Our favourite outdoor games
Editor-in-chief Nik Niethammer plays the «recycling game» with his kids
«As far as I know, the game I'm suggesting doesn't have a specific name. The idea is that a game leader - an adult or a child - gives tasks to a group of children (any number of children can play). These have to be completed within a certain time and, of course, in the great outdoors - the forest is the best place for this. The tasks consist of searching for and collecting certain things directly on site.»
Some examples
Who is the fastest to find three glittering stones? Two crooked pine cones? A branch fork? A twig with berries on it? The level of difficulty can be increased as required: Who is the quickest to find a round, a square and a triangular stone? An abandoned bird's nest? An empty honeycomb? And the highlight: who can find three things that don't belong in the forest the fastest? The children then drag in plastic rubbish, boards with nails, the remains of ropes and fences, etc. surprisingly quickly.
Tip: Incidentally, it is advisable to take a jute sack with you so that you can stow things away and carry them out of the forest. The game is suitable for children of kindergarten age and in the first years of primary school.
5 wild ideas with sidewalk chalk from online editor Maria Ryser
«Sidewalk chalk is great. It's versatile, washes off and is super cheap to buy wholesale. From the age of two until well into primary school, my three children played diligently with sidewalk chalk.»
Here are our 5 favourites:
- Free and wild drawing: on the neighbourhood street, the pavement, on walls and fences or street lamp posts. The chalk has a different effect depending on the material (tar, metal, wood).
- Draw the game «Heaven & Hell» on the neighbourhood street and play it together (forewarning: the next generation draws and hops the game somehow differently. Exciting!)
- Grind street chalk on the ground, sorted by colour, mix the flour with water and use the different colour pastes as make-up (it washes off very easily, we promise)
- Art with chalk: Attach leftover decorative material (ribbons, buttons, magazines) or natural objects (flowers, leaves, blades of grass, pine cones, etc.) to the street chalk with glue and display them (with admission for the adults, of course...).
- Playing with chalk: The individual chalks transform into the children's favourite characters and experience many adventures outside, build a home, go out to eat, sleep, dance, make friends, argue and make up.
Scavenger hunt! Tip from deputy editor-in-chief Evelin Hartmann
«Where do we find this section of the picture? And where does this trail lead? Scavenger hunts come in countless varieties and are extremely popular. Even if they are a bit time-consuming. However, our nine-year-old and her friends are now organising this children's birthday party classic for her younger siblings - and of course it can be done on any day. It doesn't actually take much: a few good ideas for hiding places, pieces of paper and pens and of course: a treasure! The great thing is that if the weather doesn't play ball, the treasure can also be hidden and found indoors. Ideal for children from kindergarten age.»
- Scavenger hunt
The classic scavenger hunt is played like this: The players divide into two groups: «hiders» and «seekers». The hider group starts with a 15-minute head start. The hiders use arrows made of different materials to mark their way. In order to lead the seekers on the wrong track, it is of course also possible to lay out false trails. The scavenger hunt ends when the chasing group has caught up with the hiders or the treasure has been found.
«Classics always stand the test of time,» says Sales Manager Renata Canclini
«First of all, I had to think about what our neighbours' children were playing today, as my two daughters are already grown up. The girls in our house have made hobby horses and play circus with them in the garden. I often see that today's children still play "Robbers and Poli» like they used to. The older boys also love playing this game. Our schoolchildren in the house love role-playing games like «Müetterlis and Väterlis».
- «Robbers and Poli»
The children are divided into two groups: Robbers and policemen. The policemen count to 100 together while the robbers hide. The policemen then start looking for the robbers. If they succeed in tapping a robber on the back three times, he is caught and has to go to prison. However, if a robber who is still free manages to tap a prisoner on the back three times, he is free again and can run away. The game ends when all the robbers are caught or the policemen give up. - «Müetterlis and Väterlis»
This is a classic role-playing game. It defines who can be father, mother, child and dog. The gender of the players is irrelevant. A boy can also be the mother. After that, there are no limits to the imagination. You play as long as it's fun.
«What lasts a long time is still fun today,» says online manager Florina Schwander
«My children feel like they live on the street. They are outside as often as possible. And as different as other areas of their lives are from my childhood, their games are just as similar to mine. As mentioned above, they play "cops and robbers» (I'm not sure where the change of name comes from), organise treasure hunts, compete in spitting cherry pits or invent an obstacle course around a large building nearby. If it gets too loud and wild, I give them chalk and they start drawing or chiselling. Whatever works:
- All forms of fangis: I'm always amazed at the variety of different types. Currently very popular: fir fangis. If you are caught, you stand like a fir tree with your arms outstretched and legs spread. You can then be freed by another child crawling underneath. Or, of course, high catchis; you are safe at height.
- Lumpe lege: The children stand in a circle and someone walks around with a «rag» (any kind of cloth or cap) and drops it as inconspicuously as possible behind a child. We sing: «Lumpe lege, Lumpe lege, Lumpe is scho gleit, niemerem öppis gseit». Then the aim is to get back to your place as quickly as possible without the other child with the rag catching up with you. If you manage to do this, the other child gets the rag, otherwise you have to do the round again yourself.
- Reading the newspaper: A child turns round and pretends to be reading the newspaper. If it turns round, the others have to stand there petrified. If someone moves, they have to go back to the starting line. Whoever manages to touch the newspaper reader without him or her noticing has won and can become the next newspaper reader. This also works on the skating rink.
My goal for this summer is to get my daughter and the boys to play «Elästerlä», i.e. Gummitwist. I loved it as a child, but I've forgotten the exact sequence of the tens. If anyone still knows exactly how to do it, please let me know!"
«If games, then preferably Kubb,» says deputy online manager Hanna Lauer
«I'm not really the game type, but I think Kubb is great! The so-called Viking chess is played on the grass in the park, in the garden or in a green area. It goes on forever, because although it looks simple, it requires a certain amount of skill and strategy.»
How do you play Kubb?
Two teams of two to six players are formed. The size of the playing field is 5 x 8 metres. The teams each try to hit the opposing team's wooden blocks (kubbs) with round throwing sticks. The king stands in the centre of the playing field and may only be knocked over once all of the opposing team's kubbs have fallen. The first player to hit all the kubbs in the opposing team's half of the field and the king is the winner.
