Best Backyard Games for Kids of All Ages
When the weather is warm and the sun is shining, it’s a great time to send your kids outside to enjoy some backyard games for kids. And there are so many great games to play, from water balloon fights to treasure hunts. Let’s take a look at some of the most fun backyard games for kids and adults to enjoy.
Contents:
- Best Backyard Games and Activities for Kids
- Fun Backyard Games
- Water Games for Backyard
- Backyard Sports Games
- Backyard Games for Families
- Games for Backyard Party
Best Backyard Games and Activities for Kids
Looking for some great backyard family games that your little ones can enjoy on the next sunny day? Here are some super ideas for kids of various ages, from toddlers to middle school kids.
Toddlers
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Toddlers can enjoy lots of benefits of backyard games for families, but you need to keep the games relatively simple so that they understand the basics. Here are a few examples.
Hopskotch
Hopskotch is a classic outdoor game, enjoyed by kids throughout the ages. All you need for this game is a flat surface and a piece of chalk to draw the grid. Then, your little one can hop or jump along the numbers, and you can try to teach them the numbers along the way.
Bubbles
Toddlers love simple things, and they adore bubbles. So, here’s another fun game you can play with your little one. All it involves is blowing bubbles, ideally with the aid of a bubble gun or other device. Then, you and your toddler run around trying to pop them all as quickly as you can.
Stack Rocks
Here’s another fun game that you can enjoy in your own backyard or elsewhere in nature. All you have to do is gather some small rocks around the area, trying to focus on rocks that are relatively flat. Then, your toddler can try to make the biggest possible tower of those rocks before it all falls down.
Preschoolers & Kindergarteners
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As they start getting older, kids are able to enjoy some slightly more advanced games. Here are a few examples of backyard games to play with kids of preschool or kindergarten age.
The Shape Game
For this game, you’ll need to do a little preparation. Get some colored pieces of card and cut them out into different shapes, like stars, circles, and squares. Then, place them all around the ground and play a game where you ask your child to stand on the different shapes or do different actions at each shape, like hopping or skipping.
Catch
Catch is one of the oldest games in the book, but it’s still a fun one to enjoy in today’s world, and you only need two players and a ball or bean bag, or even something else like a balloon. For this game, the players simply toss the ball or other items back and forth, and this can improve hand-eye coordination in young children.
Duck, Duck, Goose
Here’s another good game to play with young kids, especially if you have a small group of them out in the backyard. The kids sit around in a circle and one person walks around the outside, patting each person on the head and saying “duck” or “goose”. If they say “duck”, the person stays where they are and does nothing, but the “goose” needs to get up quickly and chase the person to tag them before they get back to their seat.
Middle School Kids
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Once your kids reach middle school age, they’ll be able to enjoy even more complex games. Here are some super ideas of games that older kids can play.
Tug of War
Tug of war is another one of those classic games that have been around for many years but is still fun to play today. You’ll need two teams of kids for this one, along with a rope of some kind. Each team has to pull on the rope and try to drag the other time over a certain point or line that you can mark in the ground before the game begins.
Capture the Flag
Here’s another team-based game that older kids really enjoy. It involves two teams, each with their own flag to defend, somewhere in the backyard. The teams have to try and get past each other and steal the other team’s flag without being caught. If they get tagged, they have to drop the flag and start over.
Red Light, Green Light
The game known as Red Light, Green Light is one that you can enjoy with as few as two players. One player has to stand at the end of the yard and says the phrases “Red Light”, which means the other players have to freeze, and “Green Light”, which means the others are allowed to move. When they say “Red Light”, the player spins around and tries to spot any movement among the other players to eliminate them.
Fun Backyard Games
Some kids are hard to please and would usually prefer to sit inside in front of a screen than play outdoor games. Here are some fun games that kids won’t be able to resist.
Hide and Seek
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Hide and seek is one of the most fun games of all, and it works with both small and big groups alike. It’s especially good if you’ve got a large backyard, with lots of different hiding places. For this game, one person counts to 100 while the other players hide, and the seeker then has to track them all down.
Treasure Hunt
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Kids love the idea of treasure hunts, so you’ll certainly be able to keep them occupied and entertained with this fun game! All you have to do is a bit of preparation, getting some treats or treasures ready and hiding them in key locations around the yard. Then, set the kids loose and let them try to find the hidden goodies.
Sack Race
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A sack race can be a ton of fun, and it requires very little preparation. All you have to do is set out a race course so the racers know where to go and make sure everyone has their own sack to stand inside and hop around in.
Water Games for Backyard
Some of the very best backyard games involve water, and these games are ideal for those warm, sunny days when kids want to cool off. Here are a few fun examples of this.
Water Balloon Fights
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If you’ve got a whole bunch of kids in the backyard or want a water-based game the family can play together, get a bag of water balloons and start filling them up. Then, when the time is right, the battle can begin as your kids run around tossing water balloons left and right and getting soaked in the process.
Dodge the Spray
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Here’s another fun water-based game that is better for younger children. It involves setting up some sprinklers or water spray toys that you can buy from a store. Then, the kids have to run through a course or from one side of the yard to the other while dodging the spray and trying to stay dry.
Water Guns
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If you’re looking for a simple water game that kids of all ages can enjoy, head to a local toy store and buy some water guns. Your kids can fill them up and have their own backyard or neighborhood battles, spraying other kids and fighting for “territory”.
Backyard Sports Games
Sports games are also fun to enjoy in the backyard, and there are lots of great sports, apart from the classic games such as football, baseball, and basketball, that you can play with your family or groups or children.
Cornhole
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Cornhole is a classic backyard game that has been played and enjoyed by many generations of people. It involves bean bags and wooden boards with holes in. The idea is to try and toss the bags and land them through the holes in order to score points.
Ring Toss
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Ring toss is another one of those backyard games that you might have played as a child, due to its long-running popularity. With this game, you have some rings and have to toss them carefully and accurately around a pole or stake to win points.
Bowling
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You can even set up your own backyard bowling alley for the whole family to enjoy! You can buy your own alley with all the necessary equipment, or you can simply make your own with whatever items you have lying around.
Backyard Games for Families
Looking for some great backyard games that the whole family can enjoy together? Here are a few super examples to try.
Tetherball
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Tetherball is a good game to play in even the smallest backyards, because you don’t need too much space. With this game, a ball is tethered to a pole, and two teams have to hit the ball back and forth around the pole without letting it get past them.
Bocce
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Bocce is a fun family game that even grandma and grandpa can play with the kids, as it doesn’t require much running around or strenuous effort. Instead, this game is all about precision, and players have to roll balls accurately to be near a smaller ball, known as a jack.
Soccer
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Soccer is another great backyard game for families, because you don’t need too much space, nor do you need your own pitch. All you really need is some grass and some markers to see where the goals are. From there, players can pass the ball around and try to score goals past each other.
Games for Backyard Party
Planning a big birthday bash for one of your kids or a neighborhood party? Here are some fun games that the kids can play to pass the time.
Obstacle Course
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Before the party begins, you can set up a fun obstacle course in your own backyard for the kids to enjoy. Use obstacles like bits of rope to form spider-web-style nets, pool noodles to create barriers, and hula hoops on the ground for kids to jump into, and then challenge them to race from one end to the other.
Scavenger Hunt
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Young and older kids alike also enjoy scavenger hunts, and this game can be played in teams if you have lots of kids coming for a big party. Before you begin, prepare some scavenger lists or cards with items that the kids need to find. You can really get creative here and ask the kids to track down items like a heart-shaped rock or a golden leaf.
Musical Chairs
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Musical chairs is a fun game that is easy to understand for kids of varying ages and ideal for party situations. For this game, position some chairs all in a row or circle and ask the kids to march around them while the music plays. When the music randomly stops, the kids all have to sit down in a chair, and whoever doesn’t get one is eliminated.
Encourage Kids Outdoors with These Fun Games
These days, with computers, phones, video games, and other distractions, many kids spend lots of their time sitting indoors and staring at screens, which can be quite unhealthy. If you’re looking for a way to get your kids to spend more time outdoors, engaging with nature and having old-fashioned fun, be sure to try some of these games. And make sure to share the list around with other parents to give them some ideas, too.
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