The time has come for the day all your kiddos have been dreaming about- field day! This is often a memorable day for staff and students alike as it brings about building community and evokes a sense of positivity within the school at large. Here at Teaching Expertise, we know how important the behind-the-scenes work that goes into planning the day successfully is. So, we’re here to take a little off your plate by presenting you with a comprehensive guide of more than 60 suitable games and activities. Let’s jump right in and explore them together!
1. Three-Legged Race
Competitive games have ruled the day for as long as we can remember. The always-favored three-legged race makes a great addition to field day and can be quick and easily arranged. Simply have two learners stand side by side and tie their inner legs together using a piece of rope or fabric. Then, set them off to compete against other pairs to be the fastest team to reach the finish line.
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2. Tire Roll
Check your local tire shop or dump to hunt for tires to give new life to! In preparation for field day, paint them with your little squad and build anticipation for a fun tire-rolling field day event! When the day arrives, arm each competitor with a tire to roll from one end of the field to another.
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3. Tug Of War
Tug of war is a great way to challenge players of any age. Divide competitors into two teams and have them stand and hold opposite ends of a rope. Mark the center and then challenge teams to tug at the rope in an attempt to pull their oppositions over the center point.
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4. Splash the Teacher
What student doesn’t love seeing their teachers get involved in the fun of field day? Give your students something they have always dreamed of; a chance to splash their teacher! Create a signup sheet of teachers who are willing to take the plunge and give your students a good laugh by standing behind a board and being thrown with soaking wet sponges.
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5. Wheelbarrow Race
On your marks, get set, GO! The wheelbarrow race is another classic field day activity that your kiddos are bound to love. All you need for this super simple game are a few soft gym mats and some excited kiddos who are ready to race like wheelbarrows.
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6. Water Balloon Game
This water balloon game is perfect for a hot field day! Students will have endless fun in the sun as they toss water balloons to one another, attempting not to drop them in the process. Challenge your learners to see how many tosses they can get in before letting one slip between their fingers.
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7. Whack-a-Mole
Providing students with a variety of games to choose from is a must on their special day. This whack-a-mole activity is perfect for diversifying field day and is a great test of accuracy. Get your students to toss bean bags at the moles to see how many they can hit.
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8. Water Bottle Bowling
How about a round of bowling this field day? Get your learners to toss balls at half-empty water bottles in an attempt to knock as many over as possible.
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9. Hungry Hippos
For students searching for a little extra competition factor, hungry hippos is just the activity! All you need is a mound of balls, a few skateboards, and a handful of laundry baskets. Get the players to lie on their skateboards and then arm them with a basket. Their mission is to then be pushed by a partner and round up as many balls from a center pile as they can!
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10. Obstacle Course
Set up a few obstacle courses amongst all the field day games for an added element of fun. They can be put together using balancing blocks, hula hoops, tunnels, beacons, and more! Not only will they occupy learners waiting to partake in other games, but they’ll put everyone’s pace and gross motor skills to the test!
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11. Pool Noodle Target
Using pool noodles for a target play game is a great way to get your learners to work on their motor skills. Form circles using the noodles before securing them with tape and attaching them to one another and poles. Challenge any willing participants to then throw balls of different sizes through the hoops.
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12. Water Cup Balance
This activity is a field day must! Fill a cup to the halfway mark and get your littles to walk whilst balancing it on their head. Remember- no hands allowed!
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13. Water Bucket Obstacle Course
Here’s a fun idea that combines the water games and obstacle courses from above. The objective? To be the first team to fill a bucket, placed at the end of an obstacle course, with water! Team members simply need to take turns racing whilst holding a tupperware filled with water over their heads.
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14. Zero Gravity Challenge
The zero gravity challenge is as fun as it sounds! Set up a large space where your kiddos can work together to keep the balloons floating in the air! If they’re finding it too easy, up the ante by throwing more balloons into the mix!
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15. Team Ski Races
Challenge your kiddos to work together by hosting a wooden ski race! Pairs will have to maneuver from one side of the field to the other whilst standing on a set of wooden stilt-like skis. Make the exercise more challenging by making the skis a bit longer and having more students walk on them!
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16. Massive Jenga
Whether your students want to play classic Jenga or get creative and build something unique; this team-building activity will help bring the concepts of STEM to your field day. Engage willing learners in a game of massive Jenga- challenging them to remove blocks without knocking the tower over.
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17. 3 Headed Monster
Are your students ready to battle it out as monsters? In teams of 3, they’ll need to be joined together, either by fitting into a t-shirt or being bound loosely with string, to race from one side of the playground to the other without stumbling.
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18. Football Target Practice
Hone aiming skills and promote fun this field day! Challenge older learners to kick a football through a floating rubber ring. Younger ones can simply have a go at kicking the footy between the cones on the ground
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19. Long Jump
Long jump is a fun field day classic. Challenge learners to jump as far across a sandpit as they can. The person who jumps the farthest wins!
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20. Penguin Race
The penguin race is a silly activity that students will want to play all day long… Simply have your kiddos race by waddling like penguins across the field and back. The fastest penguin wins!
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21. Paper Plane Corn Hole
I have never met a student that didn’t LOVE making paper airplanes! Have a paper plane activity station where learners can let their creativity take flight. Turn this into a field day game by having participants compete to see who can get their plane to soar the farthest.
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22. Sock-er Skee-Ball
Soccer Skee-ball can be played outdoors and indoors; making it a great fit for both sunny and rainy field days. The aim you ask? To have students kick sock balls into skeeball targets!
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23. Shoe Balance Challenge
A field event like this is great for students who are looking to be challenged but need a little break from the intense competition that’s part and parcel of field day events. Simply have participants lie on their backs with one foot in the air. Then, place a shoe on the bottom of each foot and see who can maintain their position without letting the shoe fall.
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24. Scatter Ball
Scatter ball can be likened to dodgeball- except this version makes use of one softball instead. Round participants up and have them stand in a circle; placing one hand on a ball that’s positioned on the floor. When the game begins, they’ll all scatter and the ball will be tossed into the air. One person will then catch it and attempt to knock other players out by hitting them with the ball.
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25. Plastic Cup Movement Challenge
This challenge adds a touch of teamwork to the fun of the day! It’s also a perfect option for a last-minute indoor game if the weather decides not to play its part on the day. Challenge your students to work together in order to move a paper cup without touching it with their hands.
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26. Balloon Pop Relay
Get ready for lots of laughs with a balloon pop relay! Arm each player with a balloon and divide everyone into two teams. Then, have learners race from one side of the court to the other; popping their balloons at the other end before racing back to tag the next team member. The first team with all their balloons popped wins!
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27. Eat the Donut Challenge
Ok, so we admit your students aren’t going to learn a lot from this activity, but we can promise that tons of fun will ensue! No field day is complete without a food-eating challenge. Hang donuts onto a pole with a piece of string and challenge excited participants to munch them without touching them with their hands.
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28. Elephant March
The Elephant March game requires learners to knock over paper cups. The trick? That they’ll need to swing a pair of pantyhose, that’s been filled with rice and tied around their necks, to do so!
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29. Frisbees Through Hula Hoops
Throwing frisbees through hula hoops might seem like a simple task, but it’s not as easy as it looks! Challenge your students to master their aim by tossing a frisbee through a set of hanging hula hoops.
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30. Lifesize Connect Four
A giant Connect Four board, like the one pictured above, will provide enjoyment for both learners and their teachers! Include a signup sheet to avoid any unforeseen squabbles and then let the fun commence to see who can get 4 in a row!
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31. Squirt Gun Bottle Fill
Use paper cups or large soda bottles to complete this event. This game offers an enjoyable cool down on a sunny field day and only requires 2-4 teams! Instead of a water balloon toss, get players to team up and attempt to fill their cup or bottle by using a squirt gun.
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32. Straw Javelin Throw
Take the use of straws to a whole new level by incorporating them into the fun of field day! Have your students throw them into bowls for some lightweight javelin fun!
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33. Egg and Spoon Race
Here’s another class field day activity idea! Have your students balance an egg on a spoon and race to the finish line. You can use a plastic egg or a real one for added suspense!
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34. Giant Dominoes
Incorporate math skills into field day with these life-sized dominos, making for a fun learning activity. Get willing competitors to stack giant dominoes in a race against the clock- aiming to stand as many up as possible.
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35. Tunnel Ball Relay
All this interactive game requires is a ball and some teamwork. Students must pass the ball backward through their legs to their teammates behind them, who then run to the front of the line and repeat the process.
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36. Sack Race
The iconic sack race has been a field day favorite for generations; all you need is some old potato sacks or pillowcases for a game resulting in lots of laughter!
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37. Human Knot
The human knot is a fun and strategic activity that requires communication and teamwork. Have your pupils stand in a circle, reach across to hold hands with two people, and then try to untangle themselves without letting go.
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38. Skip-It Contest
Bring back this beloved 90s toy for a whimsical adventure. Challenge your students to take turns using a Skip-It to see who can make it skip the most times without stopping.
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39. Water Gun Tag
Turn the average playground game into a high-energy activity with this water gun tag; making for a great cool-off on a hot summer’s day! The last player still standing and dry at the end of a round, gets to don the gun for the next!
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40. Cornhole Toss
This game requires accuracy and concentration- making it a playful and engaging activity for all. Set up a classic cornhole board and let your students toss bean bags to see how many points they can score for their team.
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41. Bubble Wrap Race
We all want to pop bubble wrap when we see it and in this game, fighting that temptation is key! Give each of your students a piece of bubble wrap to stand on, and task them with racing to the finish line; popping as few bubbles as possible as they move.
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42. Potato Pass Relay
Keen on a more quirky relay? Task your students with passing a potato using only their chin. Encourage patience and coordination as they attempt to make passes without dropping the potato.
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43. Frisbee Golf
Bring the golf course to your school playground by setting up a mini golf course! Using frisbees as the balls and hula hoops as the “goals”, your students will be entertained for hours- aiming to land their frisbees inside the hoops.
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44. Parachute Games
We all remember parachute games being the highlight of any field day! Now’s your chance to share this joy with your students! By having them move a parachute up and down to bounce balls or create a ‘mushroom’ by lifting the parachute high and then sitting on the edge, there’s plenty of fun just waiting to be had!
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45. Limbo Contest
This timeless activity is easy to set up, but not as easy to master! Have your students take turns going under a limbo bar that slowly gets lower and lower. The last student remaining who hasn’t touched the bar with their body wins!
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46. Hula Hoop Relay
In this unique relay, challenge your students to pass a hula hoop from one person to another without using their hands. What an exciting contest that requires both flexibility and coordination!
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47. Dizzy Bat Relay
Let’s get your students spinning with joy! Introduce a dizzy bat relay where participants will need to spin around a bat before darting off to the finish line.
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48. Sticky Spider Web Game
Who doesn’t love a sticky challenge? Create a spider web using tape and encourage your students to throw soft objects that stick to it. Add some thematic music or decoration to enhance the fun.
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49. Ladder Golf Toss
This game calls for skillful tosses! Ladder golf becomes an intriguing and competitive game with the simple addition of two golf balls attached to a string. Watch as your students develop their coordination- aiming to wrap the balls around the rungs with each throw.
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50. Ping Pong Ball Bounce
Let’s bounce into fun with a simple game idea! Set up various cups with different point values before challenging willing participants to bounce ping pong balls into them. It’s a quick and delightful game that promotes hand-eye coordination and sportsmanship- making it a perfect field day addition.
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51. Leap Frog Relay
Leap into laughter with this idea! Organize a leapfrog relay where your students will need to team up and jump over one another all the way to the finish line.
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52. Beach Ball Volleyball
Ready for a beachy blast? With this game, you can transport your field day friends right to the seaside! Set up a net and use beach balls for a lively game of volleyball that’s suitable for all ages.
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53. Blindfold Obstacle Course
Strengthen the bonds of trust outside of the classroom with this game! Guide your students to form pairs and navigate a maze blindfolded, using only voice commands to reach the finish line. Remember- no touching of partners allowed!
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54. Musical Chairs Scramble
Here’s another crowd-pleaser to add to the fun of field day! Spice up the traditional game of musical chairs by adding challenges like hopping or crawling to grab the chairs. Get the music playing and watch the fun unfold!
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55. Hula Hoop Race
Ready to shimmy and shake? Set up a hula hoop race where competitors must keep their hoops spinning while racing to the finish line.
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56. Fishing for Marbles
Time for some toe-tapping fun! Fill a tub with water and marbles, and task your students with fishing them out using only their toes.
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57. Noodle Jousting
Let’s joust like the knights of old! Using pool noodles, engage your students in a friendly duel- challenging them to knock paper plates from each other’s hands.
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58. Human Foosball
Get ready to enter a life-sized foosball arena! Create a real-scale foosball game with ropes and goalposts, where participants will act as the figures.
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59. Duck, Duck, Goose Splash
Refresh the classic duck, duck, goose game by incorporating a water-filled sponge for a wet and wild experience. Play as you normally would and simply have players ring out a wet sponge over the goose’s head before the wild chase ensues.
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60. Bean Bag Toss
Aim, toss, and score with a fun bean bag toss! Challenge willing participants to toss a bean bag toss through holes in a board- assigning points to different slots based on their difficulty.
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61. Capture the Flag
Teamwork, strategy, and sheer fun is what this game is all about! Divide your students into teams for a thrilling game of capturing the flag. To capture the opposing team’s flags, your kiddos will need to strategize and work together as a team.
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62. Can Stilt Walk
Bring some carnival fun right to your school field by setting up a stilt station! Using large cans and rope, make a few sets of stilts that your kiddos can use to race- testing both their balance and speed!
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63. Giant Tic-Tac-Toe
Here, a classic game gets a grand field day makeover! Lead your students in playing tic-tac-toe on a giant grid with bean bags. Engage them in strategic thinking and joyful play as you challenge them to get three in a row.
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64. Caterpillar Race
Let’s race like caterpillars! Guide your students to form a chain and set off on a race without breaking a single link. To succeed and be the first to reach the finish line, they’ll need to work as a team.
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