Fun Backyard Games For Kids

The best list of outdoor games for kids so you can enjoy your summer in your own backyard without too much stress!

Are you looking forward to summertime and spending hours of fun in the sun in your own backyard?

As someone who spends 6 months stuck inside with children during the winter season, I try my hardest to get the kids outside as much as possible when the weather is nice.

It’s really important for children to spend time in nature, even if it’s just the backyard. After all, being outdoors is proven to be better for your health and also it happens to lower anxiety levels in children and adults too.

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Benefits Of Playing Outside

Fresh air is not a thing of the past, even though sometimes it feels like it might be with all the available tools to help us feel comfortable and entertained indoors, but it really is rather important for mental and physical health for children to play outside.

Playing outdoors builds healthier children physically because they can run wild, jump high, catch and throw balls and lift toys and rocks without any limits.

I don’t want these things happening inside the home, so outside the home, it’s all fair game.

Fun Games You Can Play In Your Backyard This Summer

Tin Can Bowling

Instead of recycling your tin cans right away, clean them out and stack em up. use any ball you have and play some tin can bowling! You CAN totally purchase kids outdoor bowling sets like these too, but this works just as well.

Draw With Chalk

There is nothing more simple than grabbing a box of chalk and letting the kids use their imaginations. Chalk works well on all different kinds of surfaces. Kids can draw on pavement, brick walls, concrete porches, sidewalks, chalkboards and even paper.

My kids are LOVING this sparkly chalk.

Here are some chalk games:

1. Hopscotch: Draw a traditional hopscotch grid on the ground using chalk. Players take turns tossing a small stone or marker into each numbered square and hopping through the course, skipping the square with the marker. The first player to complete the course wins.
2. Obstacle Course: Use chalk to create an obstacle course on the pavement or sidewalk, including activities like zig-zag lines to walk along, circles to hop in and out of, and squares to jump between. Kids can navigate the course, trying to complete it as quickly as possible or with added challenges like balancing objects.
3. Target Toss: Draw different-sized circles or shapes on the ground, each with a point value. Players take turns tossing bean bags or small balls onto the targets, aiming to score the highest points by landing their throws in the highest-value targets.
4. Sidewalk Pictionary: Draw a large grid on the pavement and assign each square a different word or phrase. One player chooses a square and silently draws the word or phrase while the other players try to guess what it is. This game encourages creativity and teamwork.
5. Chalk Art Gallery: Encourage kids to express their creativity by drawing pictures or creating chalk murals on the pavement or sidewalk. Provide a theme or let them draw whatever they like. Once everyone is finished, take a walk around the “gallery” to admire each other’s artwork.

Run Through Sprinklers

Do you have amazing memories of yourself as a child running through cold water sprinklers on the hottest summer days? Do the same for your little one! This is a fairly low maintenance activity. Just make sure to sunscreen up and wear proper headwear to avoid sunburns.

You can either go buy a fancy sprinkler or use a simple hose for this kind of water play. There is no right or wrong way to play with water in the backyard.

There are these really fun sprinkler pads which are awesome and work so well for the backyard. We like to use basic sprinklers like these in our home.

You don’t need expensive things to enjoy water play in your backyard!

Here are some sprinkler game ideas:

1. Limbo Sprinkler: Set up a sprinkler so that it creates an arch of water. Play some music and have the kids take turns trying to limbo under the water stream without getting wet. Gradually lower the stream after each round to increase the difficulty. The last player remaining without touching the water wins!
2. Water Limbo Limbo: Similar to traditional limbo, but instead of a pole, use a stream of water from a sprinkler. Play some music and have the kids take turns bending backward and passing under the water stream without getting wet. Lower the water stream after each successful round. The player who can limbo the lowest without getting wet wins!
3. Sprinkler Tag: Set up multiple sprinklers in a designated area and let the kids run around while the sprinklers are on. Designate one child as “It” who tries to tag the other players while everyone else tries to avoid getting tagged by dodging the water streams. If a player gets tagged by “It,” they become the new tagger. The game continues until everyone has had a chance to be “It” or until the kids want to switch to a different game.

Skip Rope

Studies say that jumping can make you smarter.  Who knew?!

Well someone knew, and they did some research. Get your kids off the couch and teach them awesome jump rope games! 

Teach your kids basic jumping skills and get those heart rates up for the ultimate exercise and fun all in one. Make sure to teach them about games they can play together and alone. Jumping rope isn’t just for kids either, mom, you can join in on the fun too!

Skip rope game ideas:

1. Jump Rope Relay Race: Divide the kids into teams and set up a relay race course. Each team member takes turns jumping rope a certain number of times before passing the rope to the next teammate. The team that completes the relay first wins. You can add variations like jumping on one foot, doing double unders, or spinning the rope backward to make it more challenging.
2. Jump Rope Rhymes: Encourage kids to jump rope while reciting traditional jump rope rhymes or making up their own. This game not only helps with rhythm and coordination but also adds an element of fun with silly rhymes and chants. You can even turn it into a competition to see who can come up with the funniest or longest rhyme.
3. Jump Rope Freeze Dance: Play some music and have the kids jump rope while it’s playing. When the music stops, they have to freeze in place while still holding onto the rope. If they move or let go of the rope, they’re out. Start the music again and continue until only one jumper remains. You can make it more challenging by adding faster music or longer periods of jumping before each freeze.

Play In Sandbox

Nothing says hours of fun than a sandbox filled with sand and awesome toys!

You can even get super creative and make your own sandbox.

Stimulate the senses by letting your children play freely in the sand. Let their little toes sink into it and watch them get really dirty and have lots of fun. Let them engage in sensory and imaginative play with a few sandbox toys. 

Whether you decide to have a sandbox on the ground or a sand table for this sensory play activity, they will be sure to have loads of fun for hours on end.

Here are some sandbox game ideas:

1. Treasure Hunt: Bury small toys, plastic coins, or other treasures in the sandbox before the game begins. Provide the kids with shovels or small rakes and let them dig for treasure. You can create a map with clues or simply let them explore and discover the hidden treasures on their own. The child who finds the most treasure wins a prize!
2. Sandcastle Building Contest: Divide the kids into teams and challenge them to build the best sandcastle. Provide them with buckets, shovels, and other sandcastle-building tools. Set a time limit, and when time is up, have everyone admire each other’s creations. You can award prizes for categories like “tallest castle,” “most creative design,” or “best use of seashells.”
3. Sandbox Sculptures: Encourage kids to use their imagination and creativity to sculpt shapes, animals, or objects out of the sand. Provide them with plastic molds, cookie cutters, and other tools to help them shape the sand. After they’ve finished sculpting, they can decorate their creations with seashells, rocks, or sticks. This game is a great way for kids to express themselves artistically while playing in the sandbox.

Kick A Ball

Good old fashion ball kicking should never be ruled out as a backyard activity. Heck, why just balls? Throw frisbees and baseballs too!

Throwing and kicking balls engages kids in active play and creates lots of laughter too. Think of the memories you’ll create if you play along with them!

If you have a small concrete pad in your yard, you can even play basketball and hockey too.

It is never too early to start teaching kids how to properly kick a ball…I mean have you seen the kids on youtube these days?!

Here are some ball games you can play:

1. Kickball: Similar to baseball, but instead of hitting a ball with a bat, players kick a large rubber ball. Set up bases in a diamond shape and designate a pitcher to roll the ball to the kicker. The kicker tries to kick the ball and run around the bases before the opposing team can field the ball and tag them out. Each player gets a turn to kick, and teams take turns fielding and kicking.
2. Target Practice: Set up a series of targets (cones, buckets, or even homemade goals) at various distances from the kicking line. Each target is assigned a point value based on its difficulty. Have the kids take turns kicking the ball and trying to hit the targets to score points. You can add variations like moving the targets or incorporating obstacles to make it more challenging. The player with the highest score at the end wins!

Water Fight

On those super steamy hot days, grab a water gun and some water balloons. 

Even though water play seems like a basic and wild activity, it actually teaches kids balance and improves their strength. Not to mention helps them with their aim and coordination. While you think you’re just letting them play wild without learning, you actually ARE helping them strengthen core skills that they will use later in life.

Nothing like learning through play while having the best summer ever.

here are some water fight game ideas:

1. Water Balloon Toss: Pair the kids up into teams of two and have them stand facing each other about arm’s length apart. Give each pair a water balloon and instruct them to toss it back and forth without dropping or breaking it. After each successful toss, have them take a step back, increasing the distance with each round. The last pair with an intact water balloon wins!
2. Sponge Relay Race: Divide the kids into teams and set up a relay race course with buckets of water and large sponges at one end and empty buckets at the other. The first player in each team dips their sponge in the water bucket, races to the empty bucket, and squeezes the water from the sponge into it before running back to tag the next player. The relay continues until all team members have completed the course. The first team to fill their bucket wins!
3. Water Gun Tag: Equip the kids with water guns and designate one player as “it.” The player who is “it” tries to tag the other players by squirting them with their water gun. Once a player is tagged, they become the new “it.” Set boundaries for the game area and establish safety rules, such as no shooting in the face. The game continues until everyone has had a chance to be “it” or until the kids are ready to move on to another activity.

Blow Bubbles

Blowing bubbles is a super fun backyard activity.

You can use traditional bubbles with bottles from the shop or you can make your own super giant bubbles.

Play around with different materials in your home and see what kinds of bubbles these things can create.

Did you know that bubbles are also really good for physical development in children? They better their visual tracking skills, improve gross motor development, hand-eye and foot coordination and body awareness too.

I’m a sucker for activities that are skill building and super fun. Learning through play is the best kind of learning.

Here are some bubble games kids can play:

1. Bubble Pop Relay: Divide the kids into teams and set up a relay race course. At one end of the course, place a container filled with bubbles and a bubble wand for each team. The first player from each team dips their wand into the bubble solution, blows a bubble, and then races to the other end of the course to pop the bubble before running back to tag the next player. The relay continues until all team members have completed the course. The first team to finish wins!
2. Bubble Catch: Have one child blow bubbles while the other kids try to catch them using their hands or a designated catching tool like a butterfly net or a paper plate. Encourage the kids to see who can catch the most bubbles without letting them pop. You can add variations like using different sized bubbles or having the kids catch bubbles while hopping on one foot to make it more challenging.
3. Bubble Art: Provide the kids with bubble solution and different tools like straws, bubble wands, and cookie cutters. Encourage them to blow bubbles onto a piece of paper or a canvas to create bubble art. They can experiment with different techniques and colors to make unique and colorful bubble masterpieces. Once the bubble art is dry, they can display their creations or give them as gifts to friends and family.