Children's Garden Games
- Playing games outdoors can be a fun learning experience for children.gardener boy image by Piter Pkruger from Fotolia.com
Outdoor games are an excellent vehicle for learning. Letting children explore the outdoors can be educational and fun, and contribute to their over all growth. An outdoor garden or backyard is a great space for enhancing a child's learning by observing what's around them in nature. - A scavenger hunt will inspire healthy competition and lots of giggles. It takes only a few minutes of preparation on your part. Children can play individually or in teams. Before the children arrive, make a list of items around the garden that children should hunt for (for example, a smooth rock, a fuzzy leaf, or a piece of mulch). Make a copy of the list for each child or team, and distribute them, along with a paper bag, before the start of the hunt. Have all the children start and end at the same time. When the hunt is over, ask the children to compare what's in their bags; they'll enjoy seeing the variations of items found.
- This activity poses a challenge to younger children, and encourages them to be inquisitive. Give each child an empty matchbox; all matchboxes should be roughly the same size. Instruct them to search the garden or backyard for items that can fit inside the matchbox. Kids will have fun exploring while they create a relationship to the outdoors. At the conclusion of the game, have children share with the group what they found. Kids will get a kick out of seeing what others collected.
- Another game suitable for younger children is "I Spy." Have children sit in a circle in the garden. Ask one child to select an item they can see from where they're sitting. Ask the child to give one clue about the chosen item, then let each child in the circle ask a "yes" or "no" question about it. The child who correctly guesses the item wins. Repeat the process until all children have had a turn identifying an object and participating in the game.
