Summer is the best time to be a kid. School is out, the weather is great and each day promises a new adventure. At least that is how it used to be. Today, summer’s biggest rival is the computer screen. With the return of sunny skies, there is no need to bask in the artificial light of a digital display. Instead, encourage your child to gather up the neighborhood kids and show them how to have some old-fashioned summer fun. Here are 15 ideas for simple, outdoor games and activities!

Frisbee Tic-Tac-Toe
Draw a tic-tac-toe board on the driveway with chalk or in the yard with spray paint. Gather four Frisbees for each player and try to get the Frisbees to land in the squares to win tic-tac-toe.

Water Gun Shooting Range
Gather empty water and soda bottles and set up them up on a deck railing or table edge. Fill your water gun and try to knock them over. On windy days, fill each bottle with an inch of water.

Kickball
This game is similar to baseball, but it levels the playing field so all ages and skill levels can play. The pitcher rolls a large ball to the “batter” who kicks it with his foot. Like baseball, the batter runs the bases and the opposing team tries to get him out before he gets home.

Tug-o-War 
Break the group up into teams, find a long rope and stand on opposite sides of a kiddie pool filled with water. On “go,” see who will make the first splash of summer.

Nature Scavenger Hunt
Whether you are in the backyard or a local park, help the kids make a list of items they can gather and race back to the starting line. Find things like a river rock, pinecone, acorn or a robin’s egg shell.

Water Balloon Toss
Stand in parallel lines and pass a water balloon back and forth without dropping it. Change it up by setting one person in the middle of a circle with a bowl on his head. Players try to toss the balloon in the bowl.

Pillow Case Race
It’s the same idea as a potato sack race, but easier to come by. Line up the kids and their pillow cases at the starting line and watch them go.

Kick the Can
Place a metal can in the middle of the driveway or backyard patio. The players hide while the person who is “it” tries to find them while keeping an eye on the can. If he gets too far away from the can, another player can come out of hiding and kick the can. If the player is tagged, he becomes “it”. If not, he is safe. Play continues until all players kick can or until a player is found or tagged.

Obstacle Course  
Dig out the hula hoops, soccer cones and jump ropes. Kids can use their creativity to set up an obstacle course in the backyard. Then, let the races begin.

Dodgeball
Set up several soft vinyl balls in the center of two teams. On “go,” the players charge the center to get to a ball and start throwing them at other players. If a player catches it, the thrower is out. If he misses the catch or gets hit with the ball, the player is out.

Sharks and Minnows
Line up the players, called minnows, on one end of the yard. One shark stands in the middle of the yard. The minnows try to cross to the other side of the yard without getting tagged and becoming a shark themselves. Play continues until all minnows have changed to sharks.

Watermelon Eating Contest
Cut watermelon into half-moon pieces and set in front of each player on the table. Have the hungry youngsters try to eat the watermelon as fast as they can—without using hands.

Five Hundred
One player stands at the end of the yard or street with a baseball bat and tennis ball. He throws the ball up and hits it with the bat into the crowd. They try to catch it on a fly for 100 points; with one bounce for 50 points; or two bounces for 25 points. Whoever scores 500 first is the winner.

Clothes Pin Tag
Everyone clips a hinged clothes pin to the back of their shirt. The person who is “It” tries to grab the clothes pin as they run by.

Drip, Drip, Drop
Played like Duck, Duck, Goose, this is a fun game for a hot day. Instead of taping the players in the circle for ‘duck,’ drip a little water from a sponge. When you choose a player to “goose,” yell ‘drop’ and squeeze the sponge over their head before you start running.

Pam Molnar is a freelance writer and mother of three. She has fond memories of summertime games with her neighbors and looks forward to watching her children make summer memories of their own.