18+ Favorite Field Day Games

A school field day is a favorite year-end event. To make yours a success, plan a variety of activities that are both fun and age-appropriate for students. As with other carnival-type activities, remember that activities that are too challenging for young students can cause frustration, while older kids may lose interest in ones that don’t provide enough of a challenge. (We’ve suggested the appropriate age group for each activity, though some could be adjusted for the older or younger set.) And remember, field day doesn't have to be complicated or expensive. The simplest games are often the most fun, and the most memorable!

Parachute Popcorn

Have eight to 10 kids hold the edges of the parachute and toss light plastic or foam balls on top. Tell the children to start popping the balls up by making waves with the parachute. Add more balls throughout the game to see how many can stay in before any fall out. (grades K-2)

At home: While the majority of families don’t have eight to 10 kids, younger kids do love this game and it’s doable as long as at least two people can hold the “parachute.” Use any tarp (or even a sheet folded up) and light plastic balls.

Balloon Pop Relay Race

You’ll need several inflated balloons and a chair. The object is for the children to take a balloon, run to place it on a chair, and sit on the balloon until it pops. (K-5)

At home: A scaled-down version of this is completely doable as is; it’s just a matter of whether you have, or feel like ordering, balloons. You could also use bubble wrap or air packs that many companies use to ship products and make the object of the game whoever can pop all their bubbles first.

Pool Noodle Baseball or Hockey

Use cones or other markers to set up a goal. Cut pool noodles in half and have kids swing their noodle “bats” at a beach ball or other large, light ball with the object of getting the ball through the goal. You can also use pool noodles in place of hockey sticks for a pool noodle hockey game.(grades K-2)

At home: If you don’t have pool noodles, you can substitute a large plastic bottle for the “bat.” If you don’t have the yard space, use jump rope or sidewalk chalk to mark the goal line and have kids get the ball past the line. Indoors you could have try to get the ball into an empty laundry basket.

Crab Soccer

Crab soccer is a popular field day activity at elementary schools. The way this fun soccer game works is simple: students need to move using the crab walk to get close to the ball and kick it for their team.

Tug of War

It doesn’t get more old-school than this. Round up teams of students (and if you like, an adult or two on each team) and have them pull the opposite ends of the rope to see which team is the strongest. (grades K-5)

Golf Ball Bowling

Set up bowling pins and give participants three chances to knock down the pins with a golf ball. (grades 3-5)

At home: You might not have plastic bowling pins around, but you probably have at least a few plastic bottles in your recycling. Set them up (size and shape don’t really matter) and use any kind of ball. Tip: choose a hallway or other narrow area in your house so that “gutter balls” bounce back into the “bowling lane” rather than rolling under the couch or another hard-to-grab place.

Car Wash Relay

Fill a bucket with water and place a sponge in it. The object of the game is for the child to run with the sponge to a cup and squeeze as much water into it as he can. (grades 3-5)

Sack Race

Use feed sacks or pillow cases. Participants put both legs in their sack and jump to the finish line. (grades 3-5)

Hula-Hoop (or Inflatable Rings) Ring Toss

Set up 15 to 20 cones, a mix of small, medium, and large, on a field or pavement. Have kids try to toss Hula-Hoops over the cones. You can also use inflatable rings (like pool floats). (grades 3-5)

Plunge Run

Here's how a plunge run works: on a basketball court or similar, a student runs to the opposite end of the court and scoops a toilet plunger out of a container filled with water (so, the cup in the plunger is transporting the water). They have to make it back to their team and dump the water into their designated container. Which ever team fills their container first wins!

Pizza Box Race

Using empty pizza boxes, students have to “deliver a pizza” without dropping it. Each student holds the box up in the air with one hand and has to run down and back without dropping the pizza.

Water Balloon Toss

The key to a successful water balloon toss is making sure you have enough prefilled balloons. For the toss, partners stand about a foot apart and toss the balloon back and forth. After each successful toss, one partner takes a step back. Let the pairs continue to toss until their balloon bursts. (grades 3-5)

Ping-Pong Shake

For this activity, you’ll need to ask for donations of large empty tissue boxes ahead of time. Cut the back side of the boxes to make two slits approximately 4 to 5 inches apart. Slide belts through the slits in each box, fill the boxes with table tennis balls, strap the belts around students’ waists, and challenge them to shake the balls out of the box. (grades 3-5)

Classic Field Day Games

• Red light green light
• Three-legged race
• Musical chairs
• Sponge race (dunk a sponge in water and have a relay race, with students passing the sponge back and forth)
• Egg and spoon race (tip: use fake eggs!)
• Jumbo checkers, Jenga, or Connect 4
• Jump rope station
• Freeze tag (try a fun variation of freeze tag using pool noodles to "tag"!)
• Floor is lava
• Cup stacking
• Rock Paper Scissors tournament
• Water blasters (use water blasters to knock down whiffle balls balancing on cones)
• Frisbee golf using tomato cages and Dollar store baskets

Fun Field Day Add-ons

• Dunk tank
• Ask your local fire department to spray the kids with the fire hose
• Have a "cool down" station where students can sit out games to color, draw, make a craft, or play with Playdoh.
• Yearbook signing station (tip: gift something inexpensive to all students - like an inflatable beach ball - so that everyone gets something fun to take home.)
• Italian ice or Snow Cone station
• Face painting
• Temporary tattoo station
• Lollipop pull
• Bubble machine or foam party with dance music
• Making bubbles station: Set up about 10 bubble plates or buckets and pour bubble solution into them. Place different wands into the buckets (or bubble guns if desired) for kids to make and pop bubbles. For this activity, be sure to caution the students about safety and not getting the solution in their eyes.
• Gaga ball

Fun and Active Ideas To Try At Home

Activity Jar

Fill it up with movement ideas like “7 jump-ups” or “run around the house twice.” Pull out a few of the activities for a quick mini “field day.”

Homemade Obstacle Course

The sky’s really the limit with this oldie but goodie. Some ideas:

• Use ping pong balls or balled-up socks for a ball toss game (make it in the bucket or box), or toss throw pillows into a laundry basket

• Set up cup stacking, a station where kids have to stack and unstack items

• Have them put blocks or Legos in a basket, carry it to a certain spot, return to the start, and pour them out for the next player

• Time players to see who completes the course fastest

• Have players take turns setting up new obstacle courses

Originally posted in 2016 and updated regularly. Special thanks to retired gym teacher Kathy Hibbard of Littleton, Mass., schools for contributing to this article.