
It’s a classic game of tag that kids have loved for ages.
First, decide who’s It with rock-paper-scissors or similar.
Choose the number of Its based on the total number of players.
At the start signal, the children run away and the It chases them.
The It should not only chase the runners but also guard frozen players to prevent them from being rescued.
When freezing, standing still is fine, but you can also add a twist—like striking a monkey pose—so it’s clear they’ve been tagged.
7 park games kids can play without equipment
Park games that everyone from small children to adults can enjoy together without any preparation are great because they can be played with whoever happens to be there.
Hopscotch, hand-pushing sumo, number games, playing house, shadow play, and drawing are all familiar activities that don’t require any equipment.
You can also use natural materials like pebbles and sticks, which makes it easy to invent games and come up with original rules with friends.
Let’s make the most of the wide-open space of the park and have fun moving our whole bodies with games that can only be enjoyed in such a setting.
Mukkuri Kuma-san!
“Mukkuri Kuma-san” is a game of tag where you can enjoy music and singing.
First, choose one person to be “it” (the bear), and the others will be the children who run away.
The bear sits down and covers their face with both hands.
The children form a circle around the bear, hold hands, and walk around the bear while singing along to the music.
In the lyrics, there is a part at the end where the bear wakes up; at that point, the bear opens their eyes and starts chasing the children.
When the bear wakes up, the children should immediately let go of each other’s hands and run away.
Whoever is caught becomes the next bear.