Kick the Can

Scouts enjoy playing classic outdoor games. Games encourage fitness, allow youth to run off some energy, and engage in some friendly competition.

Kick the can is a classic game which combines tag and hide and go seek. This is a great wide area game for a large group. Use it as an activity at a pack campout or to add some physical activity to a pack meeting.

You can find more games like this for Scouts on my classic outdoor games post.

Kick the Can

Materials

• 1 empty can

Instructions

1. Choose a person to be It. If you think the group or the playing area will make this game too difficult with just one person being It, you can have multiple players be It.
2. Designate general boundaries for the playing area. Somewhere within the area, designate a “jail” where tagged players must go. There is no base in this game.
3. It places the can in the middle of the playing area.
4. Everyone else hides while It covers his eyes and counts to 20. (Adjust the number as necessary based on the size of the playing area and the number of players.)
5. When finished counting, It tries to find the hidden players and tag them. When a player is tagged, he goes to the jail and stays there.
6. If one of the players who is still free manages to kick the can, everyone is released from jail.
7. The game ends when all of the non-It players are in jail.