• Kids can play a variety of ball games outside at school.ball image by Sandra Henderson from Fotolia.com
  
  Many kids love to play ball games at recess. It's not only fun for them, but it benefits their health and developmental growth. According to an article on the Fisher Price website, having kids play games outdoors at a young age gives them the chance to develop necessary skills, such as coordination, flexibility and physical ability.There are a variety of schoolyard games that involve a large group of kids, which is great for developing skills as well as team building, learning to follow rules and exercise.
  
  

Dodge Ball

• Dodge ball is a classic game kids can play either in an indoor gym or outside in the schoolyard. If outdoors, it’s best to set it up on a basketball court so there are boundaries. It’s played in two teams, with one team on each side of the court. Place several dodge balls (kickballs) on the center line of the court before starting the game. When the game begins, all the kids run up to grab the balls. The object of the game is to get the opposing players out by hitting them with a ball. Players score an out by throwing a ball and hitting an opposing player below the shoulders. Players who get hit below the shoulders are out. If a player throws a ball that hits an opponent above the shoulder, he is out. Players cannot go out of bounds to avoid a ball; only to retrieve balls. When all the players on a team are eliminated, the team with players remaining is the winner.
  
  

Kickball

• Kickball is a variation on baseball that is played with a big rubber ball. Set up the playing field like a baseball diamond with four bases. If you don’t have a diamond, get creative and form the bases with rocks or other items. Divide the players into two teams and decide who will kick first. The opposing team plays the outfield with one player pitching and one catching. The pitcher rolls the ball toward home plate and the kickers kicks it and then runs to first base. The object of the kicking team is to get as many runs as possible. The inning ends when there are three outs. Outs occur when an outfielder catches a kicked ball, tags the base before the runner gets there or throws the ball and hits the runner before he gets to a base.
  
  

Four Square

• Four square is also played with a kickball, usually on cement. Draw one large square with chalk, then divide it into four equal squares to form the playing field. One player goes in each square, which are numbered 1 through 4. The four square is the highest ranking square, and the object of the game is to eliminate players so you can get to the four square as often as possible. If there are other kids who want to play, have them form a line outside the playing area. To begin the game, the player in the four square serves the ball to the one square. The ball can bounce once in any square, and then that player must hit it to any other player. The round continues until someone makes an error by hitting the ball out of bounds or letting the ball bounce more than once in his square. Then the person is out, the players advance to the next ranking and a new person comes in (or the person who is out goes to the one square).