10 Games to Play in the Dark Outside

10 Games to Play in the Dark Outside

With the short days of winter quickly approaching, it won’t be long before your kid’s outdoor play time will be cut short.  But if the weather is nice, why not let them enjoy nature a little longer with some of these fun outdoor games they can play outside after dark.

Hide and seek

Kids love playing hide and seek. And hiding in the dark means you can find even more great hiding places. The seeker uses their flashlight to find those who are hiding.

Flashlight tag

Similar to regular tag except that the person who is “it” has to tag the other children with their flashlight beam`
The children quietly sneak up on mom and if she hears footsteps she shines her flashlight on the culprit and they have to start over. The object is to grab some kind of treasure she has at her side (usually some kind of glow-in-the-dark toy) and get back to the start with it without being caught.

Treasure hunt

Fill plastic Easter eggs with mini-glow sticks. Hide them around the yard then have your kids go on a treasure hunt to see how many they can find in the dark.   The one who finds the most eggs wins a prize.

Glow-in-the-dark water play

Add glow-in-the-dark paint to the water in your water table. You can also drop in a variety of glow-in-the-dark toys and containers.

Glow-in-the-dark painting

Let your kids paint on black paper with glow-in-the-dark paint – you could attach a large sheet to the fence or mix the paint with corn-starch and a little water and paint directly on the ground. It will easily wash away in the rain. You can paint hopscotch on the driveway and use glow-in-the-dark balls as markers.

Look at the stars

On a crisp, clear night what could be better than star gazing?  Print out a map of the stars to help figure out where the constellations are.

Shadow play

Children love to play in the shadows. Use flashlights or outdoor lights to cast shadows onto white walls or hang a white sheet between fences or trees and get the children to stand against it making shadows and shapes.

Glow-in-the-dark sensory play

Add glow-in-the-dark paint to corn starch and water, water beads, shaving cream, or play dough.

Light tables

Make a homemade light table with a translucent plastic box and a black lid. Turn the box upside down and put battery-operated lights or glow sticks inside. There are all kinds of fun activities you can do with a light table. You can place leaves, beads, buttons or candy wrappers on top to make patterns, spread sand or rice on top to make marks or use interesting colored containers.

What kind of imaginative and creative outdoor, after dark play can you and your kids come up with?

Find all of our activities for kids here!

For ideas on what to eat around the campfire, try our Real Food Camping Menu.

Holly

a passionate recreation coordinator by day, crazy farm mama of two by night. i live outdoors: growing my own food, camping and hiking with my border collie with two active kids in tow. when I’m not writing, I’m experimenting with recipes, and crafts – or anything else that might keep the monkeys entertained.