THE 15 MOST POPULAR RECREATIONAL GAMES EXAMPLES - CULTURE VOCABULARY - 2025

The recreational games are group activities of a group to have fun. These kinds of activities have no general purpose beyond participating in the structure of the game; they have no practical intention beyond enjoyment.

Recreation is necessary for the general health of the human body, especially after work or strenuous activity.

Recreational games differ from sports in that they are not directed toward competition; in a sport the idea is to win, but in games it is just having fun.

Recreational games do not need technology, but many times some other element is needed.

They are usually played in groups, although some can be for two people. Also, the idea is that most of these games are played outside.

These types of games are ideal to have fun and have a good time; additionally, many have the advantage that they can be modified according to conditions.

The 15 most relevant recreational games

1- Hideout

Ideally it is played with at least three people. The general idea is that a person should close their eyes and count to a certain number (from 10 to 100) without looking. When you finish, you should try to find the other participants.

This game has many variations. Sometimes there is a base of operations where participants can run to save themselves from being found, whereas in most versions you just hide and hope to be found.

2- Capture the flag

It is usually played in a large group. The group is first divided into two teams, each must have a flag or marker at the team's central base.

The objective of the game is to run into the territory of the opposing team to steal or capture their flag and take it to the base.

"Enemy" players in their own territory can be marked to "send to jail."

They can be released if a member of their team runs into opposing territory, marks them, and reaches the base safely.

3- Traffic police

This game is played on a low-traffic street or paved area. Bicycles, wheelbarrows, skateboards and skateboards or something with wheels are needed. Some act as drivers and others as pedestrians; the latter must cross the street.

The idea is for one person to direct traffic so people don't collide with each other.

4- Four squares

This ball game is played on a square court divided into four smaller squares numbered one through four.

One player stands on each of the four squares; the ball must be bounced between the players, bouncing it once in the person's square before the person catches it.

There are many rules that can be added. For example, the person in square one may be responsible for creating the rules.

Anyone who violates them will be demoted and moved to the last square (the fourth) or will be eliminated.

You can also add the rule that the ball must be bounced twice before catching it, that it should only be bounced in front of the person, or other rules. The rules vary according to creativity.

5- Hopscotch

A chalk hopscotch grid must first be made on the floor; squares one through nine should be numbered. A rock is chosen that can be thrown. The rock must be thrown to square number one.

Then you jump towards the rock and you must jump on one foot or both feet, as indicated by the hopscotch pattern, until the end of it.

Then one must turn around and go back, standing on square number two. Swinging on one foot, he grabs the rock from square one and jumps onto it to start.

This pattern should be continued with square number two and so on. If the rock is thrown and it lands on the wrong square, the turn is lost.

6- Jacks (Matatenas)

The player spreads the jacks or knapsacks on the playing surface as if rolling dice.

Then the ball is thrown. It is only allowed to bounce once and is caught before it can bounce a second time.

The player must take the jacks and catch the ball with one hand before the ball bounces twice.

The number of matatenas that must be collected is increasing: first one is taken, then two, then three, and so on.

7- Red light, green light

One person represents the traffic light and stands on one side, and the other players go on the opposite side; the person at the stoplight must turn and turn his back on them.

When the traffic light turns to people and yells "red light," all people must stay still.

The traffic light turns back to back and says "green light", while the group tries to get as close as possible to the traffic light.

The idea is for the stoplight to turn quickly and shout "red light" to make everyone freeze. If a person moves, they must go back to the starting place and start the journey again.

The first person to touch the traffic light wins and becomes the traffic light on the next turn.

8- Simon says

One person begins by saying "Simon says (insert any action here)" and everyone must take that action.

However, if Simon begins to say an action without saying "Simon says," anyone who performs it is out of the game. The last person left playing at the end of the game will be Simon from the next turn.

9- The stain or the erre

A group of people decides who will start being the r or spot. That person must then chase the rest of the group, trying to touch them with their hand. The new person you touch becomes the new r or stain.

Often the rule is that there are no marks in a row, which means that a person cannot touch the person who just made them the r.

10- Blind spot

It is a variation of the stain. The person who is the stain must cover his eyes with a handkerchief and must chase the players and try to mark them without seeing them.

11- Button, button, who has the button

It begins with a group sitting or standing around a circle; everyone should have their hands together in front of the body.

One person takes the button and goes around the circle, pretending to put the button in someone's hands.

The idea is that you place the button in the hands of one person but then continue going around the circle pretending to place the button in all of the hands; this way nobody knows where the button is.

When finished, each person stands up and tries to determine who has the button. Before the person guesses the group should sing: "Button, button, who has the button", and then the person says who they think has it.

Once it is guessed who has the button, that person distributes the button in the next round.

A variation of the game is that a person stands in the middle of the circle and those around them pretend to pass the button behind their back; those who don't have it pretend to.

In this version, the person in the middle is the one who must guess who has the button.

12- Musical chairs

Chairs should be placed in a circle facing out of the circle; one chair less than the number of players must be placed.

For example, if there are 10 players, 9 chairs are placed, if there are 7 players, 6 chairs are placed, and so on.

One player should start playing music and when the music stops, players should sit in the first available chair they find. The player who does not find a chair is out of the game.

Then another chair is removed, the music starts again, stops and again the player who cannot find a chair must leave. The player who sits in the final chair is the winner.

13- The phone

The players sit in a circle; one person thinks of a phrase and whispers it into the ear of the player next to him.

That person then repeats the phrase in the ear of the player on the other side. This continues around the circle; When it finally reaches the last person, they say the phrase out loud.

Usually the final phrase is different because it changed throughout its passage through the circle, since players make mistakes.

14- frozen dance

One person is in charge of the music. When the music starts, everyone is dancing madly.

When the music stops, everyone should freeze where they are. Anyone who makes a small move is disqualified. Whoever is last wins.

15- Marbles

First, a circle must be drawn on the floor and each player must choose a larger marble to shoot. Then 5 or 10 marbles are placed in the center of the circle to start playing.

When the person's turn comes, they should crouch outside the circle and throw their shooter canine in such a way that they try to throw as many marbles as possible. If he manages to throw any marbles outside the circle, the player grabs them and tries to throw again.

If you fail to throw marbles, you must place your shooter marble inside the ring until your next turn; the next player takes his turn.

This continues until the ring is empty. The winner is the person with the most marbles at the end of the game.

References

1. 30 classic outdoor games for kids (2009). Recovered from wired.com
2. Recreational games in physical education (2012). Recovered from prezi.com
3. Recreational games. Recovered from definition.de
4. Recreational sports games (2016). Recovered from aquijuegosdeportivos.blogspot.com
5. 10 examples of recreational games. Recovered from examples.com