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Dad Field Manual · Field card 186 · Outdoors

Turkey-day backyard football: touch only, everybody plays

A low-key touch game before the meal: fair teams, rules that let a 6-year-old score and a last play when it's time to eat.

Time
1 hour
Cost
$0
Ages
5 to 12
Where
A yard or park lawn

What you need

  • A football, or any ball that's soft and easy to throw
  • Four shoes, cones or sweatshirts for the end zones
  • Water bottles, and a bench or blanket for breaks
  • A phone timer

Before you start

  • Fluids, breaks and quitting when it hurts. AAP says to drink plenty of fluids, take rest periods, and stop the activity if it hurts.
  • Touch only, no tackling. AAP says illegal tackles like head-first hits can cause severe head and neck injuries, and suggests non-tackling options. Our game is two-hand touch only, and grown-ups jog.
  • After a hit to the head, stop. CDC says if a concussion is suspected, take the child out of play, keep them out that day, and wait for a health care provider to clear them.
  • Check the field first. Walk it for holes, rocks and sticks, and keep it away from the street.

Steps

  1. Check the field. Walk the field for sticks, rocks and holes, and mark two end zones away from the street. 5 min.
  2. Warm up and drink. Jog a lap, do a few jumping jacks and take a drink of water. 5 min.
  3. Make fair teams. Line up youngest to oldest, count off one-two, and swap a player if a team looks lopsided. 5 min.
  4. Say the rules. Two-hand touch; no tackling, blocking or diving. Every kid touches the ball before a score. Only kids score; a kid 7 or under scores double.
  5. Play. 35-minute timer. A touch ends the play; restart there. Four plays to score, then the other team starts from its own end. Water breaks. 35 min.
  6. Last play and stretch. When the timer buzzes, play one last play, then stretch and drink water before dinner. 5 min.

If it stalls

  • If one team runs away with it, swap players or move the grown-ups to the other side.
  • If a little kid keeps getting left out, make it a rule that the ball goes to them next.
Final score
Best play
Teams and players
Everybody touched the ball: Signed by Date