After another day of hearing “I’m bored” one too many times, I sat down to brainstorm. And I recalled my mom telling me how her family put on a “family field day” every year when she was growing up — and it was a highlight of her summer.

I started thinking about what kids used to do during the summer before weekly summer camps, extracurriculars, lessons, and tutoring. I was struck by how much unstructured time for FUN they had. And I decided we could shift our focus back to having some “old fashioned” family fun.

There are the obvious field day games — sack race, tie-dye, egg race or toss, relay races, pie or watermelon eating contests, wheelbarrow races, and varied forms of ring toss. But we’ve also found some new favorites to add to the list!

Water Balloon Toss

Materials:

• Sponges or water balloons (or eggs, if you’re really adventurous) 
• Sidewalk chalk or tape (to mark lines)
• Buckets

Objective:

Like an egg toss, you must be the last surviving team to not drop the sponge or break the water balloon.

Directions:

1. Using sidewalk chalk or tape, designate two lines for each partner of a team to stand behind while facing each other.
2. Have partners stand behind their respective lines, facing each other. Make sure the lines are even so each team is the same distance from each other.
3. If doing the sponge toss, fill up buckets with water, and place one next to each participant. If using a water balloon, have one partner in each team hold the water balloon.
4. If doing the sponge toss, tell contestants to soak the sponges as much as possible.
5. Have contestants throw the sponges or water balloons to their partners. If their partner doesn’t catch the sponge, or if the balloon bursts, the pair is out.
6. You may ask participants to take a step back before the next throw — to up the difficulty!

Sponge Darts 

Materials:

• Sponges
• Buckets
• Sidewalk chalk

Objective:

Receive the most points at the end of the game.

Directions: 

1. Make a chalk diagram of a dartboard on the ground — including numbers of points — and draw a line the participants have to throw from.
2. Wet a sponge, and throw it at the target until the participant has thrown the desired number of times.
3. Add up the points (record them if necessary) as you go, and the player with the most points at the end wins! 

Bucket Relay

Materials:

• Squirt guns, cups, or sponges
• Buckets

Objective:

Be the first team to move all your water from bucket 1 to bucket 2, using the “water transporter” of choice.

Directions:

1. Fill up bucket 1 with water and put it at the starting line. Put bucket 2, which should be empty, at the finish line.
2. Give participants a method to transport the water (cups, sponges, large squirt guns). When they’re instructed to start, each person in the line fills up the “cup,” runs it to bucket 2, dumps it in, then runs back and passes the “cup” to the next person in line. 
3. The team that fills bucket 2 first is the winner.

Cup Pyramid

Materials:

• Squirt guns
• Table
• 6 (or desired number) plastic cups
• Buckets

Objective:

Be the first to knock down your tower of cups with the squirt gun.

Directions:

1. On a table, set up a pyramid of plastic cups toward the end of the table (to allow them to fall off easily)
2. At the start, have the participants fill up their squirt guns and shoot at the cups until they are all knocked over. 

Squirt Gun Cup Race

Materials:

• Squirt guns
• String
• Cups
• Scissors

Objective:

Move your cup to the end of the string by squirting water into it before the other players.

Directions:

1. Cut a tiny hole in the bottom of the cups, and place the string through the hole. Tie the two ends of the string to trees, poles, or any two objects that will allow the string to be pulled taut. Set up two strings with cups that are equal length for two different teams.
2. Put a full bucket of water at the start line for refilling the squirt guns. 
3. At the start, participants will fill up their squirt guns and squirt the inside of the cups so they move down the string.

Bean Bag Toss

Materials:

• Bean bags
• Large paper plates or hula hoops

Objective:

Receive the largest number of points by the end of the game by throwing the bean bag into the targets.

Directions:

1. Mark large paper plates or hula hoops with the number of points it represents.
2. Throw the beanbags a desired number of times, and add up the total. Record on paper if necessary!
3. The person with the greatest number of points at the end is the winner.

Crab Soccer

Materials:

• Large beach ball

Objective:

Use your feet to kick the beach ball into the other team’s goal to win the most points.

Directions:

1. Designate a playing field that has a clear “out of bounds.” You can mark this with chalk, make lines in sand, use cones, etc. Make a marker down the middle to divide the field.
2. Blow up a large beach ball. 
3. Split players into two teams.
4. With all players walking on their hands and feet in tabletop position, use your legs to kick the ball and try to score a goal. 
5. The first team to get to the desired number of goals wins!

Pass the Cup

Materials:

• Two buckets
• Cup (or sponge, for smaller hands)
• Water

Objective:

Get the water in the cup into the bucket at the end of the line by passing the cup over your head. This is a group game, but it can also be played in two teams, or a winner can be identified as anyone who is still dry at the end.

Directions: 

1. Have all participants sit or stand in a line, facing the same way. 
2. Have the last person in the line turn around and sit facing the opposite way, so that their back is touching the back of the second-to-last person in line. Place an empty bucket in front of them. 
3. Fill up a bucket, and set it up in front of the first person sitting in the line. 
4. The first person in line fills up the cup, and passes it over their head to the person behind them. The cup moves down the line until it reaches the last person, who dumps it in the bucket and sends it back up the line. 
5. Repeat until all of the water is in the bucket at the end of the line. 

Water Balloon Dodgeball

Objective:

Don’t get hit by a water balloon — while trying to hit the other team.

Materials:

• Buckets
• Water balloons
• Cones or boundary markers

Directions:

1. Make a center “line” with boundary markers, and place several buckets filled with pre-made water balloons on it. Make sure there are “out of bounds” boundary markers also.
2. Teams will race to the center to get water balloons from the bucket, and then try to hit the opposing team with the water balloons. 
3. If someone is hit with a water balloon that breaks, they are out. If the water balloon doesn’t break, or if they catch it before it breaks, they are not out. 
4. The last team standing wins!

*Obviously, there are many ways to play dodgeball and plenty of ways to modify all the other games on this list to fit your family size and needs. Don’t be afraid to change up the rules or add or substitute items to make them more fun for you!