By May and June, summer break and graduation may be the first thing on kids’ minds when thinking about the remainder of their school year. But many schools have another spring tradition to look forward to: field day!
The tradition of having a school day dedicated to sports and athletic competitions is one practiced around the world. In the United States, it’s one of the oldest school traditions. While it is difficult to determine where and when the first field day was held, they had become common in schools by the end of the 19th century, owing to both a new interest in widespread youth education and the rise of the early fitness movement around the same time.
Students may look forward to field day as an opportunity to spend a day playing fun games instead of having to do classwork, but it has a larger purpose: in addition to physical education for kids, it can improve their social skills and build a sense of solidarity and teamwork at their school. Some schools even let parents and community members volunteer to set up and run games during field day, giving the wider community a chance to get involved.
The Games
Field days rarely incorporate traditional sports like baseball, soccer or football, opting instead for relay races, tug-of-wars and other low-stakes physical activities and games. Many field day games have additional benefits beyond just getting kids to exercise, working on mental skills involving strategy and physics. Here are some common games:
Tug of War: Pullers have to consider factors like the amount of people on each side, who among them is the strongest and how hard and when they should pull the rope. It can also serve as great stress relief.
Egg and Spoon Race: While most races are about going as fast as you can, the egg and spoon race actively discourages that approach. As students carry an egg or other round, light object on a spoon across the field, they learn patience, how to focus on a specific task and skills in hand-eye coordination.
Three-Legged Race: Pairs of students bound together by one leg are required to communicate with each other, paying attention to how their partner is moving, as one person moving ahead without telling the other can cause both halves to fall over or slow down.
Sponge Relay: Since field days are often held on hot days, the sponge relay helps kids cool down. Building teamwork and communication skills, players have to ensure that the sponge doesn’t lose a large amount of water as they pass it off to each person.
Local Field Day Traditions
For many Baltimore students, field day is a hotly-anticipated event. Chris Alonso, a P.E. teacher at Armistead Gardens Elementary/Middle School in Baltimore, notes that his students start asking about when field day is as soon as the weather gets warm.
“[Field day] seems to be tied to end-of-year celebrations, which could explain the continued tradition,” Alonso says. “We work hard, our students work hard and this is a day we deserve. It takes a lot to plan, but it is beyond worth it. It endures because it’s fun.”
Field days at Baltimore County Public Schools have even weathered the COVID-19 pandemic. When schools were shut down and students were taking classes from home, Alonso, along with another P.E. teacher from Highlandtown Elementary/Middle School No. 237, created a website providing BCPS students with instructions for field day activities they could do from the comfort of their home.
While field day activities are structured as competitions, they also serve as a whole day for students to have fun with their classmates.
“There are winners and losers in the activities, but it’s more so about the fun, laughter, silliness and joking around,” Alonso says. “We purposely focus on the cooperation needed to be successful in the activities and the fun in messing up at times.”
Field Day Fun Facts
The term “field day” was originally used to describe a day when the military would practice field exercises.
In some countries, such as India, Iran and Malaysia, field days are held to celebrate their National Sports Day.
Sports festivals (undokai) are common at schools in Japan. The first took place in Tokyo in 1874 and included pole vaulting and pig-chasing as events.
