Some of my fondest memories from childhood are running through the neighborhood on those extra steamy summer evenings playing night games with all of the other kids from the hood. It truly is a magical time for children and is such a great opportunity for parents to get to engage & interact with their kiddos.
With all of the technology now a days its nice to have some fun, in-expensive, & easy to DIY games for the family to play out in the comfort of your own backyard. I have scoured and searched the internet for super awesome backyard games and can not wait to share these with all of you! And, obviously almost all of these games can be for adults as well.
Moms are so innovative these days I was really surprised by HOW MANY simple, fun, backyard games their are floating around the internet. Here is a list of just a few of my favorites.
1. Slide & Toss
I am a BIG fan of this one! We just used a regular dollar store slip and slide, and I bought a tarp to cut the shapes out for the toss portion of the game. You slide down the slip n’ slide, spin 10 times around a bat, and then try to throw a Frisbee through the shapes in the tarp to score points for your team. This is a really fun game that the whole family will love.
2. Backyard Jenga
Take this classic game and oversize it for your backyard for hours of fun that the kids and grown-ups will enjoy alike! All you really need are some 2X4’s and spray paint if you want to add some color!
3. Backyard Bowling
Hands down my kiddos FAVORITE! We used 10, 2-liter bottles, dollar store glow sticks, and a tennis ball. You can really make this any way you want and could adapt it for younger kids using a much larger ball. Classic turned into backyard summer gold!
4. Bean Bag Ladder Toss
Corn-hole has become so widely popular and this is a nice twist on the familiar game that is super easy to set up with household items. We used my husbands ladder, construction paper for point values, and bean bags. My kids had a hoot with this game and it kept all three of my babies occupied for a good chunk of time!
5. Backyard Tic Tac Toe
his is such a fun game and my girls just LOVE playing this! My kids also had a great time finding and painting all of our ladybugs and bumble bees. You could adapt this game and make it as elaborate or simple as your family wants. No stump and rocks? No problem.. get some rope and large stencils from Walmart and it is game-on.
6. Ice Block Treasure Hunt
When I saw this I knew my little man would instantly be a fan… boy was I right! He had a blast chipping away the layers and discovering the plastic dinosaurs I had put in for him so much he was busy playing and discovering new treasure for two solid hours… TWO SOLID HOURS PEOPLE! This is on my FOREVER list now!
I made each kid their own block of ice and used small bags of the plastic toys they would each prefer from the hobby store. Make a few trays of different colored ice cubes with some food coloring, then with the empty container add a layer of toys, then some colored ice cubes, and top them off with water. Freeze and repeat tell you have the desired amount of layers you prefer. Once it is all frozen (and I will admit mine took 2 days to make and freeze but it was totally worth it) give the kids some screwdrivers and spray bottles of warm water and let the treasure hunt begin!
And last but certainly not least…
7. Mud Fun
This is by far the most in-expensive way to keep little ones preoccupied in the backyard. Not to mention great benefits for hands-on toddler sensory fun. My kids love to just plump down on the ground, pour some water on the dirt, and imagine and create whatever they are feeling on that day. They love when I give them disposable plates, bowls, & utensils and they play mud restaurant. They also love playing what they call muddy buddies where they make a bunch of mud balls,(think like snow balls,) and chase each other around screaming and slinging mud at each other. It is HILARIOUS! Clean-up can be tricky but I have learned to just hose mine down outside and then they take a shower instead of a bath.
I had so much fun writing and researching this article and would love some feedback if you do happen to attempt any of these backyard games.
Did your family love it? Hate it?
WHY?
Would you do anything differently?