Best Outdoor Yard Games to Motivate Outdoor Play for Your Kids

We're all familiar with the common refrain exhorted by parents everywhere, "Go outside and play!' As a parent, you'll get a lot farther ahead with that request/demand/ fervent desire if you have the right equipment stocked for your kids. Stocking right will insure success when you send them outdoors to play yard games--you might want to join them!

You need appealing, age-appropriate outdoor yard games, toys and equipment. Properly stocked, you will be helping your kids master skills they'll use forever. Mastery of skills leads to confidence building and self-esteem. Getting the right playground balls will really set you on a roll here.

Younger kids need to work on both small and large motor skills. It's a good ideal to have different types of balls, in a variety of sizes and textures. Variety impels exploration.

The right sized balls for your children will help them master the art of throwing and catching with precision. Balls that are worthy of your serious consideration include: textured rubber balls, inflatable beach ball, tennis ball, kick balls, volleyballs. This list could go on forever but these are the key ones you should consider stocking in order to create enthusiasm about outdoor yard games in your own yard.

Grade schoolers are beginning to check out 'real' sports. Foursquare only begins its popularity at this point. In some cases, adults are still playing this outdoor yard game classic--with a new ferocity never seen as children.

Badminton, volleyball and even bocce ball are good considerations to make your outdoor yard games more enticing for this age group.

It's also a good time to think about adding a basketball hoop and playing some pick-up games each evening. It's a great way to check in with your child about their day, become alerted to any impending issues or dramas before they escalate and simple de-stress from a busy day--works for both the adult and the child.

Middle schoolers will likely be getting more seriously into organized recreational or classic sports like soccer or softball but you can help here as well. Games like croquet, badminton and that new European sensation, Speedminton, are very popular with this age group.

One of the best middle school parties our kids attended last year included a night time game of Speedminton, with glow in the dark 'speeders' (shuttlecocks) and glow in the dark 'war paint' worn by the opposing teams. The kids had a blast and since it was in a neighbor's back yard--many of the locals came by to cheer and get in the act. Now some of the adults are playing too. This kind of outdoor game play can be infectious good fun.

When you let your imagination start roaming and stock up on the right toys, "Go outside and play!" can take on new dimensions as outdoor yard games move into the 21st Century. These yard games may be classic but they're keeping up with the times without question.

Go outside and play! Get the outdoor yard games that will make your back yard the neighborhood favorite!

Middle schoolers are getting so into Speedminton! Click on the link to find out what you may be missing!

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Best Kites for Your Outdoor Adventure

On a bright sunny day, doesn't matter what season, there is nothing, and I mean nothing, like a beautiful kite soaring against a bright blue sky. It's just the best feeling in the world. The wind can be kicking it or just gusting gently and the effect is amazing, either way.

The beauty is more special because getting your kite at that elevation meant a special running start and good cardio workout; it is an accomplishment.

To help you have the best kite day as an outdoor adventure, I thought it would be helpful to give you some background about all the different kites that are 'out there' so you can pick the best kites for your skill level and artistic flair not to mention your fitness level.

My list of the top contenders for 'best kites' for your outdoor adventure:

1. Single liners: Diamond and delta are two single line kites that are fairly well known and popular because of their ease of use. They are known as "dowel sode" in the Far East because their shape emulates a Japanese sail shape that bears that title.

2. Sled kites: Sled kites usually have inflatable spars and are taking center stage on the beach and especially at kite festivals worldwide. You'll see many varieties-extra spars, vents, cutouts and more. The most attractive feature of these kites is their easy transportability and simple set up.

3. Diamond kites: In some folks' minds, diamond is synonymous with 'kite.' Diamond kites are considered by many to be 'idiot proof.' They have a good wind range but aren't capable of flying at very steep line angles.

4. Barn Door Kite: This is a 3-spar kite that's quite popular in Australia. Larger ones fly very well without a tail in light to moderate winds, the likely reason for their increasing appeal.

5. Rokkaku Kite: Sometime nicknamed, the "Rok", it has to be the Japanese kite that is most copied by Westerners. They are dramatic looking but most people that love this kite prefer getting up to altitudes of 400 feet in heaveir air,not using them in kite-fighting per popular stories of late. These kites are so stable that the tail is purely decorative, except perhaps in powerful winds.

6. Delta Kite: One of our particular favorites-this is the best kite for beginners. It's easy to launch, flies well even in a light breeze and will almost always sit at a good steep line angle. Deltas can be a bit less dependable in high gusts but in light winds or smoother breezes, they rank high!

There are so many awesome kites out there, it's hard to choose. Having some of this background might make it easier. Be sure to pick the best kite for your skill level and most likely wind intensity and you are to sure to have an outdoor adventure that soars! Go fly your kite and you know what? Your kite will be the best one ever!

Let's go fly a kite! Can you get yours off the ground and soaring, along with your spirits?

Find the best kites for your outdoor adventure right here! <==Just Click and soar to new heights!

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Classic Outdoor Games: Why Do They Matter?

A recent survey commissioned by a well known clothing catalogue company revealed surprising results: Classic outdoor games like hopscotch, foursquare and even marbles are on a serious decline.

In the U.K., a well known radio commentator, also a father of two, has joined the bandwagon by supporting the return to 'rough and tumble' play campaign. Many of us who are over forty will mourn this loss because most of us have such fine memories of... a croquet game that got us laughing hysterically, a badminton game where the 'birdie' got stuck in a tree and we had to get it down... fill in the blanks with your own here.

But there's something much more important at stake than a simple loss triggered by such memories. It's not just corny nostalgia. Adults do need to get involved.

Outdoor games are simple and elegant in their simplicity. The equipment is not outrageously expensive, especially when compared with all the techno games out there today. We should not dismiss the waning of classic outdoor games as misplaced nostalgia. We need to breathe new life into outdoor activities that build human interpersonal skills and relationships.

One commentator remarked, quite pointedly, that "outdoor games... provide children with valuable rehearsals for everyday life." I couldn't agree more.

Just choosing up sides for teams requires organization, consensus and basic team building skills. Fair play is essential; this is a concept many adults participating in today's business world could go back and relearn.

The basic physicality of an outdoor game, volleyball for example, compels accurate risk management. Whether on the offensive or defensive, strategizing is in play. A player may want to smash the ball but it's certainly not clever to keep smashing into another player.

Many classic outdoor games cut across gender and cultural lines. The symbol for 'time out' is pretty universal. Pretty cool when you think about it.

But mostly, classic outdoor games are about simple, basic, essential fun. They create an invaluable opportunity for physical immersion, mental stimulation off computer and the building of the purest human connections that soothe the soul and build character.

We cannot and should not deny our children, our families and our friends the time, space and opportunity to continue to participate in the kind of play offered by classic outdoor games. The loss would be incalculable. And, do note, that the classic outdoor games have kept up with the times.

Equipment is safer, more ergonomically designed for better, even faster play. Some games do have 'bells and whistles' added, like LED lights for night time play but the basic skills underlying the original games survive.

When you consider that many of these skills originated from pre-Greek Olympic times, that's considerable food for thought.

Let's not mourn the loss of outdoor play time. Let's make time for it. Despite budgetary cuts plaguing many schools today, this is one thing that a family of moderate means can do, together, with benefits that are priceless.

Go outside and play! Pick up classic outdoor games and start your fun! Party at your house! Play today!

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