Supplies: Spoons (one per player), eggs (real or plastic, one per team) For this one, you’ll need two teams. Each player gets a spoon and an egg (hardboiled or plastic). Each team must carry their egg on their spoon from the starting line to a turnaround point and back again. Then, the egg is passed off to a teammate who takes their turn. If the egg is dropped, the player must stop and retrieve it. The first team to complete the relay wins. Variations: If you’re willing to make a little mess, use a raw egg. In this version, kids will have to try to keep the egg from breaking or cracking for the duration of the relay. If you have bigger teams (and a full carton of eggs to spare) you can also play a version where each team is allowed one or two replacement eggs. If you want to use the plastic variety, change the game up by skipping the spoon and having kids run the relay with an armful of colorful, non-messy eggs. Don’t have any eggs on hand? Use coins (one per player, though you may want a few spares) instead. In this take, you can place a small coin on the spoon and have kids try to keep it from falling as they race. Whether you use eggs or coins, try increasing the challenge by adding obstacles to navigate through or require players to skip instead of walk. Supplies: An assortment of dress-up items Place two piles, boxes, or suitcases filled with dress-up items at each end of the playing area. Divide the group into two teams. The first player runs to the pile, puts on all the dress-ups on top of their regular clothes, then runs back to the team. When they make it back, the player must remove all the dress-up items and pass them off to the next player, who puts them on and runs the length of the playing space before returning to the team. Then, they’ll remove the dress-up items so the next player can repeat the process. Variations: Have the first player put on just one item from the pile. The second player has to put on that item, plus a second one. The third player puts on three items, and so on. Supplies: One hula hoop for each team Divide the group into two teams (or more, if you have a lot of players). Loop a hula hoop over one player’s arm and have each team join hands to form a circle. Without letting go of the other player’s hands, the player with the hoop must step into and through the hoop, so it rests on their other arm. From there, the player must slide it onto the next player’s arm, who repeats the same maneuver. Whichever team can pass the hoop all the way around the circle first wins. Variation: Have teams stand in a straight line instead of a circle. Supplies: Empty egg cartons, bowls, and at least one penny per player (a few spares are a good idea in case they get lost) To set this relay up, start by marking off two lines: a starting line and a turn-around line. Divide your players into teams. Place an egg carton (lid removed) about halfway between the two lines, one for each team. Next, place a bowl containing enough pennies for each player at the turn-around line. The first player from each team starts the game by racing to the bowl and picking up one penny. Then, they run to their team’s egg carton and, from waist height, drop the penny into one of the carton’s cups (decide in advance whether second chances are allowed if a player misses). The game is over when one team has successfully dropped a penny into each cup in their egg carton. Variations: Swap beans or other party-themed trinkets for pennies. If you have spoons from your egg-spoon relay, combine the two games by having players carry their pennies or other items to the carton on the utensil. Supplies: Buckets, cups, or sponges Give each team a plastic cup and put a bucket full of water at the starting line. Put one empty bucket for each team at the finish line. Players take turns filling up their cup from their full bucket and dumping it into their empty bucket. The game is over when the starting-line bucket is empty. The team with the most water in their finish-line bucket wins. Variations: Use a large sponge to soak up water instead of a cup. Or, on a hot day, poke holes in the bottom of the cup and have the kids carry it over their heads to the finish line for a relay turned water game. Supplies: Fabric sashes, long scarves, or bandanas Pair kids up in teams of two or let them pick a partner. With each pair standing side by side, use a bandana, scarf, or piece of fabric to tie the inside legs of each member of the duo together to create the shared third leg. Mark your starting and stopping points, then let the race begin! Each three-legged pair will need to tap into their cooperation and communication skills to work together to make it to the finish line. Variation: Instead of connecting them at the legs, have duos complete the relay with linked arms. Make the race more challenging by giving the pair something to carry to the finish line, like a football or a small bucket of water. Supplies: Balloons These races are best for kids over the age of 4, as younger children may be scared by the sound of popping balloons and resulting pieces are a choking hazard. Split the group into teams and have them stand in a single-file line. Give the leader of each line a balloon. They must pass it through their legs to the player behind them. That player passes the balloon overhead to the next player. Repeat this pattern until the balloon gets all the way to the end of the line. The last player runs back to the front of the line and pops the balloon to win the game, though the latter step can be optional. Variations: For outside fun, use water balloons or a beach ball. Supplies: None Before starting the game, you’ll need to teach kids how to do the crab crawl. First, have them sit on the ground. Then, have them put their hands behind them, palms down, with fingers facing their feet. Have them bring their knees about hip-width apart. Their feet should be planted on the ground. Next, have them lift their bottoms from the hips and push up so their body weight is evenly distributed between their hands and feet. It helps if they can tighten their tummies. From there, they can scuttle along, moving one hand and one foot forward, then the other, trying to keep their bottom off the ground as they do. Once the players are divided into teams and have mastered the crab walk, set the start and finish lines and have the kids race. Variations: If the crab position is too difficult, kids can crawl sideways on their hands and knees instead. You can also get creative, especially with younger kids, by having them impersonate their favorite animal (think bunny hops or penguin waddles) for the race instead. Supplies: None Another relay that gets kids moving and bending in new ways is the wheelbarrow race. Mark your start and finish lines, then pair kids off in teams of two (or let them choose a partner). In each pair, one player will stand and hold the ankles of the other player, who must walk on their hands. Together, they’ll head for the finish line as fast as they can. When they reach it, the players switch spots and head back to the starting line. The first team to make it back wins. Supplies: Two shoeboxes for each team Divide the children into teams. Provide two empty shoeboxes, without lids, to each group. When the race starts, the first player on each team steps into the shoeboxes and slides their way to a turn-around point, then turns and makes their way back to their team. Then the next player on the team hops into the shoeboxes for their turn. The first team to have all their players make it back to start wins. Variations: Add obstacles (such as cones to maneuver around) to the playing field. Supplies: None The rules for this are pretty simple: Players take turns traveling from point A to point B and back again until the whole team has participated. The catch? Each player on the team has to travel in a different way (of their choosing). One runs, one skips, one-hops, and so on. Variation: Provide a baton or themed party item that teammates must pass to each other. Increase the challenge of the game by giving them an item that will change or limit the movements they can use. Supplies: Newspapers Each player has two pieces of newspaper. During the race, the runner puts one piece of paper down and steps on it. Then they put the next piece of newspaper down (while picking up the other) and steps on it. The players continue in this fashion until they get to the next player on their relay. Once they cross the line, that player takes their newspapers and does the same thing going back until they cross the finish line for the next teammate. Variations: If you do not have newspapers, you can use towels, paper towels, or cut pieces of cloth that correspond with the party theme. Supplies: Two chairs and a broom Set two chairs a broom’s length apart and lay the broom across the chairs. Players will run toward the chairs, drop down and crawl under the broom without knocking it off, and then stand up and run to tag the next player in the relay. This race continues until every person on the relay team has taken a turn. The first team done wins. Variations: Use a stick or pole if you do not have a broom. You also can use the rungs on the chair to lower the broom for the next round so that players have to do a belly crawl under the broom or pole. Supplies: Paper bags Divide the kids into teams and give them each a paper bag. The kids will need to blow up their paper bag, pop it, and then race to point A and back to point B before their teammate can blow up their paper bag and pop it. They cannot take off until their bag pops. You may want to have the kids practice popping a bag before the game begins, so that they know what to expect. Variations: Set up obstacles for them to run through after popping their bag or have them pop a bag at both ends of the course. Supplies: Popcorn, four bowls, paper cups Set two bowls of popcorn at a distance from the starting point—one for each team. Then put an empty popcorn bowl at the finish line. Give each child a paper cup. The object of the game is for each child to run to the popcorn bowl, fill their cup with popcorn, and then race back to the starting point and empty their cup into the empty bowl. Their teammate can take off once the popcorn is in the bowl. The team with the most popcorn at the end of the relay wins. Variations: Instead of running back with the full popcorn cup, have the kids place the full popcorn cup on their heads to run back. They need to avoid spilling the popcorn or they have to go back. Note that this game is messy, so you probably do not want to play it indoors. By playing outside, the birds will be able to enjoy the popcorn once you are done. Plus, popcorn is biodegradable. Just make sure you clean up the paper cups and bowls.
