Fun Running Games for Kids

I use a number of games to supplement the regular running drills with my elementary school program. The most popular of these seem to be the candy chase, blob tag, guess your time (which reinforces even pace), and good "ole" fashioned relay races.

The candy chase is simply held over an area the size of a football field and works like an Easter egg hunt. I buy about a one pound bag of wrapped penny candy and sprinkle it over the area. The children line up at one end and they start together. They can only pick up one piece at a time and bring it back to the starting line before venturing back out. Each child will be a winner if enough candy is spread out. This turns into a nice speed workout.

Blob tag starts with two of your fastest runners holding hands and trying to tag others inside of a given area. Children that are doing the tagging can break off into pairs of two once the fourth child is caught. This is another speed/endurance activity.

Guess your time works by having the runners give you a predicted time for a given distance prior to running it. For example, with a mile they could give you a predicted time by lap or for the complete mile. You may need the help of another recorder or two, if available. The runners that come the closest to running their predicted time win a token prize like a pencil or pen.

Of course, most children and young teens love to be challenged. The activity that they never seem to tire of is relays. I have made batons out of thin pvc pipe and colored tape. I generally try to limit the individual legs to 1/4 mile or less. You need to make the pairings as equal as you can. I sometimes jump in and help out one of the slower teams if they are falling behind. Most of the best ideas come from the children themselves.

Tip submitted by Bob Pelletier.