Hosting an outdoor gathering? Want to make your yard the summer attraction for the neighborhood? These DIY Backyard Games are the perfect outdoor ideas for kids and adults, day or night!
DIY Yard Games for Kids and Adults
Summer’s almost here, and you know what that means—time for outdoor entertaining! No barbecue or cookout is complete without some entertainment, and that’s where these DIY backyard games come in. They’re loads of fun for all ages! You’ll find giant versions of your favorite indoor games, lots of kid-friendly options, and games that you’ve probably forgotten about that’ll be familiar favorites when you try them again.
And you don’t have to settle for the cheap plastic versions sold in stores. Building the games yourself means that you can make them as sturdy as you like so that they’ll last for years and will hold up to lots of outdoor play.
Don’t forget to pin this list of DIY outdoor games to your spring or summer project boards. You’ll definitely want to make a few of them to make your backyard the coolest hangout spot in the neighborhood!
DIY Backyard Games
Yardzee is such a fun way to get the family up and moving. The game consists of 13 rounds to see who can get the highest score, but you have to score once in each category. It’s so easy to make your own dice for this game using 4×4 blocks of wood. Put them in a bucket to jumble them all up. Get your score cards. | A Turtle’s Life for Me
Jenga is one of our favorite games for family game night, and this Giant Jenga will make playing outdoors way more exciting. It’s easy to make this yourself with 2x4s and some paint. Just watch your toes when the blocks come falling down! It would make a great DIY gift for a family that likes to play games. | A Beautiful Mess
Cornhole is popular at family reunions and festivals for good reason—it’s a blast! It’s a great way to get people of all ages mingling because adults enjoy playing just as much as the kids do, and people get so competitive. You could even get a cornhole trophy to pass around each year to the champions! | Scrappy Geek
Get the plans to make this DIY backyard bean bag toss, complete with a board and mesh cups to catch the bean bags. Make one before summer, and your kids will have a fun activity to do with their friends outside all summer long. The boards will be great to have on hand for other outdoor family functions, too. | Thrift Diving
You can’t get much more all-American than football… except for maybe this football toss! The concept is pretty simple—toss the football through the holes to score points. The smaller hole is more points, of course. This is one for all ages to enjoy. | Cherished Bliss
Kids and adults alike will love this Outdoor Tic Tac Toe game. It’s a bigger, outdoor-friendly version of the classic game. All you need is a wooden plank and some flat rocks to make your own tic tac toe board and game pieces. | Sustain My Craft Habit
If you watched The Price is Right growing up, you’ll remember Plinko. This DIY Plinko game is just as much fun, and it’s easy to put together with foam board, glue, toothpicks, and a few other simple materials. You don’t even need power tools to make this game! | Happiness is Homemade
The 3 hole washers game is a lot like cornhole, except that you only score points when the washer lands completely in one of the holes. The first team or person to 21 points wins the game. This DIY Cornhole Game another great choice for reunions or camping. | My Crazy Good Life
This giant beer pong game is lots of fun. With big red buckets instead of Solo cups, it may just take you back to your college days. But don’t fret if drinking games aren’t your thing… this is kid-friendly despite the name and would be a lot of fun for the whole family. | Drugstore Divas
Get your neighbors and friends to join you in a friendly bean bag toss in the yard… no serious DIY skills required. You can either buy bean bags or make them yourself. The clay saucers serve as your targets. Space them out as far apart as you like to see who has the best aim. | Mod Podge Rocks
Who doesn’t love to play the match game? It’s been a favorite since childhood, and it’s simple enough that everyone understands how to play. Kids will have hours of fun matching the giant cards again and again. | Studio DIY
Make some DIY giant dominoes for the family to play with. If you think that all you do with dominoes is stand them up and knock them down, think again! You can read the real rules of dominoes here, but there are so many ways to play with them. And if you DO want to line them up just to knock them down, go for it! | Lemon Thistle
Add this rainbow paver hopscotch game to your backyard to let the kids get some exercise whenever they’re feeling a little restless. You can color coordinate them with your outdoor space if you’d like, but the rainbow colors look so fun. | Happiness is Homemade
Have you ever heard of Kubb? It’s also called Viking Chess or Skulls and Femurs. Sounds pretty tough, right? The game is actually loads of fun once you learn how. Each game requires 2-6 players, and the game goes by quickly, so it’s easy to rotate people in and out if you have a crowd. | Our Handcrafted Life
This ring toss game is extremely portable, so it’s a good idea to take it with you wherever you’ll have a bunch of kids playing together outdoors. Again, this is a simple game that toddlers and preschoolers can play as well, so it’s perfect for all ages. It’s also pretty inexpensive to make. | Mom Endeavors
This DIY ladder golf game, or ladder ball, is easy to assemble or disassemble, making it a wonderful choice for camping trips with the family. It comes apart and can be laid flat for easy transport and storage. Toss the bolas (the balls tied together) at the rungs of the ladder. Each rung is worth a certain number of points. The first to 21 without going over wins! | Homemade Heather
If you’ve never played pick up sticks, you’re missing out! It’s an easy game, but it can be so much fun, especially when you’re playing with kids. The object of the game is for someone to drop the bundle of sticks, and then you take turns picking up one stick at a time without moving any others. It’s harder than it sounds. If you move any other sticks, your turn is over. | Delineate Your Dwelling
Get twisted up and tangled up in a game of backyard bubble wrap Twister. You can find large rolls or sheets of bubble wraps on Amazon or sometimes in the moving and packing supplies at your local home goods store. Use one of the large sheets to make a fun game of backyard twister. Use paper plates to trace the circles and color them in. It’ll be a hoot listening to the bubble wrap pop as you play. | Chica Circle
Don’t forget we have a fun shaving cream Backyard Twister Game in our Visual Summer Bucket List Ideas.
Nearly every Southerner has played horseshoes at least a time or two in his or her life. It really is entertaining when you play as pairs. You can easily build your own horseshoe pit in the yard to play this fun game yourselves. And yes, you do need a pit to stop the horseshoes. They’re quite heavy, and you don’t want them flailing along the ground very far! | Creatively Southern
For another cheap and fun game to play with a group of kids, this bowl bean bag toss is perfect. This reminds me of the Grand Prize Game on the Bozo the Clown show. What fun! | One More Moore
What’s your favorite outdoor game?
Add this to you list of things to do this summer host a Backyard Movie Night. Pin to Pinterest.
Don’t forget our list of Visual Summer Bucket List Ideas. Pin to Pinterest.
WHAT’S TRENDING? Get inspired this Spring with Dollar Store Easter Decor.
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