Playing outdoors with a ball can be a blast, but self-created games can only last for so long before arguments or boredom may ensue. Instead, simple but creative ball games for kids can keep kids’ attention for longer periods of time. Fortunately, even if you only have one type of ball, games can be easily adapted to fit your ball’s shape.

Top 8 Ball Games for Kids

While some kids may not enjoy ball games, for the rest, playing with a ball is where the majority of the fun is at. The following are several games that can be played with groups to keep them happy and entertained. Read and find out the best ball games for kids to play.

1. Shoot the Box Holes

This can be done with something as simple as a shoe box. All you need to do is take some scissors and cut out holes of varying sizes, use markers to color code and label each hole. Then, use a Popsicle stick and attempt to get the marble in the hole, which can even be done by strategically knocking marbles against each other to double up points. If you hit all five in one turn, you earn five hundred points, and 300 points if you hit three in one turn. Other than that, use the marked values to tally up scores – practicing math, hand eye coordination, physics, and strategy all at once.

2. Bottle – Bash Soccer

In order to play this game properly, you will preferably need a soccer ball, and at least ten clean 2-liter bottles filled with just enough water to keep them upright. Teams should be in two teams of at least four members. Once each team has created a line of five bottles two feet apart from each other and about thirty feet from the other team, it is time to begin. The goal is to knock down the opposing team’s bottles while still protecting theirs. Fortunately, no boundaries are set allowing the ball to be kicked anywhere. Every time a bottle gets knocked down, possession is changed. In the end, this game is great for hand-eye coordination as well as learning the values of teamwork.

3. Indoor Football Volleyball

To begin playing this game you will need a soft ball, or a blown up balloon, along with a piece of yarn or string. Tie the string along the playing area, approximately ten feet across and a foot above the floor. Create your two teams, toss a coin to see who goes first, and then begin playing crab style. This means children will support themselves face up while leaning on their hands and feet, which should be shoeless. They take turns kicking the balloon back and forth, preventing it from touching the ground. When it does touch the ground, the opposing team gets a point. The first to get fifteen points is the winner of this excellent hand-eye coordination and team-building game.

4. Baggy Ball

This easy to create game requires a portion of bubble wrap covered with a plastic bag, and two additional grocery bags, along with two teams of at least three players and no more than eleven. Two people are designated as the ‘basket’ or ‘goalie’ as they are to hold the plastic bag open for the other team to attempt to hit the ball in. However, the ‘basket’ is able to be moved around so long as the player keeps one foot firmly planted on the ground. Whoever has the most baskets in half an hour – or other designated playing time – becomes the winner. Excellent for hand-eye coordination, team-building, and a bit of strategy, this is the perfect cheap game for a large group of children.

5. Turkey Trot Game

This unique game that requires plenty of concentration, team-work, and a bit of athleticism, starts with creating a turkey mascot. The mascot can be as simple as a piece of paper taped to a ball, and is held by one person of the pair. The pairs must be linked at the elbows and are back-to-back. When the cue is given, their goal is to get to the finish line first, without dropping their mascot or having to unlink their arms. The best part about this game is that it can be played by anyone physically able to walk, including very young children, and even older adults. In fact, any age group will find this game fun and difficult at the same time.

6. Bossy Ball

The bossy ball requires quick thinking, intuition and creativity. You must also learn how to toss the ball in a variety of ways, as determined by the paper strips. The ball will have various pieces of paper with direction written in permanent marker that have then been taped securely to the ball. It should be a softer ball to avoid injury, but still heavy enough to get good distance. Label each strip with different ways to throw, such as ‘overhead while jumping’, or ‘while skipping’. When caught, the person must read whatever is under or closest to their right hand, and the ball must be caught in the same manner as well. So, be creative and watch the endless fun begin.

7. Beach Bowling

Once you have some sand, you will watch kids use physics, hand-eye coordination, and some muscle power to knock down their self-created pins. Grab a small ball and a plastic cup to fill with sand – add water if needed – then turn the cup over to create your pins. There should be four in the back, then three, then two and then one. Each person gets to roll the ball twice and after each time they count how many pins they knocked over, keeping tally in the sand. Don’t forget to draw a line approximately six to eight feet in front of the pins and be sure to place them appropriately so they don’t get washed away by the tide.

8. Spud Game

Start with a playground ball and an assigned number for each player. Involving hand-eye coordination, practicing movement with firmly planted feet, it can also release tension as a form of dodge ball. When the first person calls out a number, that numbered person must retrieve the ball while everyone else scatters. Once retrieved, the person called yells ‘spud’, at which point everyone freezes. The player with the ball can take two large steps towards anyone, and attempt to hit them with the ball. The target is allowed to move, but cannot move their feet. If the target misses or catches the ball, the thrower earns their first letter; but if hit, they earn their first letter. Whenever a player spells ‘SPUD’, they are out, until one is left.

Here is a video of how some kids play parachute ball game: