Summer is still here, and that means there’s still time for you, your family, and friends to take advantage of the outdoors. Whether you’re planning a barbecue, casual get-together, or just a weekend of good old fashion family fun, you need something that will make your backyard a playground for all ages. Specifically, something fun, competitive, and affordable all wrapped into one.

In our opinion, nothing beats a game that can be played on the lawn of your backyard, especially games that are enjoyable for both you and the kids. That’s why we’ve taken the liberty of compiling five of our favorite lawn games that we think you’ll love. Each game can be set up and played in your own backyard. You may recognize some of these games, and if you’ve seen your fair share of backyard gatherings, you’ve probably played one or two before.

The bottom line here is that even if it’s just something for your kids to enjoy after school or on the weekends, these backyard lawn games can come in handy when the whole family is looking to have a little fun under the sun.

We’ll start with one of our personal favorites.

1. Spikeball

Do your little ones like volleyball? How about foursquare? If you answered yes to one or both of those questions, then Spikeball is a lawn game that you simply have to look into. Just like both of those games (and as the name suggests), Spikeball involves teams alternating between possessions and trying to spike the ball away from each other in order to score points. This is done by bouncing/spiking the balls on top of the bouncy netted target platform. What’s even cooler is that you can have up to six people in your group and still play the game by dividing up into two teams of three. Again, we have experience playing this game, which is why it remains one of our favorites. And why it’s number one on our list. Just be sure to play it in a wide-open space and away from fences. That’s our personal experience speaking again.

You can find Spikeball sets (and games like it) in various online stores. But, if you wish to go directly to the source, you can order an original set from Spikeball.com for about $54.00. It’s definitely worth it.

2. Cornhole

If you’re looking for something a bit more traditional than Spikeball, we suggest that you go with Cornhole. This is probably one of the more common backyard games today, and it’s even reached a pro-level of its own. Some have even found themselves participating in tournaments. This is your standard bean bag toss game that challenges players to throw the bags into the hole on the opposing player’s/team’s board. It may sound rudimentary to someone who hasn’t played before, but anyone who has will tell you that it’s super fun the more you play it. The kids really enjoy it as well, which is what’s most important. The boards can either be made of wood or soft polyester fabric. Just know that there’s a trade-off between the two. The wooden boards are more expensive, but give you a more high-level experience, while the fabric boards are cheaper and easier to fold up and transport. We couldn’t have a blog about backyard games without having cornhole somewhere on the list.

You can find more of these sets for sale on Amazon, dicksportinggoods.com, or playcornhole.org. 

3. Ring Toss

This is probably one of the oldest and simplest games ever invented, but it’s still enjoyable for all ages nonetheless. You have the rings and you have the peg bases. All you have to do is accurately throw one at the other and boom, you’ve got yourself a game that everyone at the BBQ will want to try their hand at. It can actually become quite competitive when more people are playing. You’d be amazed by what happens when teams of kids and adults start tossing rings to decide who gets dibs on ribs, burgers, and hot dogs first. 

There’s a nice set on Walmart.com for about $30.00 if you’re interested.

4. Backyard Bowling

Who doesn’t love bowling? It’s fun, it’s family-oriented, and it gets kids off the couch. However, with a giant backyard bowling set like this, you don’t need to change shoes or worry about the weight of the ball. These bowling sets come with large pins and a large ball, which can be easily set up in the backyard. The pins are usually filled with just enough sand to keep them standing, but able to be knocked over once they are hit by the ball. Perhaps it would be better if you place it in front of a fence or barrier of some sort to avoid having the ball roll off into the street or into another yard. Just a thought.

You can get a set on Amazon for under $40.00

5. Slip N’ Slide

There are so many different names for these backyard blow-up water parks, but we just take to calling them Slip N’ Slides. Now, this isn’t exactly a game, per se, but it does serve a purpose, especially if you don’t have a pool. So, we consider it more of an attraction that kids can have fun with while they’re outside trying to beat the heat. They can even use it for races or showing off tricks with boogie boards. Some slides are wider than others and can hold 3 - 4 riders at a time, which cuts down on lines and wait times. So, if it’s a pool you lack, this fun backyard waterpark attraction can make up the difference!

There are some really cool versions of this on Target.com and Walmat.com.

Remember to stay safe, but also remember to live life and have fun with it from time to time with your favorite people in the world. That’s what we do!

Sincerely,

Monkeybar Buddies