Food isn’t the only fun part of a picnic—games are a great way to get your kids mentally and physically active before or after your meal. We put together 7 of our favorite picnic games for your family to try out during National Picnic month!
1. Picnic-style telephone
Before heading on your picnic, prepare a few picnic-themed phrases on slips of paper like “Mom makes mayonnaise and mustard ham sandwiches with the perfect potato salad for our picnic.” Have your kids sit or stand in a circle. One child will pull a slip and whisper the saying in the child to their right’s ear, and the phrase gets passed along until it comes full circle. The best part is listening to the hilarious phrase that reached the end of this telephone!
2. I'm going on a picnic
Have everyone sit or stand in a circle and designate one child to begin. They say “I’m going on a picnic and I’m bringing…,” and fill in the blank with a word. The next person must repeat the phrase and add their own word to the phrase. If a person can’t remember the entire phrase, they’re out.
3. Dance-off
Bring along a speaker and some kid-friendly music so your family can have a dance off! Each child gets a turn in the center to show off their dance moves. Everyone else applauds, and the person with the loudest applause wins. You can also use the music to play picnic-style musical chairs, swapping the chairs for shoes as place markers.
4. Blanket volleyball
Bring an extra picnic blanket and a ball along with you on your picnic. You don’t even need a net! Use the blankets to launch the ball from one team to the other. This game is silly and active—perfect for before or after a nice picnic meal.
5. Treasure hunt
This one takes a little planning, but it’ll be an instant hit with your kids. Create or print out a list of objects from nature, like leaves and pebbles. Include colors, sizes, and numbers for an extra challenge. The first one back to your picnic base with everything wins the game.
6. Clap and catch
Have everyone stand in a circle with one person in the middle. The person in the middle randomly underhand tosses a ball to someone in the outer circle. The catcher must clap before the ball drops—if not, they can only use one hand to catch the ball. If they drop it a second time, they’re out!
7. Reusable relay race
After you’ve eaten, repurpose your empty food containers for a reusable relay race. Divide your family into two lines. The first person in line must run, grab the container and bring it back to the next person in line. The next person runs with the container, adds a spoon, and runs back. This continues until everyone has added an item. The first team to all sit down wins!
These are just 7 of the many games you can play with your kids. Use your imagination and resources to make up new games and traditions for your family. What matters most is that you all have a great time together on your picnic.
