Backyard Games

You can use these entertaining backyard games at family reunions or just on a lazy summer day with the neighborhood kids. Take a nice evening with a blue sky and spend it playing with some burgers on the grill and lemonade in everyone's cup.

Playing With Chalk

If you have a simple box of colored chalk you can create an endless number of games suitable for children of all ages and even adults.

You can use some very simple games like tic tac toe and hopscotch, but try to get more creative as well.

One more creative idea is to make a more elaborate hopscotch board created by a group of people. Everyone has a different color of chalk and takes turns making one box on the board.

This creates a different route through the board for every player. They must hop through the board only landing their feet inside their colored squares. You can erase and make new boards over and over, which is the fun thing about working with chalk.

Ball Guard Backyard Game

Place a ball in the middle of the backyard and designate one person to be the guard. Everyone else spreads out as far as possible from the ball.

A whistle is blown or another sign is given to start the game and the guard has to protect the ball without actually kicking or touching it on their own. All others are trying to rush in and kick the ball.

This is one of the more versatile backyard games. You can give the guard multiple balls to protect to make it harder and you can give them any kind of powers to keep the others away. For instance, allow them to spray with a hose or throw water balloons at those trying to get to their ball. A large water gun to spray them away is another good idea.

This is best if there are multiple balls. Whenever someone kicks a ball they take it out of the game. When no balls are left the game is over and someone else gets to be the guard.

Backyard Relay Races

There are many different ways to turn races into backyard games. Split everyone up into teams and run standard relay races or do races with team members legs tied together.

One fun variation is to have groups of four or more people and use scraps of fabric to tie the entire group together at the ankles.

They have to hop together to one point, untie one person, and hop to the next station to unleash the next person. The first team to get everyone free and then race the last person to the finish line wins.

You can do backyard races in an endless number of variations. Get creative and play to the strengths and weaknesses of the ages of your crew.

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