16 Best Backyard Games for the Whole Family
Updated: Jul. 22, 2021Get ready for a little friendly competition! These backyard games make staying close to home a whole lot more fun.
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Staycation central
After a year of being shut down, the world is finally reopening—yay!—and starting to feel a bit more normal. Even so, many of us are still being cautious and doing a lot of home-basing. If that sounds like you, these backyard party tips and grilling ideas will help you turn your home into a destination your entire family will enjoy. And, of course, no family BBQ would be complete without a few fun backyard games. We’ve compiled the ultimate list, including some lesser-known lawn games and patriotic 4th of July games that your entire family can enjoy this summer.
Air O Sport Soft Disc Game
Looking for something completely unique? This soft disc game is fun for the whole family, and with multiple ways to play, you’ll never grow tired of it. In fact, we’re willing to bet that this quickly becomes one of your favorite backyard games. Score points by hitting rubber, rocket-shaped targets on an aluminum tower with bean bag discs. You and the fam can even beat the heat by adding water to the rockets for a splashy version. This can easily turn into one of the best outdoor games for your kids to play.
Poleish Sports Bottle Bash
It may seem simple, but don’t be fooled—this game is harder than it looks! Bottle Bash will bring out your family’s competitive side as they use a disc to try to knock their opponent’s bottle off the pole. The set includes everything you need to play: two aluminum poles, two bottles, two ground stakes, one disc, and a mesh bag for storage and effortless transport. Verified Amazon reviewer Matt raves, “This game will forever change your house party or camping trip activities! I went on a camping trip with some friends and brought this game along. People were planning to sit around and drink, or play horseshoes, but instead, everyone played this the whole time.”
Spikeball 3 Ball Set
Get everyone moving with this innovative backyard game that’s a cross between volleyball and four-square. You’ll break into teams of two and take turns serving and hitting the ball off the net for a series of volleys until one team reaches 21 points. This setup is lightweight, has foldable legs, and comes with a drawstring storage bag for easy transport, so you can play just about anywhere, including the beach! Speaking of which, here are a few more beach games you’ll want to play all summer.
Pottery Barn Ladder Golf Set
If you’ve spent a ton of time turning your backyard into the perfect oasis, you might not want to add things that clash with your carefully chosen decor. This wooden ladder golf set features a sophisticated black-and-white color palette that will mesh with just about any backyard decor. You’ll love the way it looks, and your family will have a blast trying to toss and wrap their bolas around the steps of the ladder.
Rukket Kickball Set with Bases
Kick it back to your elementary school days with this classic kickball set. It comes with everything you need to have the ultimate kickball showdown, including two regulation-size kickballs, a ball pump, rubber bases, and foul cones. Looking for more memorable ways to have fun with your crew? Try these incredible summer bucket-list ideas.
Franklin Sports Family Badminton
Badminton might be the ultimate backyard game: It’s easy to learn, the rules are pretty simple, and just about anyone, young or old, can play it. This set is regulation-size and comes with four racquets and three birdies.
GoSports Cornhole PRO Regulation Size Bean Bag Toss Game Set
As American as apple pie, hot dogs, and…cornhole. Once you’ll play, you’ll understand why tossing bean bags into a hole (or as close as you can get them to it) has become the national pastime of this century. You need to throw the bean bag hard…but not so hard that you overshoot the board. These boards are made of aluminum, which is a plus because they’re lighter, so you can take the cornhole game on the road to the park or a friend’s house.
Hey! Play! Lawn Bowling Set
How can you make bowling more fun than it already is? By turning it into a backyard game, of course! This lawn bowling set comes with two bowling balls and ten 9.5-inch pins fashioned from New Zealand pine. You can use it indoors, too, for some rainy-day fun. For those less-than-ideal days, you should also have these board games for two people on hand.
Maine Coast Croquet Set
Today, croquet may come off as quite posh, but it was likely created by French peasants in the 13th century, according to the Croquet Foundation of America. Whether the sport is upper crust or not, this croquet set from L.L. Bean has the color-coded wooden mallets and polyresin balls you’ll need for a rousing game of nine wickets. When you’re done playing, stack everything neatly back in the included stand.
Wilson NCAA Luminous Glow Basketball
Gather the gang for a goofy game of horse or a competitive game of two on two. With this Wilson glow-in-the-dark basketball, you can play all night long (or at least until the neighbors ask you to keep it down). Bonus: Since this ball has wider channels between the different panels of the ball, it’s easier for younger hands to grip and control when dribbling, passing, and shooting.
ECR4kids Junior-4-to-Score In-Line Board Game
You’ll need to remind the kids to come in when it gets dark out once you bring home this backyard game. It’s the classic Connect 4, only supersized to nearly four feet wide and three feet tall. Don’t worry, though—the plastic construction makes it light enough for mom or dad to move around the yard.
GoSports Toppling Tower Giant Games
This giant Jenga is a true test of skill. The tower measures 2.5-feet high at the start of the game, but players have been known to build ones that are more than five feet tall as the game gets heated. Just remember to keep that hand steady and get ready to move out of the way quickly when the pieces topple down.
Mark & Graham Colorful Acrylic Backgammon Set
Sure, you could take your beloved leather backgammon set that you inherited from Gramps out onto the patio, but why risk spilling a margarita all over it? This acrylic set from Mark & Graham isn’t only easy to wipe down—the bright colors make it easy to see. This also makes a unique gift for him or her, and it’s especially perfect for those people on your list who have everything.
iPlay, iLearn Kids Golf Toy Set
They’re never too young to start learning to enjoy the game of golf, especially when you consider all it can do for them. Think about it: This sport works out their arms, back, and core, improves balance and hand-eye coordination, and does wonders for their mental focus. But all that aside, all we really want is a few moments of peace and quiet, and this set that’s for kids ages three and up pretty much guarantees that.
Pottery Barn Bocce Ball Set
You’ll feel like you were transported to Italy when you break out this beautiful bocce set. The tournament-grade black and white plastic balls come packaged in a sleek mahogany storage box. It would also make a lovely hostess gift, in case you’re planning to skip town.
MegaChess Giant Oversized Premium Chess
Channel your inner Ron, Harry, and Hermione with this giant chess set. Though it’s not quite life-size, the king does stand an impressive 25 inches tall. The pieces are made of molded, hollow, recycled plastic that’s light to pick up and resistant to UV rays and water. Note that the board is sold separately. Next, check out these summer memes that are hilariously relatable
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