With Covid concerns, many parents are weary of allowing their children to play with neighbors and friends. However, there are ways that children can still interact and play without risking the spread of Covid. We wanted to share some of our favorite socially distant games and activities for kids. These activities can be done outdoors to limit exposure.
Pictionary
This can be played with a group of children. Parents can provide paper and new pencils for each child. Remind the children to only use their own pencil and paper and maintain six feet between each other. Each child takes a turn drawing a picture and the other children guess what he/she is drawing. It could be played individually or you could create two teams to increase competition and engagement. Each team can take turns guessing and the team with the correct answer earns a point. The team with the most points wins.
Charades
This game is similar to Pictionary but encourages children to act out something rather than draw it. This can help children get their energy out. It can be played with two teams where each team takes turns guessing. This game is simple because it doesn’t require any materials. Parents can remind children to maintain distance between players while they are playing
Group Drawing
This activity encourages children to work together to create a group drawing. Each child should have their own writing utensil and they will add to the same drawing. They will each have a turn to add to the shared picture. This encourages creativity and teamwork.
Noodle Tag
This is similar to traditional tag, but children use pool noodles instead of their hands to tag each other. The children take turns being the taggers. A parent should wipe down the noodles after each child is done with their turn before they pass it to the next child.
Kickball
This game can be fun for a large group. Children will use their feet to kick the ball instead of their hands. This limits exposure and the spread of COVID-19. The two teams will take turns kicking and being out on the field. Encourage children to maintain distance between each other during the game.
Freeze Dance
This game can be fun for next-door neighbors to play with each other while staying in their own yards. A parent can man the speaker and turn it off and on throughout the game. When the music is playing all the children dance. When the music stops they have to freeze. If they are still moving, then they are out. The game continues until there is only one child left. That child is the winner.
Simon Says
This game can be used for a small or large group of children and doesn’t require any materials. The child who is Simon gives directions and children only do what “Simon says.” If they move when the command wasn’t prefaced with “Simon says” they are out. The game continues until one child is left. That child gets to be Simon next. Eventually, each child should get a turn playing Simon even if they don’t win any of the rounds.
Nature Scavenger Hunts
This can be a fun activity for a small group of children. Each child should have their own bag or team up with their siblings. Parents can create a list of items found in nature (i.e. rocks, leaves, grass) that children can look for in a yard or park. Children will collect these items in their bags and the first child or sibling team to gather all the items wins.
Encourage your children to get outside and find fun ways to safely interact with their friends in this COVID era. Play is crucial for their successful development. Children are social so it’s important that they can still have fun with their friends.
