When spring and summer arrive, your kids will want to be outside playing as much as possible. If you have a backyard pool, it will certainly be the star attraction for the entire family. However, there will be breaks out of the water. That’s why adding a variety of outdoor backyard games and activities for them to enjoy is important. There are plenty of games you can purchase, but there are also some simple DIY projects that you could make for your backyard. The kids can even help! Here are a few ideas of both:
- Cornhole Bean Bag Toss. This game is a fun for all ages. The object is to get the bean bag into the target hole in a board. There are many cornhole boards with amazing designs available to purchase, but it is not a difficult project for the beginner level DIY builder. The hardest part will be cutting the circular hole. Let your kids be in charge of the design and painting. Be sure to use outdoor paint in case your boards are left in the elements.
- Football Toss Game. All you need for this game is the football and a hula hoop. Suspend the hula hoop from a tree branch or post with a piece of string or twine. If you don’t have a place to hang the hula hoop, attach it to a stake in the ground. The object is for the football to be thrown through the hoop. Increase the difficulty by increasing the distance, or you can use different sizes of hoops for more points.
- Bocce Ball. Bocce ball was invented in Italy and is one of the oldest lawn games. Bocce ball can be played by all ages. Bocce ball sets are available to purchase and make a great outdoor backyard game for the whole family to enjoy.
- Croquet. Croquet is another lawn game that has been around a long time. Invented in the 1800s, this game is played by hitting a wooden ball with a mallet through a series of hoops, into a wicket. The best part is this game can have multiple players—making it fun for the entire family to enjoy.
- Chalkboard. You can make a DIY chalkboard any size or shape you want for use outside. Decide where you want the chalkboard, and that will help determine the size. You could hang the chalkboard on the side of the house or your garden shed. Cut the sheet of oriented strand board (OSB) wood the size and shape you want and paint it with a couple of coats of chalkboard paint. Attach it to the wall, and it is ready to use as soon as the paint dries.
- Hopscotch. If you used pavers for a path to the garden or shed, let them do double duty by turning them into a hopscotch court. Simply paint numbers on them. Even better, plant low-growing herbs between the pavers, so, when your kids play hopscotch, they will smell the herbs they step on. Talk to your local garden center for advice on which herbs to use.
- Gardening. Let your kids plant flowers or veggies. You can give each child a pot of their own to plant in and take care of. Encourage them to plant some good, bomb-proof seeds or plants that give them the best chance of success. If you’re not sure, talk to the people in your local garden center. They’ll be happy to help you.
- Climbing Wall. You can build a DIY climbing wall. Decide where the wall will be located and determine the size. Your local lumber supply person can advise you about what type of wood to use. The most expensive part of this project will be the handholds, so you might want to check resale sites for those. Be creative with the background painting of your climbing wall. Maybe they are climbing in mountains or among stars in space. You could paint the wall in wild colorful patterns or let the kids do the painting the way they want.
- Volleyball or Badminton. These games can be played casually just out on the lawn or, for serious players with room in their yard, a full-size sand court could be installed. Either can be used by the entire family, but a sand court would be especially fun for teens and their friends.
- Obstacle Course. Design your course around the age and skill level of your kids. Speed and balance, as well as coordination, will determine how fast they can make it through the course; then they can work to improve their own time. Incorporate sections of obstacles in your course so that you can change the sequence within the course. Also think about increasing the difficulty as your child’s skill level improves. Here are a few ideas for modifiable obstacles:
- A balance beam section of the course might be a
length of a 12-inch board lying on the ground for a preschool child. The board can be raised off the ground as your
child gains in skills and confidence.
- Throw hula hoops on the ground for the preschool child to hop through with both feet, while the older child has smaller hoops and can only use one foot.
- Purchase a tunnel for the kids to belly-crawl through, or make the tunnel out of cardboard and duct tape.
- Incorporate existing equipment like the swing set or fort into the course, or get out the old “slip and slide” for the belly-crawl portion of the course. Have your littler kids run part of the course wearing Dad’s shoes or boots.
These ten ideas are a good starting point for outdoor backyard fun. All it takes is a little creativity to make your entire yard a place for fun and happy memories this summer.
Credits: Article and photos contributed by Chris Hoffman
Photo by Robert Fischetto on Unsplash
