Are you thinking about holding a Field Day at the end of the school year? A Field Day is all about fun stations or events that students can complete and compete in! Some trailblazers call it a “Play-Day”, “Field Day”, “Fun Day”, or even “Summer Jamboree”. No matter what we call it, we know it means one thing… FUN! Oh, and we have 35 Fun Field Day Activities for you and your students! My personal favorites are #3, #24, and #35!
Separated into 6 sections, this blog contains a variety of events, games, and activities that you will be sure to find everything you need to plan your next fun Field Day! Uh Oh…What happens if you already had your Field Day like I did?
Are you planning on teaching summer school this year? Use some of these outdoor ideas for celebrations or fun days throughout the summer! Save these ideas for next year. Gosh, you can even use many of these with your own kids this summer!
Fun Water Activities
Looking for a way to “cool off” on your next field day? Here are some great ideas that all involve water! Yes, water! Every Trailblazer from other schools I talk to always says the same thing… their students definitely look forward to the water station! Mine included! Allow students to bring another set of clothes in their backpacks if they wish to change after returning to the classroom.
1 – Leaky Cup
This first one is a must for any Fun Field Day! You can play this game as teams or as individuals. Place several holes in a plastic solo cup. Children will have to scoop water out of a bucket and walk it to another team bucket. The first team or individual to fill up the second bucket wins!
2 – Aim To Win 
Standing in a circle, children will use large squirters to aim and fill an empty bucket with water in the center of the circle. The team that gets the most water in their bucket wins.
3 – Bucket Relay
You have two teams. The first kid reaches into a water-filled bucket of sponges, grabs a sponge, and passes it over their head to the next kid, who passes it under his legs to the next and continues to repeat the pattern… last kid squeezes the sponge into an empty bucket and runs the sponge up to the front. Team with the most water in their bucket wins.
4 – Water Balloon Toss
If you are familiar with an “egg toss” game, then you already know the setup and rules for this one! In pairs, students take turns tossing the water balloon back and forth. Each time a team member catches the balloon without it breaking, they take a step back. Creating a longer distance between teammates. The last team to successfully toss the balloon back and forth without it breaking wins.
5 – Sponge Relay Race
In teams, the first student has to place the sponge in a bucket of water. Running through the obstacles (cones, hurdles, etc.), the student must make it to the empty bucket and squeeze out the water from the sponge before running back to hand it to the next student in line. The team with the most water in their bucket after all teammates complete the course wins.
Relay Races
If water activities aren’t for you, but you enjoy the team sport of relay races… then here are some great ideas for your next Field Day!
6 – Relay Race
Relay races are the perfect addition to any Field Day! Why? Because they are SO adaptable! You can incorporate how little or how much you want to include! Have some obstacles like rings, hurdles, cones, etc? Great! Create an obstacle course that students must run through. I love to incorporate swimming tubes into my relay races! Place a few large cones at the end of the playing area.
Next, place the inflated swimming tube over the cone. Students must run down to the cone through the obstacle course and grab the inner tube. Then, they must place the tube over their heads around the stomach before running back to their teammate. The next student needs to place the tube around their stomach before running through the course back to the cone. Place the tube over the cone and run back tagging the next player to repeat the steps until all players have played.
7 – Three-Legged Race
Looking for a race that involves strategy, cooperation, and communication?!? You got it! Here is another great race on this list that involves very minimal setup and materials! All you need is a piece of string, ribbon, velcro, band, etc. In pairs, students will have their legs tied together. Right leg on one student, left on the other. Carefully and slowly, they must work together to walk across the playing field. The first pair to cross the finish line wins!
8 – Potato Sack Race
This is a classic game for any fun Field Day! Grab some burlap sacks and… well, that’s it! A student will start with their feet and legs inside the sack. By bouncing / hopping across the playing field and back, the student must get out of the potato sack and hand it to the next player in line. That student will repeat the steps until all teammates have raced. The first team to get all of their players to the starting point wins!
9 – Spoon Race
Using a spoon and a bowl of 10 ping pong balls, students must race to get their 10 balls to another location or bucket. The catch is that students must keep the ball on their spoon during the duration of the race or they must start over. The first to get the 10 balls across the finish line wins.
10 – Beach Ball Volley Race
In a team of two or three, students must work together to keep their beach ball in the air while moving across the field. If the ball touches the ground, the team must start over again.
Free Play
Sometimes you just need to let kids be kids and allow them some space to just have free play. A center during your next Field Day can be a free play area with a few of the following items in it:
11 -Sport Balls
Soft footballs, soccer balls, beach balls, badminton sets, or more can be included in tubs that students can choose from. Just remember before allowing them to play to set some boundaries of how the materials can be used as well as to place them back in the tubs for the next group when finished!
12 – Jump Ropes
Same as #11, set out some jump ropes for students to utilize during their free time.
13 – Hula Hoops
Ready to watch students get creative? I’ve seen talented students use these around their stomachs, their necks, or even use them as a jump rope – hopping through the middle.
14 -Music / Free Dance
Does your Field Day have a theme? Play some music to go along with it. If not, just toss on some great tunes for your fun day outside!
15 – Student-Led Games
Students will end up making up their own versions of tag, freeze tag, red light/green light, or other fun made-up games of their own creation.
16 – Chalk
Will your center be placed near an area where students can use sidewalk chalk? Allow students to create their own hopscotch area, tic-tac-toe, and more!
17 – Bubbles
17 – BubblesWho doesn’t love bubbles?!?
18 – Yarn Ball Toss
Students stand in a circle and toss the yarn ball back and forth to each other. Each time they catch the yarn, they hold onto the string before tossing it to the next student. See what designs or “webs” you can make.
19 – Hoop Scotch
Remember those hula hoops from #13? Here is another reason to grab some more! Set up a hoop-scotch course. Think hopscotch, but instead of boxes drawn with chalk, students will hop through a course of hula hoops laid out on the grass or playground.
20 – Parachute
Always a classic. Always fun!
Pool Noodles
Pool noodles are every teacher’s dream tool for end-of-the-year celebrations! They can be used for a number of different games, activities, and even decorations (think palm trees, flowers, candy, or more). Next time you are at the dollar store grab some for your Field Day!
21 – Pool Noodle Baseball
Cut pool noodles in half to use as bats for a fun game of baseball.
22 – Javelin Throw
Set up a space for students to throw a javelin! Not a real one… Using the pool noodle students will throw it as far as they can! Shhhh… you can sneak in some measurement and math skills on this one by having them measure the distance it is thrown!
23 – Pool Noodle Soccer
Bend the pool noodles in an arc and stake them into the ground. You just set up a goal area for students to kick a ball through!
24 – Relay Race Pick Up
Cut a pool noodle in half. Using these as sticks, students must pick up items and carry them across the field using the noodles only. Items can consist of balls, rubber chickens, toys, etc.
25 – Pool Noodle Hurdles
Remember those soft arcs you made in #23? Well, you just set up another game and didn’t even know it! Time to jump over hurdles in this Field Day event!
Games
26 – Lily Pad Toss
Place markers or “lily pads” around a container in a central location. Provide students with bean bags or “frogs”. The goal is to see who can toss the most frogs from their lily pad into the central lily pad.
27 – Kickball
Sometimes the simplest ideas are the most fun. Have a classic game of kickball!
28 – Limbo
You can use any object for this game of limbo. Re-use those pool noodles, inflatable trees, or rafts, or just grab a stick. Students in line all walk under the limbo object! After the group goes through, the object is lowered slightly. The players keep going under the object as it continues to go lower and lower. The object of the game is to not fall or bump the object as you go under!
29 – Tug a Friend
In two large teams, each team tugs on their side of the rope. The team that pulls the majority of the rope to their side wins!
30 – Ring Toss
For this game think a bit of a larger scale. How about safety cones and large inflatable swimming inner tubes?!? They can double up from the relay races in #6!
Other Fun Field Day Events
31 – Painting Collage
31 – Painting CollageSo I cannot take credit for this one! On my recent field day, one parent from our Parent/Teacher Association came up with this great idea! A painting station! Yes…our students painted during a station. Hear me out…it is easier than you think. They received a small canvas and a color scheme to choose from. They went to the table of their color scheme choice that had the paint already poured and ready. Using a stencil of the planned year of graduation, the students were able to dab paint over the stencil on their canvas. Once finished, you pick the stencil up off of the canvas creating a beautiful work of art!
32 – Popsicle Station
Here is another fun Field Day station students will be running towards! Perfect for a warm, sunny day – Popsicles!
33 – Popcorn Station
Looking for a quick and easy snack station? Place some popcorn in snack bags to grab and go!
34 – Drink Station
I always recommend having water and little cups at several stations throughout the field, however how about setting up a special drink station with Gatorade or juice pouches to quench that thirst and stay hydrated!
35 – Time Capsule
Here is another great craft and activity for students to complete during their fun Field Day! How about a Time Capsule? How cool would it be if you kept these in a marked container with their expected graduation year on it? Then once they are seniors…you return them before their graduation?!? Seniors would LOVE that and so would families! Check out all three versions here:
Kindergarten STEAM – Water Bottle Time Capsule
First Grade STEAM – Water Bottle Time Capsule
Second Grade STEAM – Water Bottle Time Capsule
35 Fun Field Day Activities not enough for you? Want to add to this list? Comment below with your Field Day must-haves! What were some of your favorites from this list that you are going to try out? Remember, they don’t have to be saved for JUST a fun Field Day! Use some of these on your next special day or celebration outdoors!
Written By – Christopher Olson
AtEducation to the Core, we exist to help our teachers build a stronger classroom as they connect with our community to find trusted, state-of-the-art resources designed by teachers for teachers. We aspire to be the world’s leading & most trusted community for educational resources for teachers. We improve the lives of every teacher and learner with the most comprehensive, reliable, and inclusive educational resources.
If you enjoyed what we have to offer at ETTC,be sure tojoin ouremail list,so you won’t miss a beat. We are here to help with all your resource needs. Become aPremium Member of Education to the Coreand receive immediate access to thousands of printable activities. For one small monthly or annual fee, everything ETTC can be at your fingertips all of the time.
