The document provides descriptions of several active playground games for children of different age groups. The games include: 1) Secret Squirrel - A game where one player secretly passes a small object to another player who must try to reach a designated base without being tagged. 2) Name Ball - Players stand in a circle and the one in the middle throws a ball and calls out another player's name, who must catch it before it bounces twice. 3) Please Mr. Crocodile - One player is Mr. Crocodile and the others call out to cross a river, allowing steps forward for those matching criteria like a clothing color. The document lists the age groups, number of players

1. Actiive Pllaygrounds
Act ve P aygrounds
Secret Squirrel
Age Group: 6-10
Number of friends: no more than 8
Equipment: a small object e.g a pebble, marble or a stone
How to play
• The players stand in a line with their hands cupped in front of them.
• The chosen player goes along the line and secretly drops the stone into
one player’s hands.
• Pick a “base” somewhere in the playground.
• On the call “Go” the player with the stone has to get to the base
without being tagged.
• If this player or squirrel is successful he/she is allowed to pass the
stone.
Actiive Pllaygrounds
Act ve P aygrounds
Name Ball
Age Group:
Number of friends: no more than 8
Equipment: a ball
How to play
• Stand in a circle with one child in the centre
• The child in the middle throws the ball in the air and calls out the name
of one of the other players
• That child must try to catch the ball before it bounces more than once
• If they manage to catch the ball before one bounce, they go into the
middle, if they don’t catch it the person in the middle has another turn

2. Actiive Pllaygrounds
Act ve P aygrounds
Please Mr Crocodile
Age Group:
Number of friends: no more than 10
Equipment: none
How to play
• One child is Mr. Crocodile and he/she stands
with his/her back turned to the others,
about 5 metres from them
• The rest of the children call out:
• Mr. Crocodile then replies with something like:
• If a child was wearing something red they could
take a step forward
• The first child to reach Mr. Crocodile swaps
places with him
Actiive Pllaygrounds
Act ve P aygrounds
Please Mr. Crocodile
can we cross your
Golden River?
Only if your wearing
something red or
Only if you have
brown hair.
Moving Statues
Age Group:
Number of friends: 8-12
Equipment: None
How to play
• Choose one player to stand at the front, with their back to the others
• The other children space out behind them
• The player at the front counts to 10 quietly to themselves. 1,2,3,4,5,6,7,
8,9,10!
• children can move around, jump, dance etc
• When the player has counted to 10 they turn round quickly
• The players should stop moving and stand still when the counter turns
round
• Anyone caught moving stands out for one game and joins in in the next
game
• Swap counters after 2 goes

3. Actiive Pllaygrounds
Act ve P aygrounds
Pirate’s Treasure
Age Group:
Number of friends: 8
Equipment: Treasure (bean bag) on an island (hoop)
How to play
• Stand in a circle with one child in the middle as the pirate
• Children can run into the circle to try and capture the treasure
• Any child who can get the treasure and run back to their place, becomes
the new pirate
• If the pirate tags anyone before they get back to their place, they are
out
Actiive Pllaygrounds
Act ve P aygrounds
Age Group:
Number of friends: 6 - 10
Equipment: None
How
•
•
•
Honey do you like me?
Honey, I like
you but I just
can’t smile!
to play
Players stand in a circle with one player in the middle
The middle person must choose someone in the circle and ask:
The child being questioned must answer:
• If he/she smiles or laughs when saying this, they then swap places with
the child in the middle
• The person in the middle is not allowed to touch or tickle the other
players, but they can make silly faces!

4. Actiive Pllaygrounds
Act ve P aygrounds
Queenie
Age Group:
Number of friends: 8-12
Equipment: A small ball
How to play
• Everyone stands in a line. Choose one friend to be Queenie
• Queenie stands with his/her back to everyone
• She/he then throws the ball over her/his head.
• The other players all try to catch it
• When someone has it, the players all put their hands behind their backs
• Queenie turns round and has to guess who has the ball. They could ask the
group to do actions like turning round, hands in the air
• If they guess correctly they have another turn as Queenie, if they are
wrong they swap with the person who had the ball
Actiive Pllaygrounds
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Farmers in his Den
Age Group: 4-8
Number of friends: 10-12
Equipment: None
How to play
• Friends stand in a circle, joining hands and walking round.
• One child is in the middle as the farmer.
• The children walk round singing the following song:
• The person in the middle then chooses someone to be the wife.
• They then sing: The wife wants a child.
So the wife chooses someone to be the child.
“The farmers in his den
• Then: The child wants a nurse.
The farmers in his den
• Then: The nurse wants a dog.
Eee – aye- oh – ma – daddy – oh
• Then: The dog wants a bone.
The farmers in his den”
• Then: We all pat the bone.

5. Actiive Pllaygrounds
Act ve P aygrounds
Piggy in the Middle
Age Group: 5-12
Number of friends: 3
Equipment: a ball
I want to catch
the ball!
How to play
• Choose 1 child to be the “piggy in the middle”. They stand between the
other 2 children.
• The children throw the ball to each other and the child in the middle tries
to catch it.
• When they catch the ball, they swap over with the child who threw it
• If you have been playing for a while and the child in the middle doesn’t
catch the ball, swap over anyway.
Actiive Pllaygrounds
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Catch Don’t Catch
Age Group: 6-12
Number of friends: 8
Equipment: a ball
How
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
to play
The children stand in a circle with their arms folded.
The child in the middle will throw the ball to someone in the circle.
They will either shout “Catch” or “Don’t Catch”
If they say: “CATCH”
The player should not catch the ball and can’t move their arms.
If they say: “DON’T CATCH”
The player should catch the ball.
If a player does the wrong thing or misses the ball, they are out for one
turn.

6. Actiive Pllaygrounds
Act ve P aygrounds
Hopscotch
Age Group: 5-12
Number of friends: 4 or 5
Equipment: hopscotch markings and beanbag or stone
How to play
•
•
First player stands at the beginning of the pattern, to toss their marker onto square 1
Once they have tossed it, they hop over square 1 to square 2 and then continue hopping up
to square 8, turn round and hop back again. Pause in square 2 to pick up marker, hop in
square 1 and out
• The same child continues by tossing the marker into square 2 then hopping into square 1,
over square 2 and up to square 8 and back, pausing to pick up marker
• A player must always hop over any square where a marker has been tossed
• A player is out if:
The marker lands in the wrong square. The hopper steps on a line.
The hopper looses balance and puts a second hand or foot down
The hopper goes into a square where a marker is. The hopper puts 2 feet down in a single box
• The next player then starts
Actiive Pllaygrounds
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Piggy in the Ring
Age Group: 5-10
Number of friends: about 8
Equipment: a ball
How to play
• Everyone stand in a circle, choose one friend to be “piggy in the ring”.
• The children throw the ball to each other and the child in the middle
tries to catch it.
• When they catch the ball, they swap over with the child who threw it
• If you have been playing for a while and the child in the middle doesn’t
catch the ball, swap over anyway.

7. Actiive Pllaygrounds
Act ve P aygrounds
Animal, Vegetable, Flower
Age Group: 6-10
Number of friends: about 8
Equipment: none
How to play
•
•
•
•
Everyone stands in a circle, choose one person to stand in the middle.
The person in the middle throws the ball to a friend and calls out either, ANIMAL,
VEGETABLE or FLOWER. They then count up to 10 quickly.
The friend must catch the ball and also name something from the chosen subject,
before the thrower reaches 10.
If they manage it they then go into the middle, but if they don’t the thrower stays in
for another turn.
Actiive Pllaygrounds
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Puss in the Corner
Age Group: 5-12
Number of friends: 5
Equipment: none
How to play
• 4 friends make a square, one at each corner.
• The 5th friend is in the middle “PUSS” and wants a corner too.
• The children in the corners have to change places. They can call out or
signal to the person they want to change with.
• As they change, the person in the middle tries to run to an empty corner.
• The new person without a corner becomes PUSS and stands in the middle.
• If PUSS is having trouble getting a corner, they can call out “All change”.
Then all 5 children scramble for the 4 corners.

8. Donkey
Actiive Pllaygrounds
Act ve P aygrounds
Age Group: 6-12
Number of friends: about 8
Equipment: a ball
How to play
• All children stand in a circle and throw the ball to anyone in the circle.
• When a player misses the ball, he/she becomes D.
• The next time he/she becomes DO.
• This goes on until they have all the letters that spell out DONKEY.
• When this happens they can start from the beginning again.
Actiive Pllaygrounds
Act ve P aygrounds
Skipping Rhyme
Teddy Bear, Teddy Bear
Age Group: Any age that can skip
Number of friends: 2 turning and 3 taking turns to jump in
Equipment: skipping rope
Teddy
Teddy
Teddy
Teddy
Teddy
Teddy
bear,
bear,
bear,
bear,
bear,
bear,
teddy
teddy
teddy
teddy
teddy
teddy
bear
bear
bear
bear
bear
bear
touch the ground.
turn around.
jump upstairs.
say your prayers.
blow out the light.
say goodnight!

9. Skipping Rhymes
Actiive Pllaygrounds
Act ve P aygrounds
Chocolate Cake
Old Mrs Mason
Age Group: Any age that can skip
Number of friends: 2 turning and 3 taking turns to jump in
Equipment: skipping rope
Chocolate cake when you bake
How many minutes will it take?
1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8…
Turn the rope faster and faster until the skipper trips.
Old Mrs Mason broke her basin
On the way to London station.
How much did it cost?
1p, 2p, 3p, 4p, 5p, 6p…
Turn the rope faster and faster until the skipper trips.
Actiive Pllaygrounds
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Skipping Rhyme
Coffee and Tea
Age Group: Any age that can skip
Number of friends: 2 turning and 3 taking turns to jump in
Equipment: skipping rope
I like coffee, I like tea,
I like (name of the next person in line) to come in with me.
Then the 2 children jump together, the second person saying the rhyme.
When the rhyme is done, the first person runs out, and the new person comes
in and jumps with the second person.

10. Actiive Pllaygrounds
Act ve P aygrounds
Skipping Rhyme
Ice Cream Soda
Age Group: Any age that can skip
Number of friends: 2 turning and 3 taking turns to jump in
Equipment: skipping rope
Ice cream soda, cherry on the top,
who’s your boyfriend/girlfriend I forgot?
A, B, C, D, E, F, G,H…
(and so on until the person stops jumping)
He/she then has to think of a name of someone they know that begins with
that letter.
Actiive Pllaygrounds
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Skipping Rhyme
All in Together Kids
Age Group: Any age that can skip
Number of friends: 2 turning and 3 taking turns to jump in
Equipment: skipping rope
All in together kids, It’s fine weather kids
When is your birthday? Please jump in
(speed up rope)
January, February, March, April, May……. December
All out together kids, It’s fine weather kids
When is your birthday? Please jump out
(speed up rope)
1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10,11, 12, 13…

11. Actiive Pllaygrounds
Act ve P aygrounds
Skipping Game
Queen Bee
Age Group: Any age that can skip
Number of friends: 2 turning and 3 taking turns to jump in
Equipment: skipping rope
• Choose one child to be the Queen Bee – he/she is the leader.
• The other children have to follow the Queen Bee and do exactly as they
do.
• The Queen Bee can leave and enter the skipping rope and do as many
actions as they wish.
• Remember to swap over and take turns with turning the rope and being
Queen Bee.
Actiive Pllaygrounds
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Skipping Rhyme
Red Hot Pepper
Age Group: Any age that can skip
Number of friends: individual ropes or with friends
Equipment: skipping rope
Red hot pepper
in the pot
Gotta get over
what the leaders got
10, 20, 30, 40…(speed rope up until jumper misses)
Keep track of the scores, and then see who has the highest, once everyone
has had a turn.

12. Head Catch
Actiive Pllaygrounds
Act ve P aygrounds
Age Group:
Number of friends: 8-12 friends
Equipment: Ball
How to play
• Children line up and one player goes in front of the line with the ball and
becomes “it”.
• “It” starts at the beginning of the line and shouts “Head” or “Catch”
while throwing the ball.
• The first child in the line has to do the opposite to what is called out.
So if “it” shouts “Catch” the child has to head the ball back.
• If they miss the ball or do the wrong thing, they miss a turn.
• Swap “it” over when everyone has had one turn to head or catch
Actiive Pllaygrounds
Act ve P aygrounds
I sent a letter
Age Group:
Number of friends: 8-12 friends
Equipment: None
I sent a letter to my love and
on the way I dropped it.
Someone must have picked it
up and put it in their pocket.
It wasn’t you. It wasn’t you.
It wasn’t you. It was you!
How to play
• Friends should stand in a circle.
• One friend is chosen to start.
They skip around the outside of the circle singing:
• The child skipping round taps someone on the shoulder.
• The person who was tapped, chases them round the circle until the
skipper returns to the empty space.
• If they are caught before they get there, the chaser has a turn, but if
the skipper makes it back safely they have another turn

13. Poison
Actiive Pllaygrounds
Act ve P aygrounds
Age Group:
Number of friends: 8-12 friends
Equipment: None
I went to a shop and
How to play
bought a bottle of juice
(or any other liquid)
• The chaser begins by stretching out their arms.
• Each player gently takes hold of a finger and stretches away from the
chaser, ready to run
• The chaser says:
Poison
• The players remain holding onto the chaser’s fingers.
• If the chaser says:
• Players need to run away from the chaser, who will be trying to catch
one of them.
• Once a player has been caught, he/she becomes the chaser.
Actiive Pllaygrounds
Act ve P aygrounds
Stuck in the Mud
Age Group:
Number of friends: 8-12 friends
Equipment: None
How
•
•
•
to play
One or two people are “it”
The other children try to avoid getting caught
But if they are caught, by being touched on the arm, they must stand
still with their arms outstretched.
• A player can rejoin the game if someone else runs underneath their
outstretched arms
• Remember to swap over chasers

14. Actiive Pllaygrounds
Act ve P aygrounds
Cat and Mouse
Age Group:
Number of friends: Max 10
Equipment: None
How to play
• Friends should stand in circle
• Two children are chosen, one to be the cat and the other to be the
mouse
• The idea of the game is for the cat to catch the mouse, inside the
circle.
• The mouse can run between 2 children, but they then join hands and the
cat can’t pass through, he has to find a different way through.
• When the mouse is caught, a new cat and mouse are chosen.
Actiive Pllaygrounds
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Chase the Ball
Age Group:
Number of friends: 8-12 friends
Equipment: Soft ball (about size 4)
How to play
• Everyone stands in a circle, choose one person to stand outside the
circle.
• The friends in the circle pass or throw the ball to the next child around
the circle. The ball starts next to the empty space.
• The player on the outside has to run around the circle and reach their
starting place before the ball does
• If they manage this they stay on the outside and have another turn, if
the ball gets back first the player on the outside chooses someone to
take their place.
•

15. Actiive Pllaygrounds
Act ve P aygrounds
Circle Stride Ball
Age Group:
Number of friends: 8-12 friends
Equipment: Soft ball (about size 4)
How to play
• Players should stand in a circle, feet apart. (Feet to touch neighbours
feet)
• The player inside the circle with the ball tries to throw the ball out of
the circle between the players legs
• Players try to stop it by using their hands
• If the ball goes through, then that person goes in the centre
Actiive Pllaygrounds
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All Change
Age Group:
Number of friends: 6-12 friends
Equipment: Hoops (1 less than the number of kids playing)
How to play
• All children are scattered about the playing area inside the hoops. (One
child inside one hoop)
• The child without the hoop stands in the middle of the area
• When an adult shouts change, all the children in the hoops have to run
to another hoop
• But the child in the middle is trying to run to an empty hoop
•
The child without a hoop after the change, then goes in the middle

16. Actiive Pllaygrounds
Act ve P aygrounds
Shadow Tag
Age Group:
Number of friends: 8
Equipment: None (only works on a sunny day)
How
•
•
•
•
•
to play
Children work with a partner
One child is the walker and one child is the tagger
The walker looks round and finds their shadow
On the signal “GO” the tagger tries to jump on the walkers shadows
When they manage to jump on it they shout “caught” and they swap
roles
Actiive Pllaygrounds
Act ve P aygrounds
Everyone’s Tag
Age Group:
Number of friends: 8
Equipment: None
How
•
•
•
•
to play
One child is chosen as IT, the rest run away
On the signal “GO”, IT begins chasing the other children
When a child is caught, they also become it IT
The game continues until everyone is caught

17. Action Alphabet
Examples of action words:
a = alligator, around, airplane
b = bounce, bend, bear walk
c = cat, catch, crawl, crab
d = dance, duck, dribble
e = elephant, excited
f = freeze, fall, frown, frog
g = giggle, gallop, giant steps
h = hop, hiccup, happy
i = ice skating
j = jump, juggle, jog
k = kick, kneel
l = leap, laugh
m = march, mop
Actiive Pllaygrounds
Act ve P aygrounds
n = nod,
o = octopus, on, off, over
p = point, paint, pose
q = quiver, quiet
r = run, rake, roll
s = skip, sit, sweep, smile, stretch,
shake hands, sleep
t = tiptoe, throw, tripod, tuck, tickle
u = under, underwater, uphill
v = vacuum
w = walk, wiggle, wink, wash, wave
x = xmas?
Y = yawn, yell
z = zigzag, zip
Action Alphabet
Age Group:
Number of friends: 8
Equipment: Alphabet cards (optional)
How
•
•
•
•
to play
Pick a letter from the alphabet and tell the children
Choose an action word or animal beginning with that letter
Let the children act it out
Can they make up their own action beginning with that sound

18. Actiive Pllaygrounds
Act ve P aygrounds
Topsy Turvy
Age Group:
Number of friends: 8 (2 teams of 4)
Equipment: 8 Cones
How to play
• Split the children into 2 teams of 4
• One team are called the topsies and the other team are called the
turvies
• Set the cones up, with half the cones standing up and the other half
lying down
• An adult shouts go, the topsies run into the area and try to stand the
cones up and the turvies run into the area and try to knock them down
• Let this continue for about a minute then shout stop
• If there are more cones standing the topsies win but if there are more
knocked over the turvies win
Actiive Pllaygrounds
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Stumpy
Age Group:
Number of friends: About 8
Equipment: None
How to play
• One child is STUMPY and crouches down on the ground with their eyes
closed
• The other children walk up, touch STUMPY and say “Oh this is just the
stump of an old tree”
• They keep on doing this, but when STUMPY jumps up they must run away
as fast as they can
• If STUMPY catches one child, they then become STUMPY and the game
start again

19. Actiive Pllaygrounds
Act ve P aygrounds
Ham and Cheese
Age Group:
Number of friends: About 12-20
Equipment: None
How to play
• Each child must secretly decide to be either ham or cheese
• Each child then walks around the playing area
• When an adult shouts “STOP”, the children stop walking and shout
whether they are ham or cheese
• If they hear the opposite filling, they join hands and become a cheese and
ham sandwich
• The sandwich now has to decide if they are going to be ham or cheese and
walk round the playing area
• When stop is shouted the sandwich has to shout their filling and try to
find the opposite again – to make an even thicker sandwich
1. The adult can stop the game whenever they wish.
Actiive Pllaygrounds
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Elbow Tig
Age Group:
Number of friends: About 10
Equipment: None
How to play
• Divide children into pairs and have them link one arm together
• They then put the other hand on their hip so that the elbow is sticking
out to the side
• Choose one player to be IT. On “GO” IT tries to hook their elbow with
someone else’s loose elbow
• If they manage, the other partner must let go and they become IT

20. Hug Tig
Actiive Pllaygrounds
Act ve P aygrounds
Age Group: 3-8
Number of friends: About 10
Equipment: None
How to play
• One child is IT and is trying to chase and tig the other children.
• If tigged, the child must stand still with their arms out and can only
rejoin the game if someone gives them a hug.
• Remember to change over who is it.
Actiive Pllaygrounds
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First Attempt at Skipping
Age Group:
Number of friends: Small group
Equipment: None
How to play
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Hold the rope by the handles, one in each hand
Hold the rope out in front of your body.
Step over the rope
Bend your elbows up close to your ears.
Move the arms forward and swing the rope over your head.
Let the rope hit the floor.
Jump over the rope, taking off and landing on two feet.
Some children will not be ready to jump over the rope and should be instructed to simply
step over the rope. Jumping can come later.
Remind the children that the rope should strike the floor in front of the child before the
child attempts to jump.

21. Actiive Pllaygrounds
Act ve P aygrounds
Body Parts
Age Group:
Number of friends: As many as you want
Equipment: None
How to play
• Everybody finds a partner
• As you call out different body parts, the children connect with their
partner. E.g toe to toe, elbow to elbow, knee to knee
• Once they have the hang of that try calling different body parts. E.g
finger to shoulder, elbow to back
Actiive Pllaygrounds
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Body Match Up
Age Group:
Number of friends: As many as you want
Equipment: Drum or bells
How to play
• Beat a drum or ring a bell…. As you say “You walk and you talk and you
stop”
• After you stop you call out a body part, “Hands!” the children then find
a friend and match up their hands
• You can then change the action…”You run and you run and you stop!”
• Once you’ve stopped choose a different body part

22. Actiive Pllaygrounds
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Copycats
Age Group:
Number of friends: As many as you want
Equipment: None
How to play
• The leader sings the rhyme
Copycat, copycat
That’s what I am,
Copycat, copycat
Do what I do, if you can
• Use a variety of sounds and motions, involving lots of different body
parts.
• Keep repeating using different body parts and movements