New and Classic Games
This week's blog post is for up-and-coming racing stars inspired by Usain Bolt's epic 'space race'! The record-breaking sprinter made an exciting airplane flight last week to run in a zero-gravity environment! Now you can let your kids' imaginations run free with this compilation of 8 Great Racing Games for fun both indoors and outdoors. On your marks, get set, go!
1. Pretzel Race
- Children assume the 'pretzel position' by standing on their left leg.
- The right leg is lifted and crossed in front of the left knee.
- The arms are crossed on the chest.
- The presiding 'referee' (the responsible adult present) gives the word "Go" and the kids hop to the finish line.
- Each child is a 'pretzel' and the one who get to the finish line first in the pretzel position wins.
2. Shoebox Ski Race
- Each team has a pair of shoeboxes.
- The first player of each team steps into their shoeboxes (like shoes) and uses them to ski along the ground to a turn-around point and back to the start line.
- When the first player returns, the second takes their place, stepping into the shoeboxes to make the same journey.
- The team whose players all complete the journey first wins.
3. Balloon Race
This game is better for older kids and, the same as all of the games listed here, must be supervised by a responsible adult. Beware: popped balloons are a choking hazard.
- The children split into two teams. Each time stands in a line, one child in front of the other. The child at the front each gets a balloon.
- When the referee says 'Go', the child at the front passes the balloon between their legs to the child behind them, and then that child does the same to the child behind them, and so on.
- When the balloon reaches the last child in the line, that child must run to the front of the line with the balloon between their legs.
- This game can be done in a series of 5 repetitions, or just 1, depending on how many children are present. On the last repetition, the team who makes it back to the front with the balloon between their legs first wins.
4. Eggs-citing Penny Race
- This game can be played with two teams or more. Mark the starting line and turn-around line some distance ahead. Halfway between the lines, place an empty egg carton for each team. At the turn-around line, place a bowl of pennies for each team.
- One child from each team races from the starting line to the turn-around line, picks up a penny and returns.
- On their return, they drop a penny into the egg carton from waist height (the penny is not placed in the carton, but dropped!)
- Once they have returned, their teammates make the same journey one by one.
- The first team to have one penny in every cup of their egg carton wins.
5. Three Legged Race
What would a racing event be without this classic game?
- Divide teams into pairs of players of approximately the same height.
- Tie the adjacent legs of the pairs together uses a scarf.
- Each pair runs (together, as a 'three legged person') to the turn-around point and back and tags the next pair, who then make the same journey.
- Pairs cannot remove the scarf while running, which really challenges their coordination if they fall down and have to get back up!
- The team whose pairs all finish the journey first wins.
6. Sack Race
Another classic relay race!
- The children form two or more teams.
- One player from each team hops in a potato sack (or pillow case for smaller children) to the turn-around point and back to the start line.
- When they reach the start line, they give the sack to the next player who completes the same journey.
- The team whose players all finish the journey first wins.
7. Waiter!
- The children form two or more teams.
- One player from each team carries a paper plate with a ping-pong ball on top of it to the turn-around point and back.
- When they have completed the journey, the next player in their team has to do the same, and so on.
- If the ping-pong ball is dropped, then they must stop and put it back on the plate without taking steps.
- The team whose players all finish the journey first wins.
8. Hoop Race
- The children form two or more teams, each team getting one hula hoop.
- Each team joins hands, forming a circle. They have to hold hands throughout the race without letting go.
- Begin with one child with the team's hula hoop resting on their right arm. They have to wind the hula hoop over their heads and through their legs and on to their left arm, and then to the next person in the circle, who does the same.
- The team who passes the hula hoop all the way around the circle first wins.
Note
A responsible adult must supervise all the activities listed in this article at all times. Precautions must be taken by the responsible adult to ensure the racing environment is safe and there are no hazards such as hard surfaces, objects that can be tripped on, slippy surfaces, etc.
Sources
JoJoFun is not responsible for the content of external websites
Usain Bolt, Fastest Human On Earth . . . And Space?
20 Exciting Relay Races for Kids
Fun Relay Races for Your Kids
Fun Relay Races for Kids
How to Play the “Hula Hoop Races” Game
