15 Fun Yard Games for Kids

It can be difficult to find a new backyard game that the whole family can enjoy. You’ve thrown Frisbee, played hide and seek, and bowled baseball countless times for children and adults to enjoy. 

Use these ideas for a backyard BBQ, birthday party, or for everyday use. Many of these yard kits are available at your local sporting goods store or can be ordered online.

We’ve also included some simple tips on how to make your backyard a comfortable playground for all.

15 Fun Yard Games for Kids

Here are some tips to help you create fun yard games for kids

1. Cornhole

Cornhole is a game in which individuals or teams throw bean bags onto a platform in front of them and aim for the hole to score the most points. Although the kids  have to get a lot closer to toss the beanbags, they will enjoy being a part of the fun.

If you have more than one cornhole game, you can play an adult game and a kid’s game at the same time. Custom cornhole boards and bean bags can be  great additions to family backyard fun. 

Some cities offer cornhole leagues or tournaments if you want to up your backyard  cornhole game. 

2. Spikeball 

Spikeball is  a small net and  ball court game in which both teams aim the ball  back and forth at the net. 

Older kids and adults will enjoy the full-size Spikeball in a two-on-two format, but there’s also a Spikeball Rookie set with a larger net for  younger kids or beginners. Both options are compact and relatively small so they don’t take up much space to store and you can easily bring them back to your garden. 

Spikeball saves space compared to volleyball because you hit the ball towards the net in the middle of  teams instead of hitting it over a larger net in volleyball. Spikeball is available in a variety of colors and the number of balls that come with the game.

3. Bocce Ball

Bocce Ball is a garden game that you can play occasionally. Or, if you’re more serious  and your yard allows, you can build a bocce ball court. A level court is needed if you want to set up a permanent court or  play a few rounds.

Depending on how many people  want to play Boccia, two people can play against each other or form teams with a few players each. The goal is to get the bigger ball closer to the smaller ball than the opposing team.

Traditional bocce balls can be difficult for small hands, but there is a children’s bocce ball set with smaller, lighter balls. The kid-size bocce ball is suitable for kids to play indoors or outdoors, so kids can still play  even on a rainy day.

4. Croquet

You can play croquet with two, four or six players, and each player uses a hammer to hit the ball through curved stakes. Lawn is the popular choice for playing croquet, although it can be  played anywhere in your yard that it is comfortable. 

Perhaps the best thing about croquet is that it’s an easy and fun court game for all ages, from kids to grandparents and everyone in between.

5. Huge Lawn Size Games

Everything is a little more fun when it’s huge. Jenga, Yahtzee, Line4, Checkers and Tic-Tac-Toe are all games you can play at a table, but when you get colossal games the size of a garden it immediately ups the fun. Adults and children alike will revel in the nostalgia of these games. 

6. Lawn Bowling

Sure, there are ready-made lawn bowling sets out there, but why not get creative with a handcrafted lawn bowling setup. You can reuse them to create bowling pins and use a beach ball as a bowling ball (or any other large ball).

You can also use  cans as cones, be clever with the look of your pins. You can use spray paint or acrylic paint on the  cans or plastic bottles. Children can participate by painting with acrylic paint.

Don’t forget to put a small amount of rocks or sand in your plastic bottles to keep the wind from knocking them over. But don’t add too much; otherwise your bowling ball won’t knock over your pins.

7. Ladder Toss

Also known as Ladder Golf, is another yard game with different color options and can be a fun yard game for both kids and adults. opposite sides and drop a rope onto the ladder (a golf ball is attached to both ends of the rope).

If the ladder balls land on the ladder, the shooter gets points. Younger children may find it more difficult to untangle the ladder balls  and count their dots, so they may need a little more help. 

However, you will still enjoy participating in ladder throwing. If DIY is your thing, you can make your own ladder toss game using your choice of PVC pipes, golf balls, string and paint.

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8. Horseshoe

Is a simple game that even the youngest  can enjoy, with the aim of throwing the horseshoe as close to the post as possible. You can opt for different weights for the horseshoes if you have a wide range of ages playing this backyard game. 

9. TwistersTwister 

is a classic game for children. Taking him outside to a new environment adds another level of fun. Opt to place your Twister game on your lawn for a soft landing when someone spins too much and falls. 

Is your Twister game getting tangled outside? You can paint your own twister on your lawn using different colored spray paint  for the circles.

Use stakes and string to create a perimeter for your game and a cardboard circle  to create a consistent circular shape. If you make the circles too big, you could make the game take up more space and be too big for kids to join in the fun. 

10. Obstacle Course 

Let the kids use their imaginations to  come up with a DIY backyard  obstacle course. Since younger children and older children have different levels of agility, you may need to include different levels of difficulty.

You can use hula hoops or pool noodles to create jumping spots, and you can set up cones for kids to run  in and out. Jump ropes are a great place to start. Get creative with an obstacle course and don’t forget to have fun.

11. Scavenger Hunt 

A backyard scavenger hunt would need to be divided into a group of younger children and older children and adults. Prepare a list for the younger ones to have the children look for.

Some ideas for a scavenger hunt include A leaf, A butterfly, A feather, A cloud, A flower or a few  different colored flowers, A Bird. For the Older Ones: Make the scavenger hunt  challenging with hard-to-find or extra items like three different types of leaves, or take a selfie with someone wearing a varsity t-shirt.

12. Capture-the Flag

Anything can be used as a flag if you don’t have a real flag, like bandanas, socks or t-shirts. Younger children are not allowed to participate in capturing the flag  as long as older children. 

Therefore, when choosing teams, try to split age and skill evenly. The rules of the capture-the-flag game  vary depending on the space in your yard. 

Note: As bushes and trees are common places to hide a flag, make sure younger children know the location of the country. Before starting the game, find out about harmful shrubs such as thorn roses or poison ivy.

13. Water Balloon Activities

Summer means being outside all day. What better way to keep cool than some fun water balloon games with the kids.

Tossing a water  balloon at another person or  target water Balloon Dodgeball Water Balloon Baseball. Self-sealing water balloons save time (and  fingers) from tying balloons all day. 

Don’t forget to pick up the remains of the water balloons when you’re done having fun. Your lawn may appreciate the extra water from the water balloon fun, but it won’t enjoy the leftover water balloons scattered like confetti.

Although not as fun  as playing with  water balloons, you can compete to see who can collect the most scraps of water balloon. 

Reusable water balloons are an alternative option for backyard water balloon activities. 

14. Red light, green light

Red light, green light also works as play and listening activity.The kids can play, run across the lawn, or you can include a soccer ball to dribble across the lawn while the kids listen to the screams of red light and green light

15. Sidewalk Chalk 

The possibilities are endless when you pull out the sidewalk chalk. You may not have a great tic-tac-toe game, but you could draw  tic-tac-toe in the driveway with sidewalk chalk. 

Hopscotch is always a fun game too. In the summer, you can build squirt guns or water balloons into the chalk for some educational fun. 

First write  some letters, numbers or words with the chalk. Ask the children to correctly point to the answer (with their squirt gun or balloon) when you say the letter, number or word out loud.

Children may not even realize they are learning when it comes to water and chalk. While drawing may not be a backyard game, let kids’ creativity run wild by using chalk on the driveway. 

You can also hold contests to see who can draw something. The best of a particular category when you want to give sidewalk chalk a competitive edge.

Frequently Asked Questions

Conclusion

When you and your guests play lawn games,  you don’t have to worry about  bites, stings and rough terrain. all could spoil the fun. Inspect your yard for the following pests to ensure you have an aura-free zone.

The security of WaspsYard must also be a priority. Establish safety rules, remove trip hazards, and control poison ivy patches. 

Protect your kids from sudden falls by providing them with a padded surface. Reseed lawns to thicken the lawn, aerate the soil to encourage new growth and water the lawn to  prevent stiff, itchy lawns.

Tall grass might make backyard games a bit tricky too; The snakes could hide. If your lawn needs a little maintenance to get it in tip-top shape for your backyard games, contact a local lawn care professional so you can focus on getting everything ready.