20+ Fun and Exciting Activities To Do With Conkers

Looking for some fun activities to do with conkers?

Look no further! We’ve got more than 20 great ideas for you right here.

Whether you’re looking for ways to use them in a race or relay, or just want some gross motor skill ideas, we’ve got you covered. So grab those conkers and let’s get started!

Conker racing

Wondering what to do on a dry day? Conkers are a great way to add some fun to a race!

Here are a few ideas on how to use conkers in a race.

1. Draw a start line and finish line with chalk on the ground.

Place a conker at the finish line. The first person to cross the finish line and touch the conker wins!

2. Scatter conkers along the race route

Race and pick up as many as you can along the way. The first person to reach the finish line with the most conkers wins!

3. Put a conker in each corner of a square or rectangle

The first person to reach the finish line by touching all four conkers wins!

Have fun and be creative with how you use conkers in your race!

Conker relays

A different take on a race is to turn it into a relay. This is a great activity for groups of friends, family, or even co-workers.

If you’re in a woodland area or a forest school setting, make sure the ground is level before you start racing around.

4. Conker relay race

• Divide your group into two teams and line them up behind each other.
• Each team member will need a conker.
• The first player on each team will start by holding their conker in their hand.
• When the race starts, they will need to run to the other team’s line and hand off their conker to the next player.
• The next player will then run back to their team’s line and hand off the conker to the next player, and so on.
• The team that finishes first with all of their players having run is the winner!

Conkers instead of balls/eggs

Many activities that normally use a ball or an egg can be adapted to use conkers instead for a fun seasonal feel.

5. Conker and spoon challenge

Balance the conker on a spoon and have a conker and spoon race or relay race. Include obstacles along the way if you want to make it harder!

Playing conkers

6. Drilling holes

Drilling holes in your conkers can be an activity in itself. A hand drill is simple to use under supervision for even very young children.

When we’ve done this, a key lesson for us has been to anchor the conker carefully because they are not evenly shaped and they are prone to slip around.

7. Classic conkers

When your conkers have holes in, thread string through and get ready for a battle!

While we talk about playing conkers, I don’t think we’ve ever done old-fashioned conker battles with forest school children. It’s too likely to end up with someone getting fragments in their eye, so I wouldn’t recommend it except for the older age groups and with the appropriate briefings, risk assessments and safety kit.

Threading and throwing

8. Make a conker snake

If you have drilled holes in the haul, how about threading them together to make a necklace or snake?

9. Throwing game

Another fun game is to thread a piece of string with two conkers, one at each end. Then set up somewhere you can throw the conkers. We used bamboo garden canes, but you could use sticks, tree branches or whatever.

Create a points system, for example:

• Person whose string lands the highest gets 5 points.
• Person whose string wraps around the stick the most times gets 2 points.

Then launch your conker num-chucks at the designated play zone and start counting up how well you do!

Gross motor skills with conkers

Conkers are a great way to help kids develop gross motor skills.

Here are some activities you can do with conkers to help your child improve their gross motor skills.

10. Tossing and catching

Have your child stand a few feet away from you and toss a conker to them. See if they can catch it in their hands.

If they can, move a little further away and try again.

11. Kicking

Have your child kick a conker back and forth to you. You can also try to get them to kick it into a bucket or other container.

12. Rolling

Place a conker on the ground and see if your child can roll it with their foot.

13. Distance throwing

See how far your child can throw a conker. You can also try to get them to throw it into a bucket or other container.

14. Jumping

Place a conker on the ground and see if your child can jump over it. You can also try to get them to jump on it with both feet.

Conkers are a great way to help kids develop gross motor skills. These activities will help your child improve their gross motor skills while having fun at the same time.

Create your own obstacle course

If you’re anything like us, you love spending time outdoors.

And what better way to enjoy the great outdoors than by putting together your very own obstacle course?

With the leaves falling and the weather cooling off, now is the perfect time to get outside and have some fun.

Here are a few ideas to get you started:

17. Set up a series of stumps or cones and see how many times you can kick a conker or ball through them in a minute.
18. Use conkers to create a makeshift croquet set.
19. Create a balance beam using a fallen tree branch or a piece of rope.
20. Set up an agility course with different obstacles to jump over or crawl under.
21. Have a race by balancing a conker or a (pretend) egg on a spoon as you run to the finish line.
22. See how far you can throw a Frisbee, conker or a ball.
23. Set up a scavenger hunt and see who can find the most items on the list, or hide conkers for other people to find.
24. Get creative and build your own unique obstacle course.

Looking to do more outside? The Practical Forest School can help you get started! We share loads of activities and games on this website that can be organised outdoors. We also offer skills building sessions for adult leaders, after school clubs and birthday parties.

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