Skip to main content
healthy for your kids
and healthy for you

Outdoor activity games to play for Labor Day weekend

If you're planning a party to celebrate the end of summer, you may be looking for outdoor activity games to play for Labor Day weekend. The following list of activities may be what you're looking for or may spark other ideas of your own.

Most children, and those who are children at heart, love to play games. One game you may want to plan is keeping balloons afloat by nothing but the head. Blow up enough balloons for everyone to have one of their own. Have plenty of room for those playing to move about without bumping into one another. If the balloon touches the ground, or is hit back into the air by another body part, that person is out. Keep your balloon in the air the longest and you're the winner.

Outdoor bowling is another game you may want to play. If you don't have actual bowling pins, you can use plastic drink bottles of the same size which are partially filled with sand to help them remain standing. Use a kick ball or basketball rather than a bowling ball. Place rope to delineate the lane and gutters; the remainder of the game would be the same.

If your family often has outdoor parties or gatherings during the summer, you may want to invest in an outdoor game set. These might include horse shoes, badminton or croquet. Having those game sets on-hand will mean you'll be ready for any get-together you might plan.

Piñatas are also great outdoor activities. Of course, the children will love the flow of candy and toys coming from the piñata when it finally bursts open, but they also have fun trying to open it. Parents and adults can help the children by encouraging them to hit harder. In many cases they'll find themselves laughing as the children try to hit the ever-moving piñata.

Since it's still going to be hot around Labor Day, you may want to plan a water relay of some type. Break the guests up into two or more teams depending upon how many people there are. Fill balloons with water and have the guests toss them from one to another down the line and back. You may want to have several towels on hand as well.

Create an obstacle course in your yard. Lay out the course, keeping in mind the ages and condition of your guests. Demonstrate the course for them prior to the start of the course. If you expect both children and adults to participate, you may want to have an easier obstacle course for the children.

Finally, by planning ahead of time you can get the guests involved in a scavenger hunt. Decide on which items from around your home to place on scavenger list. Perhaps you can use today's technology by having guests take pictures with their cell phones (if they have that capability) of the items on the list rather than having the guests gather the items.

Choose whether or not you will provide prizes for the different outdoor activity games. You can give a prize or merely enjoy yourselves as the games and the day progresses. Remember, you can use one of these ideas or think up some of your own for your Labor Day festivities.