25 Fun Ideas for Kids Relay Races

Whether your looking for fun ideas for kids relay races as a PE teacher, substitute teacher, camp counselor or youth group leader, here you’ll find twenty five fun and easy ideas that are sure to be a hit with your group!

This list includes both more classic relays alongside a couple of really fun co-operative team races, and many of these ideas can be adapted to work just as well as single/pair races, as they do for relay teams.

How to Form Relay Teams

For larger groups, forming relay teams is great for encouraging students to work together and cheer each other on. To turn a race into a relay, start off by forming relay teams.

To do this, divide your group of students into equal teams of four to six contestants (this number may vary depending upon the type of relay race your students will be competing in). Separate the players from each team into two lines, facing each other across a short race distance. Nominate which side will start the relay – if the teams have an odd number of players, the side with the extra player should start.

Alternatively, the players within one team can line up in one line, a short distance from a marker that they race around before returning to their team and tagging the next person to race. In this variation, each team will need a marker.

RELATED: For even more ideas for active games for kids of all ages, check out our collection of Easy Group Games for Kids.

2. Space Hopper Relay: Divide students into equal teams of four or five players. Each team will require a space hopper toy. Divide the team players into two lines, facing each other across a short ‘hopping’ distance. On ‘Go’ the first team member must hop across the playing space to their next team member, who then hops back to the next waiting team member. The relay continues until all team members have had a turn to hop. First team with their final team member across the finish line is the winner.

3. Hobby Horse Relay: Set up teams into relay formation. Each team will require a pretend play hobby horse. On ‘Go’ the first team member must ‘ride’ the hobby horse across the playing space to their next team member, who then rides back to the next waiting team member. The relay continues until all team members have had a turn to ride. First team with their final team member across the finish line is the winner.

4. Balloon Foot Pass Relay: Divide students into teams with an equal number of participants. Students must lay on the ground in a line, with the feet of one student just above the head of the next. The student at the end of the line grips a balloon between their feet. To move the balloon along the line of students, that person must lift their feet up and over their head (still gripping the balloon between their feet), holding this position so that the next person in line can grip the balloon between their feet, before passing it in the same manner to the next student in line. The first team to get their balloon to the end of their line are the winners, or to extend the race, once the balloon makes it all the way to the top of the line, the last person in line grabs the balloon with their hands, stands, runs back to the beginning of the line and lays down before beginning the process of passing the balloon along with their feet again. In this version, the race continues until the entire team have had a turn at starting the sequence and their balloon makes it all the way to the end.

7. Egg and Spoon Race: Grab some fresh eggs (or stick with hard boiled if you are more mess-averse) and soup spoons for a traditional egg and spoon dash across the yard. If the egg falls, the contestant must go back to the starting point and begin again. For larger groups, form relay teams to race.

8. Water Sponge Relay Race: Divide students into equal teams of four or five players. Each team will need two buckets, one filled with water, and a large, car washing sponge. Line team members up and place the empty bucket (with the sponge in it) directly in front of the first team member. Place the water-filled bucket a short distance away. On ‘Go’ the first team member picks up the sponge, races to the water-filled bucket, dunks the sponge to fill it with water, races back to their team at the empty bucket and squeezes the water out of the sponge into the empty bucket. They then pass the sponge to the next team member who repeats the sequence. The race continues with team members taking turns to move the water with the sponge until the original water-filled bucket is empty. First team to empty their initial bucket and return with the sponge to the starting point wins.

9. Leapfrog Race: Divide students into pairs. Members of each pair should be similar heights/ages for this game to be fair. Pairs line up behind a starting line, one team member standing in front of the other. On ‘Go,’ the first team member squats down or bends forward (bracing themselves with their hands on their knees), tucking their chin in to their chest so their back forms a flat base. The second player leaps over the person by placing their hands on their partner’s back and spreading their legs wide as the jump forward. Once they’ve landed, the second player assumes the squatting position and the first player leaps over their back. Teams continue to move forward by taking turns to leap over each other’s back. First team across the finish line wins.

11. Balloon Waddle: Set up teams into relay formation. Give the first contestant in each team a blown up balloon. Team members must race with the balloon located between their legs (waddling or jumping usually), and then pass the balloon to the next racer. Should the balloon be dropped, that team member must return to their starting position to repeat their run.

12. Balloon Face Race: For this race team members must work in pairs to transport a balloon placed between the foreheads of the two team members. Should the balloon fall, that pair must return to their starting position to repeat their run. First team with all pairs across the finish line is the winner.

13. Spider Relay: Divide students into teams of six or more. Within each team, students must pair up, with one member of the pair facing a marker to race around a short distance away and the other member of the pair standing next to them but facing away from the marker, their arms linked to form the spider. On ‘Go,’ spiders must race around their marker (with one person in the pair moving forwards and the other backwards) and back to their team before tagging the next spider to race. First team with all spiders home wins the relay.

14. Beanbag Balance: Divide students into relay teams. Each team will need a small, exercise bean bags. Students take turns to race with the bean bag balanced on their head. Alternatively, students can be asked to balance the bean bag on their elbow or foot, or on their back as they crawl along the ground.

15. Over and Under Relay Race: Teams stand in a line. Each team will require a small, exercise bean bag or ball. The person standing at the front of the line starts with the ball and on ‘Go,’ that person passes the ball over their head to the person behind, who passes it between their legs to the next person in line, who passes it over their head, and so on. The first team who transfers their bean bag or ball all of the way from the front to the back of the line can be declared the winners, or alternatively, extend the race by having the team move the bean bag or ball all of the way to the person at the end of the line and then have that person carry the bean bag/ball as they run to the front of the line. They are the new line leader and begin the under and over passing process down the line of team members again. This is repeated until the entire team have had a turn at being the line leader and the initial leader is back in the front position. The first team to achieve this is the winning team in this variation.

16. Newspaper Race: Divide students into relay teams. Each team will need two sheets of newspaper. On ‘Go,’ the first team member places on sheet of newspaper onto the ground and steps onto it, they then place the second sheet of newspaper in front of the first and then step onto this second sheet before turning around and picking up the first piece and then turning again and placing this second sheet in front before stepping onto it. The team member continues stepping on the alternating sheets of newspaper all of the way to the next member of their team. First team with their final team member to finish crossing the relay space is the winner.

18. Party Parade Race: Divide students into equal teams of four or five players. Each team will require a tub containing party hats or crazy sunglasses and party noisemakers. Line each team up with a marker for them to race around a short distance away. On ‘Go,’ the first team member grabs a party hat and a noisemaker from the tub, putting on the hat and blowing the noisemaker as they run (or skip, walk backwards, dance, etc) around the marker and back to their team. The aim is to be as noisy and fun as possible! The race continues until all team members have had a turn to dress up and move. First team with their final team member to finish crossing the relay space is the winner.

20. Wriggly Worm Race: Form each team of students into a line, with each team member standing closely behind the person in front. To form the worm, each person in each line puts their left hand between their legs and the person behind them grabs that hand with their right hand. On ‘Go,’ students must work together to move forward without breaking their worm (letting go of hands, falling, etc). The first team to cross the finish line with their worm intact wins.

21. Crab Walk Relay: Set up teams in relay formation. Divide the team players into two lines, facing each other across a short  distance. On ‘Go’ the first team member must crab walk (to crab walk, players must get down onto hands and feet, knees bent and bottom off the ground, with their head and tummy facing upwards to the sky, walking on their hands and feet) across the playing space to tag their next team member, who then crab walks back across the space to the next awaiting team member.  First team with their final team member across the relay space and back to their team is the winner.

22. Bear Crawl Relay:  Set up teams in relay formation. Divide the team players into two lines, facing each other across a short  distance. On ‘Go’ the first team member must bear crawl (to bear crawl students start on hands and feet, stomach to the floor, knees bent and close to the floor, moving the opposite hand and foot to crawl forwards – knees stay off the floor) across the playing space to tag their next team member, who then bear crawls back across the space to the next waiting team member.  First team with their final team member across the relay space and back to their team is the winner.

23. Cartwheel Relay Race: Set up teams in relay formation. Divide the team players into two lines, facing each other across a short  distance. On ‘Go’ the first team member must cartwheel across the playing space to tag their next team member, who then cartwheel back across the space to tag the the next waiting team member.  First team with their final team member across the relay space and back to their team is the winner.

24. The Very Noisy Relay: Set up teams into relay formation. Allocate each team member a number, say from one to six. Explain that each person’s number indicates what noise they will need to make as they run their portion of the relay. For example, number ones make a chicken noise, number twos a dinosaur, threes a cow, fours a monkey, fives a lion and sixes a ghost.

25. Wheelbarrow Race: Divide competitors into pairs. Line the pairs along a starting line. One member of the pair – the wheelbarrow – gets into a push-up position, the other member of the pair lifts the ‘wheelbarrow’s’ legs by holding their ankles or lower legs, one leg in each hand. On ‘Go’ the wheelbarrow walks his arms along the ground to move forward, with the second team member walking behind and continuing to support the wheelbarrow’s legs. Once the team reaches an agreed turning point, they turn around and switch positions, then race back towards the starting line. The first team to cross the line is the winner.