Kickball Backyard Game for Kids

A rubber playground ball (the classic red rubber ball is perfect)

4 bases — towels, pillows, frisbees, or anything flat

A flat outdoor area big enough for a small diamond

Set up a diamond-shaped infield with bases about 15-20 feet apart. Home base, first, second, third. Use towels, frisbees, or whatever you have.

One person pitches (rolls the ball) from about 10 feet away. The pitch should be a slow, straight roll along the ground toward the kicker.

The kicker stands at home base and kicks the ball when it rolls to them. Encourage a big, powerful kick — the harder they kick, the farther it goes.

After kicking, the kicker runs to first base. If the ball went far enough, keep running to second or third.

Fielders chase the ball and try to get the runner out by throwing or rolling the ball to the base ahead of the runner.

Three outs and the teams switch. With just two players, take turns kicking and fielding.

Simplified rules work best: no strikes, no foul balls, just kick and run. The fewer rules, the more fun.

Play for 3-4 innings or until everyone's ready for water.

Kickball is the perfect gateway team sport because the ball is big, it stays on the ground, and running the bases is intuitive. It's baseball without the hard parts.

Roll the ball slowly and straight. The pitcher's job is to make it easy to kick, not hard. Successful kicks keep the game fun.

For younger players (4-5), let them kick a stationary ball sitting on the ground. Kicking a moving ball is harder and can be added later.

Adapt the field size to the number and age of players. A small backyard diamond with 10-foot base paths works fine for young kids.

Keep score loosely or not at all. At this age, running the bases is the reward. Whether they're "safe" or "out" matters less than you'd think.