Participating in fun running games not only encourages kids to be active, but it prevents them from getting bored so they’ll be running for longer stretches of time. Racing games also help kids learn to play as a team and follow rules.
It’s good to offer kids a wide range of running activities and racing games, so they can work on different cognitive and physical skills. Here’s a collection of fun racing games for kids where the fastest kid doesn’t always win. Whether you’re a teacher, coach, or parent, you can help kids get fit while having a blast. Most of these games are ideal for ages 3 to 10 years old.
Tag Games
A basic game of tag teaches kids to think on their feet and make quick moves and decisions. There are so many fun varieties of tag. Here are a few favorites among the kids that I coach:
Freeze Tag: One player is IT and tries to tag everyone. When a kid is tagged, he stays frozen in place. He can be unfrozen if he’s tagged by a non-IT player. When all the players are frozen, a new IT is chosen, and a new game starts. If you have a large group of kids, you can designate two players as IT.
Tunnel Tag: One player is IT. When a player is tagged, she must stay frozen in place, with her legs spread apart, creating a tunnel. She can be unfrozen if a non-IT player crawls through her legs. When all the players are frozen, a new IT is chosen, and a new game starts.
Infection Tag: Choose a certain amount of players to be IT, based on the total number of kids (i.e., 4 ITs with 20 players total). The ITs will have a special infectious “virus” on their hands. Once tagged, a kid is now infected and must join the other ITs and tag the other kids. Eventually, everyone is tagged because more and more kids become infected. The last remaining kid is the winner.
Agility Racing
Not all racing games for kids have to be about running. You can help them improve their strength, agility, and speed by races where they do a plyometric activity such as hopping or skipping. You can also use cones or hula hoops for kids to jump around or into.
Obstacle Course Relay
Like agility racing, obstacle courses challenge kids to work on physical skills other than just running. You’ll need to set up two identical obstacle courses using cones, mini hurdles, jump ropes, hula hoops, foam pool noodles, and other items. Then divide kids into two even teams. Kids line up in two lines and go through the obstacle course and then run back to the start and tag the next teammates. First team to get all their players through wins.
Water Bucket Relay Race
This game is more suitable for warmer weather, since the kids may get a little wet. Here’s what to do:
- Make two equal teams. Each team needs a cup and two buckets – one bucket with a line on it and the other full of water.
- Each team lines up behind an empty bucket.
- The first person on each team runs with the cup to a full bucket across the field (or yard) and then fills up their cup. They run back to the empty bucket and dump the water in, passing the empty cup to the next person who then repeats the process.
- The first team to fill their empty bucket to the line wins.
Water Balloon Relay Race
Similar to the water bucket relay, the water balloon relay is best done outdoors in warm weather. It’s just like a regular relay race except that kids pass a water balloon to their teammates, rather than batons.
You’ll need a bucket of water balloons. Divide the kids into even teams. The kids have to run fast while holding the balloon, being careful not to drop it, and then pass it off to the next teammate. If they do drop a balloon, they can run back, get another one, and continue running from where they dropped the first one.
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About the author: Christine Luff is a certified RRCA running coach, kids’ track coach, and an American Council on Exercise certified youth fitness specialist. Her book, Run for Good: How to Create a Lifelong Running Habit, is available on Amazon.
