10+ Fun Outdoor Games For Families

If it’s too cold for you to play outside, but you want to host game night, check out our list of 20 Board Games For Families To Play Together.

10+ Fun Outdoor Games For Families

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Gigantic Jenga

Jenga is such a classic game, which you usually play on a table indoors. But it’s even more fun as a giant Jenga game. You can actually make your own Jenga game, if you have the time and tools to cut a couple dozen wooden blocks. If not, you can just purchase Gigantic Jenga.

Whichever way you get a set, Gigantic Jenga is one of the best outdoor family games. The keyword there is outdoor. Because these will last a lot longer if they fall outside than inside. And they’ll be a lot louder if they fall indoors than outdoors.

Yard Dice

Just like Gigantic Jenga, we made our own set of DIY Yard Dice. Pete cut the wood for me and sanded the dice, and then I painted them to finish them. Yardzee — which is a word I wish I came up with, but unfortunately, someone beat me to it — is the perfect game to play with these yard dice, but they work with any dice game.

You don’t have to make Yard Dice. You can actually buy a set and play your own dice games.

Cornhole

Cornhole reminds me so much of Pete’s family because the first time I played cornhole was on summer vacation with them. We played so many times during that trip.

Cornhole can get competitive when adults play, but it’s still fun with kids. Although every time I play with kids, the younger kids end up just running up to the board and dropping the bean bags in the hole. Those aren’t the rules, obviously, but that is a fun way for kids to play.

Bucketball

Bucketball is something fun that you can play with the whole family … as long as you play it without drinks. If you’re playing with responsible adults, cool. Play however you want. When you play with kids, just skip the drinking part of the game. That’s what we do.

To play, you have two teams that take turn throwing a tennis ball or rubber ball towards the buckets. The first team to sink a ball in each one of the baskets wins.

If you have a bunch of 5-gallon buckets, you can just make a DIY Giant Beer Pong game. If not, you can purchase a version of it online.

Ladder Ball

I call this game Ladder Ball because it’s shaped like a ladder. But I’ve also heard it called Monkey Ball. Whatever you call it, it’s a great family game.

What I love most about it is no matter how athletic you are, Ladder Ball is hard to master. So everyone is on a level playing field, which means everyone will have a good time playing together, making it one of the best fun family outdoor games to play with all ages.

You take a rope with a small ball on either end and throw it towards a ladder. If it twirls around, you get points. The higher it lands, the more points. The first to 21 wins.

Giant Tic Tac Toe

I made a Travel Tic Tac Toe game a few years ago. It’s small enough to fit into my suitcase or carry on and we’re able to play it on a plane or in a hotel.

Giant Tic Tac Toe is exactly the opposite of that because the game pieces are so huge. The board is made from stakes that you can stick into the ground so you don’t have to worry about the board moving while you’re playing. When you’re done, just pull them up.

Jumbo Connect 4

Everyone knows the popular game, Connect 4. It’s usually a tabletop game, but, if you like giant outdoor games, you need to add Jumbo Connect 4 to your collection.

The object of the game is simple: Get four of your colored pieces in a row. It’s really simple for young children to learn, making it a great family game. But, it can definitely turn into a friendly competition when the adults take over.

Outdoor Ring Toss

One of the best parts of my trips to Japan is going to the street fairs. There’s a bunch of food and games. One of my favorite games to play is a ring toss game. It’s a really fun game, really good for hand-eye coordination, and really slept on. People totally forget about it.

Outdoor Ring Toss is great, especially because it doesn’t take up that much outdoor space when you’re playing (as opposed to something like cornhole, which takes up a lot of open space).

Kan Jam

One of Pete’s friends had Kan Jam and we played it at a BBQ forever ago. At first glance, Kan Jam looks boring, like a harder frisbee golf. It’s garbage can with a slot that you have to shoot a frisbee through.

But my gosh, it’s so much fun. And addicting.  And competitive.

The first player tosses the frisbee towards the can and the rest of his team chases the frisbee, trying to time it right to slam it into the can. The opposing team is trying to make sure that doesn’t happen. It’s a great way to get in a little exercise without even realizing it.

Hookey

I’m not very good at darts. I like the concept of the game, but getting the dart exactly where it needs to go isn’t my forte. So Hookey is more up my alley.

Hang the game on a tree or a post outdoors. Then, you throw rings at the board, add up the score, and there’s a winner. There are a few different ways you can keep score, just like with darts. Just make house rules.

Oversized Checkers

I would love for Pete and I to collaborate and make a homemade oversized checkers game for our backyard parties. I’ve seen a few that I like, but I’m trying to thing about storage so I haven’t made it yet.

Instead of making one out of wood, you can purchase Oversized Checkers with a fabric board. That way, you can just fold it up and bring it outside. Set it up on a table (or on the grass because the game board is huge) and play for hours.

Lawn Bowling

We have a mini outdoor Lawn Bowling game that we set up in our own backyard when we have parties, and it’s always a big hit with the kids. Lawn Bowling is a lot easier than traditional bowling.

Plus, if you set up the Lawn Bowling set on grass, the pins tend to wobble a little bit, making them easier to knock over. If you want more of a challenge, set it up on the driveway where the concrete will hold them in place a bit better.

Outdoor Dominoes

My family loves playing dominoes. We play Double Dominoes, which is also known as Mexican Train Dominoes, and it’s really fun. You need a lot of dominoes to play, though, and the game gets really large and takes up our entire kitchen table. So bringing the game outside would be a great idea.

You can make your own set of Outdoor Dominoes if you have wood, time, and patience. Or you can just purchase it online — which seems a lot easier, honestly.