Last Updated on January 11, 2023
Few activities in life come close to the pleasure of spending quality time with family and friends. Research proves that such activities stimulate hormones associated with love and happiness. Interactive board games can be a great way to set the ball rolling, but they don’t compare to the ecstasy of adrenaline-stimulating outdoor games.
Barbeque afternoons, garden parties, and backyard birthday parties are good examples of occasions that typically involve outdoor games. Because we care about your happiness, we organized a fantastic list of outdoor party games for you and your loved ones to choose from. Now, let’s jump right into it. This should be fun!
1. Limbo
What better way to start our list than the classic Limbo game? Here, the players bend backward to walk below a horizontal pole without falling. The height of the pole is subsequently reduced to intensify the competition. In the end, one winner will be left standing; The Flexible Limbo Hero.
Having guests around to cheer the players fuel the fun altogether. A plus to limbo is that it requires little effort to set up, and you could use a jump rope to improvise if there are no poles around.
2. Three-Legged Race
This outdoor party game is a great way to test team spirit in children and adults. Players stand side-by-side in paired teams of two and run to finish a race. The fun part is this: team members in every group have one of their legs tied together with their partner’s leg, resulting in a three-legged posture.
I suggest you partner with your spouse on this one; a good sync can be predicted already, not so?. Also, I would recommend it as a bonding exercise for children too. Watch them go from teammates to besties.
3. Hula Hoop Competition
In this outdoor game, your limbs are allowed to rest a little while your hips compete to win. All you need are some inexpensive hula hoops and a cheering team for morale. Here’s a pro tip: the faster you twist and turn, the firmer the hoops remain on you. Continue this for as long as you can, and you just might emerge as the winner. Remember to try out my tip at your next outdoor party. I’ll be rooting for you.
4. Tug of War
This is a classic outdoor game I would always recommend. Find a tough rope from the garage and flex your muscles with your family and friends. This activity is how we discover the secret superbeings living amidst us; their teams would always win because of them! Remember to be fair in your groupings. A balanced distribution is the ultimate goal.
5. Wheelbarrow race
This is another outdoor race game that is sure to leave you sweaty and pumped. On the brighter side, you get to burn calories while bonding with your loved ones. It practically involves one contestant holding the legs of the other while that person races on their hands. The fastest ‘wheelbarrow’ to reach the finish line is crowned the winning team.
Adults are better suited for this particular game because of their strong arms. Older children may also participate but under the supervision of their parents or guardian. Requirements for this game are: a whistle to start the race and crepe paper for the finish line.
6. Balloon Darts
Arrow, the DC hero, is loved worldwide for fighting bad guys with his ever-precise bow shots. Your next outdoor party could be your time to shine with some accurate dart shots.
All you need to do is: attach balloons to a wooden board, mark the standing spot, and take turns with friends to shoot and burst the balloons. The balloons could also be color-coded to reflect the teams’ colors. Watch out for basketballers, though. They could steal the show!
7. Treasure Hunts
This is an exciting game for a set of curious minds. Spark your guests’ problem-solving skills with a backyard treasure hunt. You can be as innovative as you please with this outdoor game.
You can hide silver coins and clues that would gradually lead the guests to uncover an ultimate prize; a gold coin, perhaps.
Here’s a free tip: Although your clues could be technical, make sure they are not too tough to crack so that your party does not change into a rigorous logic session. You can attach the first clue by sending online invitations if you like.
8. Potato Sack Relay
This outdoor party game is a classic! Both adults and children find it to be both stimulating and entertaining. Players wear a sack that covers their legs and impedes their ability to run fast. The goal is to see how quickly each runner can go despite the sack they are wearing.
Competing in a relay race is an excellent idea if there are enough guests. In such a case, a team member will hand over the sack to the next player when a designated point is reached; the sack will be quickly worn to continue the race. You could also use sacks of different colors to represent the various teams.
9. Ball in Bucket
This game helps evaluate the timely accuracy of shooting balls into a bucket. Assorted balls are color-coded and handed over to the players positioned around the receiving bucket.
The older the players, the further their radius from the bucket (the center). You can also place poly spots on the floor, so players know exactly where to stand. At the signal, players begin to throw their balls into the basket until the stopwatch finishes the countdown.
The scores are then calculated by counting how many balls from each player could enter the bucket. The highest number corresponds to the winner, and the runner-ups are found similarly.
10. Backyard Mini Golf
This is a great outdoor party game suitable for different kinds of yard parties. It simply replicates a professional golf game in a smaller friendly setting. The golf course can be constructed with a little bit of cheap indoor-outdoor carpeting. To get started on parts of the golf course, you can check out a sample DIY backyard mini golf course from A Small Snippet.
A plus to this outdoor game is amplified at parties where some adults are concerned about engaging in any exhausting game activity. This makes it easier for older guests to enjoy the party as they relax over a game of mini-golf.
Remember to build your mini-golf course with as much creativity as possible as you consider this excellent game. Also, the carpet must be really flat to avoid a skewed ball movement. If you do this frequently enough, your parties should become very attractive to golf enthusiasts!
11. Capture the Flag
This classic game comes as a top recommendation from us! It is a fun outdoor game that is relatively easy to set up. All you’ll need is a flag (or piece of cloth) and a creative mind.
You can encourage your guests to explore the yard with a traditional game of capture the flag. An excellent way to go about it is to split your guests into two teams and challenge them to hide their flag somewhere within their “base.” It becomes interesting to watch as each team, while defending their base, tries to capture the flag from their opponents.
Asking your teams to design their flag or lay out items they can use to build a base is an engaging way of increasing the stakes and deepening the gameplay.
12. Pie eating contest
What’s a yard party without food? An ordinary party, I guess. With all the delicacies available to eat at parties, it becomes exciting to watch two contenders gobble down food in seconds!
Since pies are relatively easy to swallow, you can stack pies into a bowl and set a timer for the contest. After sixty seconds, the countdown is stopped, and the prize is awarded to the person that ate more pies. Watermelons can substitute pies if there aren’t many pies available.
13. DIY Backyard Slingshot and Angry Birds Game
Shooting angry birds in real life is a top-tier DIY game that enthralls adults and children alike. The mobile game is one of the most loved games of its time. Expectedly, it is one game that could quickly become a center of attraction at any yard occasion, whether birthdays, BBQs or summer parties.
The players use a make-shift slingshot to target an angry bird ball towards an arrangement of objects. The more scattered the arrangements get, the higher the points scored. You can learn how to build your DIY slingshot with PVC pipes from Keeping it Simple Crafts.
Guests will have loads of fun knocking down cans or boxes, Angry Birds-style! Keep in mind that a volunteer player who stacks cans up after each shot would make the game progress swifter.
14. Hopscotch
Hopscotch is easily the most basic and fun outdoor game that comes to mind. Simply by using chalk on a sidewalk, it can be created in homes. Children love to play hopscotch a lot, so you can be sure the game will have them busy for hours. It is undoubtedly a great activity to set up during your next BBQ, especially if you have children around.
15. Outdoor Board Games
Let’s end our list with this innovative approach to outdoor party games. Just so you’re sure, it is actually possible to play board games in your backyard. After all, who prefers to stay indoors during a party?
Not to mention, these board games are jumbo-sized, making them fun for both children and adults. Examples are Chess, Jenga, Twister, Dominoes, and Checkers.
Conclusion
Phew! We’ve come to the end of our list. I’m pretty sure you’ve seen a couple of outdoor games which you’d be willing to try out at your next yard party. It’s okay if you feel a bit uncertain now, you can always bookmark this page and check it out from time to time.
Remember, outdoor games are an excellent way to bond with family and friends. The shots of adrenaline, the cheers, the laughter, and everything else in-between are sure to send you into sheer euphoria! Whatever it takes, make some intentional efforts to play any of these games with your loved ones this summer. You’ll be glad you did!