1. Play is free! Kids don’t need expensive equipment or even an organized sport to have fun playing outside. A simple game of tag or hide and seek will do the trick. Encourage them to make up their own wacky games – challenge them to invent a game using two everyday playthings, such as a hula hoop and a ball.

2. Have a blast from your past. Everyone has a favorite fun playground or backyard game they played growing up. Why not get outside and teach the kids how to play it? Chances are they’ll love Red Light Green Light, Kick the Can or Flashlight Hide and Seek as much as you did.

3. Scrapes and cuts are a natural part of playing outside. Protect your kids by learning the “3 Cs of Wound Care”:

• Clean: Wash your hands thoroughly before treating the wound. Or if you’re out and about and there’s no soap and water, reach for Purell® Instant Hand Sanitizer. Then rinse the wound thoroughly with lukewarm water to remove germs, dirt and small stones.

• Coat: Apply an antibiotic ointment, such as NEOSPORIN® First Aid Antibiotic Ointment, to the wound 1 to 3 times daily to help prevent infection and to minimize the appearance of scars.

• Cover: Keep the wound site covered with a sterile bandage to create a moist healing environment and check the wound daily to monitor healing.

4. Actions speak louder than...: When you play outside with your kids, you set a good example and show them that physical activity is important. Let the dishes or e-mail wait — join the kids for a walk in the park or on a nature trail, or jog alongside them while they ride their bikes.

5. Puddle power! If it’s raining, put on old clothes or raingear and hold a puddle-jumping contest. Or see who can make the biggest splash – a “puddle battle” is a lot of good wet fun.

6. Track and field day: Invite neighborhood kids to compete in events like relay races, sprints and long jumps. Safety Tip: Be sure to race on grass only to avoid serious injury, and bring along some Neo to Go®, pocket-sized packets of NEOSPORIN® First Aid Antibiotic Ointment in case someone falls.

7. Play Wacky Catch. In this version of catch, the first time a player misses a ball he or she must start throwing with only one hand. On the second miss, the player must throw with the opposite hand; on the third, kneeling on one knee. By the fourth miss, the player must be on both knees and by the fifth, lying flat!

8. Help! Snake in the grass! Turn a jump rope into a snake by wiggling it on the ground and encouraging kids to jump over it from side to side to avoid being “bitten.”

9. Hop to it! Work on balance, motor and memory skills by devising a simple hopping sequence (two hops on the right foot, three jumps, four hops on the left foot) and see how long your child can go. Other variations might include hopping on one foot or with eyes closed.

10. Go Hawaiian. Liven up a game of catch by laying a hula hoop in the grass between the players. Try to make the ball bounce in the circle before you catch it.

11. Plant a love for gardening. Encourage kids to dig in the dirt, water the garden, and choose which flowers should be planted where. Show them how to plant seeds, mulch bushes – even weeding can be fun!

12. Bubble fun! Prepare a bubble mixture of six cups water, two cups dish detergent and ¾ cup corn syrup in a shallow pan several hours before use. Twist coat hangers into closed shapes for bubble wands (don’t forget the handle), dip the wand into the solution and move your arm through the air for beautiful bubbles.

13. Public art: Bring art out of doors by hanging an old sheet on a clothesline – or laying it on the ground – and “spray painting” it with a spray bottle filled with equal parts water and tempera paint. If there’s snow on the ground, use food coloring instead of tempera and decorate the yard.

14. Treasure hunt! Hide a box filled with inexpensive trinkets outside and devise creative clues (e.g. “Start at the stump and look under the biggest rock for your next clue” or “Walk twenty paces straight ahead and five paces to your left”) to guide kids to the hidden treasure!

15. Expand your horizons. Take the kids to a neighborhood, cultural district, or town you’ve never been to before and delight in exploring it together.

16. Sprinkler Splash: On a hot day, turn on the sprinkler and challenge kids to duck the droplets and touch the sprinkler without getting wet by “snake crawling” through the grass on their stomachs. Or set up a tug of war over the sprinkler — first team to get wet loses!

17. Snow Castle: Castle building isn’t just for the beach! On a snowy day, use big buckets to scoop snow into creative castles (don’t forget the moats, turrets and drawbridges), or try to build your very own igloo. Safety Tip: And if your family spends lots of time outdoors in the winter, be sure to soothe chapped lips with NEOSPORIN® Lip Treatment®.

18. Scavenger Hunt! Create a list of ten things that can be found outside with a little bit of concentration, such as specific leaves, feathers or bottle caps. The first child to return with all ten things wins.

19. A day at the races! Encourage healthy competition with a series of fun competitions. Wheelbarrow, three-legged and potato sack races are a way to get kids moving – and laughing.

20. Get into Disc-o. Play a “hot potato” game of Frisbee® by throwing it back and forth as quickly as possible. First one to drop the Frisbee – or hold on to it for too long – loses! Frisbee® is a trademark of Wham-O, Inc

21. Dripping Dodgeball: Ramp up the fun of this childhood favorite by playing with water balloons instead of balls. Remember, the less full they are, the less likely they are to break, so be sure to fill them up to the MAX!

22. Get soggy! Have children stand five paces apart from each other and toss a very full water balloon back and forth. After each catch, take one step backwards. When a balloon breaks, the team is “all washed up.”

23. Organize a family bike ride. Pick a route everyone can enjoy, pack a picnic lunch and make a day out of it. Remember that nothing prevents a serious head injury better than a helmet, so be sure that everyone is properly protected. Safety Tip: And don’t forget to pack your Neo to Go®, pocket-sized packets of NEOSPORIN® First Aid Antibiotic Ointment to treat any on-the-road scrapes.

24. Catching is Fun! Get creative with ball games by challenging kids to throw balls through their legs, or over their shoulder, or with the opposite hand than usual. Still stumped? A great three-person game is “Monkey in the Middle”: three kids stand in a line with the two people on either end trying to throw a ball to each other without the person in the middle catching it.

25. Island hopping: The game “Islands” is similar to tag, except there is a designated safe spot, such as a bush or tree. Children mill about until they hear the chaser yell “Land Ahoy,” and then must reach the island without getting caught. If a player is tagged outside of the safety zone, he or she becomes the chaser.

26. Dance the day away. Stuck inside? Get kids moving with a dance party! Throw on some old fun disco tunes, like ABBA or the Bee Gees, and get grooving! You can also make a rule that when you turn off the music, the kids have to freeze in a certain position until you turn it back on.

27. Make outdoor chores fun. Wash the car on a hot day when you don’t mind getting wet, rake leaves into piles and jump into them, or shovel snow to a central location to make snow angels on.

28. Eggs a-go-go! One of the best things about playing outdoors is that you don’t have to worry about messes. Organize an egg and spoon competition where each player has to race to a designated point and back while balancing a raw egg on a spoon. If an egg drops and breaks, the player is out, but if it drops and stays intact, the player may pick it up (at a standstill) and then continue on. The first person back with an intact egg wins. No eggs? Try carrying cotton on a spoon!

29. Snow Day! When there’s snow on the ground, why stop with just a snowman? Build a snow family or wintertime zoo! Or use food coloring, old clothes or Halloween costumes to make your sculptures the snazziest on the block.

30. Bug Hunt: Turn over rocks and logs in your yard or the local park to see how many different types of bugs you can find and identify. Bring a pad and pencil to draw the critters and then look them up at home!

31. Visit with Mother Nature. Take advantage of nature’s offerings by chasing butterflies with big nets (be sure not to touch them!), looking them over and then releasing. Or catch lightning bugs in jars during the summer months. Bird watching is also loads of fun – buy a guide book for birds in your area and see how many you can spot!

32. Horseshoes without horses. No need to visit the barn, just designate a centralized point (such as a small tree trunk or fire hydrant) and see who can toss stones, acorns, or pennies closest to the target.

33. City streets, A to Z. Take a walk around your city or town and try to find words that begin with every letter of the alphabet, in order, on signs and advertisements. For an added twist, consider making the rule that words that begin with vowels can only be found in storefront signs!

34. See in the dark. Blindfold your child and guide them on a walk just by using your voice. Then switch roles! Make it more challenging by doing it in a somewhat unfamiliar area, like a local park or playground.

35. Design and build an outdoor obstacle course. Work with the kids to create a mini-obstacle course out of chairs, blankets, tables, boxes and stepladders. Then time how long it takes for them to get through it.

36. Mad for Mud! Don’t forget that rainy days can be fun too. Get outside and build mud castles (or “bake” mud pies) and decorate them with leaves and sticks.

37. Kick-off! Establish the boundaries of a soccer goal and then see how many times out of ten each child can get a goal. Make the game more challenging by using only the left foot or by increasing the distance between the kicker and the goal.

38. H.O.R.S.E. Hoops! Make a game out of practicing jump shots at a local basketball court. In the game of H.O.R.S.E., when a player misses, they are assigned the letter “H.” The second miss gets the letter “O” and on until the word HORSE is spelled, and then they are disqualified. These rules can also be adapted for baseball players, substituting catches instead of jump shots.

39. Team Hide and Seek: Have kids split up into teams. One team hides and the other seeks, with each “captured” team member brought back to a central “jail” until the entire team is captured. Then the other team hides. Safety Tip: And for kids’ inevitable cuts and scrapes, don’t hide your first aid kit. Keep it handy and be sure it’s stocked with NEOSPORIN® First Aid Antibiotic Ointment, the #1 doctor recommended brand for over 25 years that kills more types of infectious bacteria than even the leading prescription ointment.

40. Hopscotch Tournament: Chalk up the driveway or park walk with several hopscotch boards, and invite kids to compete for small prizes. For extra fun, try changing the shape of the boards – curve them, or make a circular board. Safety Tip: If kids scrape their knees, try NEOSPORIN® + Pain Relief First Aid Antibiotic Pain Relieving Ointment/Cream – it not only helps prevent infection, but provides temporary relief of the pain or discomfort associated with minor cuts, scrapes and burns, so your little ones can get right back to playing.

41. The Human Chain. Two kids hold hands and chase the others – and the first person they catch joins the chain. When another person is caught the chain can stay together or split into two groups of two (the chain can only split in even numbers). The chain can link back up whenever it wants. Play until everyone is caught.

42. Cry Wolf! One player is the wolf, and he or she stands 15 feet from the group with back turned. The others call out “What time is it, Mr. Wolf?” When the wolf says, “It’s 9 o’ clock!” the others take 9 steps toward the wolf. Repeat with different times, with the group moving closer each time. Finally, the wolf responds, “It’s dinner time!” and chases the others back to the starting line, trying to catch one person, who then becomes the wolf.

43. Life-Sized Coloring Book: Outline your child on the sidewalk or driveway with white chalk, and then have them color themselves in with colored ones. For older children, challenge them to draw their own giant coloring book or cartoon on the ground.

44. Silly Sports: Add some unexpected zip to a baseball game by having kids play with a broom instead of a bat, run the bases backwards, or try to catch the ball wearing winter gloves. Safety Tip: And remember: there’s nothing silly about a serious wound that could leave a scar. To help prevent your child’s temporary “ouchies” from becoming permanent reminders, try NEOSPORIN® SCAR SOLUTION® Silicone Scar Sheets. These sheets employ the same Silon® technology used by plastic surgeons and burn centers to significantly improve the appearance of new and existing scars and to help prevent the formation of scars on newly closed, dry wounds. (Silon® is a registered trademark of Bio Med Sciences, Inc)

45. Balloons Up: Challenge your kids to bounce a balloon – or large soft ball – on their head for as many times in a row as they can without letting it hit the ground. Or blow up a balloon, and see how long kids can pass it back and forth while keeping it up in the air.

46. Golf Practice: Even if you don’t have golf equipment, you can improvise with a sturdy stick and small ball. Try setting up empty tin cans on the ground for children to practice putting into or, if you can’t find a stick, have them use their feet to increase agility and better aim.

47. Volcano! Mound up a pile of dirt six to 10 inches high, decorate it with branches and twigs to look like a real mountain and dig a hole through the middle. Put two teaspoons baking soda in the hole, add vinegar and watch the lava flow.

48. Photo Adventure: Give each child a disposable camera and go for a hike in the local woods or park. Encourage them to take pictures of each other and of interesting things you see – you’ll inspire their artistic capabilities while spending quality time outdoors.

49. Marco Pool-O: Have fun in the community pool by having one child close his or her eyes and call out: “Marco.” The other kids respond: “Polo.” This repeats as Marco follows the voices to tag a new Marco. Safety Tip: And when you head to the locker room, remember that damp floors, heat and humidity all contribute to foot fungus. So encourage your family to wash and thoroughly dry their feet daily (especially in between toes), avoid tight footwear, and use an antifungal such as NEOSPORIN AF® Athlete’s Foot spray, cream or powder when necessary.

50. Camp out! Pitch a tent, get out the sleeping bags, and tell ghost stories – all in the comfort of your backyard. Try to see if you can spend the entire night without going inside the house!