How to Plan a Field Day For Your Family at Home

Your kids are home from school, and they can’t stop talking about field day. It was THAT amazing. 

You’ve got one child talking about all the cool relay races they had, and the other one is all about the various team challenges. And, of course, both are asking the same question. When are we going to do THAT again?

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The best thing here is that you don’t have to lie or wonder, all that is COMPLETELY possible, and even better; your entire family can participate.

And even though your home (probably) doesn’t include an entire playground, nor do you have a bunch of qualified teachers to supervise and organize the entire event, you can do it in the comfort of your own backyard. If you don’t have one, or you live in an apartment, the park will also do just fine.

Of course, you know how kids are. Nothing builds a stronger bond between parents and their children more than spending quality time together, especially outdoors.

What Do You Need for a Family Field Day?

Obviously, you need a place for it, so that should be taken care of first. 

If you have a backyard, that’s the easiest option because everything you could need is close by. Keep in mind that, unless you have a truly huge backyard, this will only work if it’s a strictly family event. If you plan on inviting people over, then the park will probably be better. There will be more room, and plus, you won’t have to worry about someone smashing your neighbor’s window with a ball.

Just make sure that the ground is mostly flat, and remember that you’ll need a reservation for some parks, so check things like that first.

If you’ve got more people coming over, that’s even better. But just keep in mind that not everyone is on the same level. A grandparent can’t run as fast or as much as a teenager, so split everyone into teams. Each team should be a mix as far as age and abilities go; otherwise it’s not fair.

As far as equipment goes, there’s no need to spend too much money on it. You can get pretty far with a few basic ones. 

Here are a couple of items to get your idea cogs spinning:

• Cones, plastic bottles – something like this; you can use them as starting lines, boundaries, targets, etc.
• Soft balls, buckets, beanbags, jump ropes, etc.
• A stopwatch or a phone (today, each smartphone is equipped with one)
• A piece of paper to keep score; a phone is fine, but there’s just that ‘something’ about writing things on paper
• Drinking water (hydrate!), sunscreen, and a first-aid kit (better to be safe than sorry, right?)
• And of course, some snacks; there’s always someone who’s hungry

The great thing about having a backyard field day is that it can be used for a lot of different things, so it’s not like you need a specific set of equipment for each game.

Now all that’s left is to put down a few rules before the event starts. It should be clear how teams get points and what happens if someone makes a mistake. 

Also, what you can do here is make a ruling regarding draws/ties.

Explain all of this beforehand, and make sure that everyone knows (and understands!) the rules clearly. You don’t want an “Oh, but I thought…” moment in the middle of a game.

Family Field Day Games

Okay, now on to the fun part: the games that inspire our children to explore the wonders of nature and embrace the joy of being outside.

And keep in mind to retain some level of fairness (adults, older people, children, men vs. women, etc.). Mix things up, and if you’re creating teams, keep them balanced (if you can, of course).

It makes no sense really for every game to have the same winner (great for the winner; boring for pretty much everyone else).

Relay Race

What’s the point in having a field day without a relay race? That’s like a fast food meal without French fries.

Get 2 cones and put them 10-15 yards apart (you can always adjust this later depending on what you like/need). Now split everyone into teams.

The idea here is that the first person in each of the teams will be required to run to the second cone and back, hand over the baton to the next runner, etc. If you want to make the game more of a challenge, you can always replace the baton with an egg/spoon combo or have them balance or dribble a ball, etc.

If you’ve got older people there (cough grandpa and grandma cough), then just make sure sprinting or speed isn’t compensated in some way.

See Who Has the Best Aim With Ball Games

Everyone’s had the chance to run around, so now’s the time for something a bit different.

First, get 3 buckets. Now, place them all at different distances (think “Beer Pong” from your student days).

The goal here is to throw the ball into the bucket, with the furthest bucket giving you the most points. For example, the nearest is 1 point, the middle one is 2 points, and the farthest one is 5 points (reward effort and skill, good luck as well, but hey!). 

Give each player 5 balls (5 chances). Do the throwing, and then calculate the points. Write them down on a score sheet and have fun! If you like it, go for another round.

It’s EXTREMELY simple, it’s easy, and it’s fun.

Pickleball

If you have a few paddles, that’s enough for another game. And you don’t even need a court! Get everyone to bounce a ball on their paddle, and whoever can keep it the longest wins. Or you can pair people up and count how many passes they can make.

If you see a pickleball court somewhere, take advantage of it.

Doubles matches are incredibly fun, but paddles will be a factor here. Not all of them weigh or feel the same. And it really matters which paddle you’re using because different paddles fit different playstyles. 

And until you find a paddle that fits you, it’s probably best to try out a couple of different ones before fully committing to one particular model.

If you go to a pickleball-dedicated website like Pickleball Nation and check out these Bread & Butter models, you’d quickly see how specialized these paddles can be based on the specs. Browse a bit to get a feel/ideal of what’s available and think about how you play (technique, arm reach/length, strength, agility, dexterity, speed, etc.).

For more inspiration, see these outdoor games to play with teenagers.

Conclusion

It really doesn’t take much to keep people happy! All you need is a bit of imagination and some space to turn that idea into reality (a.k.a., where you’ll play the newly-founded game).

Planning things out won’t hurt. And if you’re inviting people over, it’s actually preferred to organize yourself a bit – it’s just easier that way. And if everything is in place, it’s easier for everyone to fully relax and have fun.

And yeah… who knows, really. Perhaps it’s just going to be a fun day, but then again, it might be the start of a new family tradition – which is amazing!