Games to Play at an Old Fashioned Picnic

Old-fashioned picnics serve as a break for you and your family members. When planning an old-fashioned picnic, be sure to plan a few games that everyone can play. Games help families and friends build bonds. Supplies, some ideas and a creative imagination are all you need to get some “back in the day” picnic games started. For a large group, encourage everyone to play along by awarding small prizes like plastic trophies or gold medals to game winners.

Try an old-fashioned egg race game at a picnic. Mark a starting line and finish line 25 feet apart. Have all the players line up at the starting line. Give each player a wooden spoon and an egg. When you say, “Race,” players must place their egg in the wooden spoon and race to the finish line. If you play with hard-boiled eggs, players can start over if they drop their egg. If you play with raw eggs, players are out of the game if they drop their egg. The first player to cross the finish line with his egg on his spoon wins the game.

Give each player an old burlap sack or a pillowcase. Burlaps sacks are available online and at many feed stores. Use the same starting line and finish line as the egg race. Have a race for children and a race for adults. The first player across the finish line in her burlap sack or pillowcase wins the game.

Find an old-fashioned picnic basket and use it for a game of toss. Place the basket on the ground. Mark a standing line 10 feet from the basket for children and 15 feet from the basket for adults. The players will try to toss fake fruit from the line into the old-fashioned picnic basket. Give the players five pieces of fruit to toss in the basket. The player who makes the most pieces of fruit in the basket wins the game. For another picnic basket game, have a relay race. Divide the players into teams and give each team a picnic basket with fake fruit. The team players must run to a line 20 feet away, empty the basket and bring the basket to the next player in line. That player will run to the line and put the fruit back in the basket. Each player will alternate until everyone has a chance to go. The first team to finish the relay race wins the game.

Give everyone a jump rope and see who can jump rope the longest or the most times. For team games, divide everyone into teams and have two people swing the jump rope. See which team can jump rope the most times or the longest. For a water game, give players a cup of water and have them hold it while they jump rope 20 times. The player who has the most water in their cup after jump roping wins the game.