The other night my yard was full of kids just as it has been for many of the nights in August as the parents in our neighborhood have eased restrictions inside our own little bubble.

Inside that bubble, we have two primary rules. Kids stay outside and games are limited to those with no physical contact.

The difference on this particular night was that for the first time since the onset of the pandemic, the kids started getting the flags out of the drawer and the football out of the bin.

As I watched this happen, I pondered what to do. It’s impossible for middle-school kids to play a football game, flag or tackle, and not touch each other eventually.

Unlike the sport of basketball – the most popular in our driveway so far this summer – when a game of H-O-R-S-E, “knockout” or “21” can create the level of excitement, competitiveness and bragging opportunities that middle-schoolers require, football doesn’t have that outlet.

Until now.

Check out USA Football’s list of 60 Ways to Play and you’ll see many ways that kids can work on the movements necessary in football while increasing their physical endurance, honing their mental focus and improving their motor skill development. There are individual, pair, and group activities for all ages and abilities. And as I proved, they can be competitive.

What I did to excite the boys in my yard was to take these concepts and turn all of them into relay races. Doing this kept everyone active, involved and on task. It also kept the focus off any one player’s performance that might be the “worst” every time.

Other challenges I created included players running between cones while carrying the football, switching arms as if the cone was a defender. They shuffled sideways from point A to point B, 20 feet apart, while passing a ball back and forth. They worked as a team to move the ball 100 yards – we have a big common area next to our house – using passing, punting and catching skills. The more they played, the more fun and competitive it became and then, all of a sudden, they were the ones creating the next challenge. 

An hour later when darkness won the last activity, everyone was tired and smiling ear-to-ear. I asked, “Who won?” Nobody seemed to know, which in my book makes it a great activity.

It was pandemic football at its finest. Nobody was in anyone’s house and there was no physical contact.

Best of all, every single one of them agreed to “play football” again the next night.

Stay safe and healthy.

Jon Buzby has been involved in and writing about youth sports for the past 30 years with perspectives as a parent, coach and board member. Jon is an award-winning writer and his latest book, “Coaching Kids Made Easier,” is available on Amazon. Send comments or future blog topics you'd like to see to JonBuzby@hotmail.com and follow him @YouthSportsBuzz on Twitter.