38 Best Outdoor Games To Keep You Busy This Summer

Summer is coming and it's time to get ready for all those backyard barbecues you’ll be hosting.

Want to be the hot spot to be this summer?

Setup some of these  outdoor games and get everyone talking! 

Some of these ideas you can simply buy online and play, others are going to take some creativity and time.

Taking turns, each person will begin throwing Frisbees onto your game board to see who can get three in a row first.

Find the Tic-Tac-Toe Frisbee Gameon Amazon.

You can make this on your own with some scrap wood cut down to whatever size you choose, just be sure all the pieces are cut to the same specifications.

If you don’t have the time to make your own game, consider buying one already made for you, then you can just get started playing.

Find Jumbo Jenga on Amazon.

Then stand on two tree trunks or areas that you create and get jousting! If you aren’t into making your own, consider buying some similar combat material.

Find jousting equipment on Amazon.

Just be sure to secure whatever you choose when the wind kicks up or you just might lose your game!

Find Inflatable Basketball on Amazon.

Cut six 3 ½” pieces of a 4x4. You might not have known this, but a 4x4 is actually 3 ½” thick so you're going to have a perfect cube!

Sand down your cubes until they're smooth and then take a pencil to mark the dots on each side. You can either drill shallow holes for the numbers or mark them in any way you please.

When you're done, you’ll have some pretty neat yard dice.

Find Yard Yahtzee on Amazon.

Give each opponent a squirt gun and see who can get their cup over the finish line first. If you have a pool, this is a lot of fun to do over the length of the water. Keep in mind that the better the water gun, the faster the game will go.

Just remember that wherever squirt guns are involved, you’re sure to end up in a battle and will inevitably get wet.

Find Squirt Gun Water Races on Amazon.

Make a larger version of this well-loved game with just a few simple supplies.

Screw together 16-inch 2x4 boards to make a square and then you’ll take 10-inch 4x4 boards and screw them to the four corners of the square to give you legs. 

Paint the wood platform your favorite color and allow it to dry.

Next, take a wire net and make it into a tube secured by wire. Use a staple gun to secure your tube onto the table you’ve created. 

Slide bamboo garden stakes through the holes of your wire net from all different angles and then fill the tube with ball pit balls.

Have players slowly remove one garden stake at a time and collect any balls that fall through. The player with the least amount of balls at the end – wins!

For a more detailed review of how to make Ker Plunk at home visit all parenting.

Any obstacle course can create a lot of backyard fun, but why not take it up a notch and turn it into American Ninja Warrior style.

Consider making some PVC pipe hurdles or some sloped steps out of pallets and wood. You can also use pressure treated 4x4s as balance beams.

If you don’t have tree trunks near each other to jump between, throw down some stepping stones in strategic places.

If you're creative enough, you might just be able to make the warped wall!

We all have pool noodles lying around the house in the summer time, why not turn them into something fun?

Simply turn the noodle into a circle and duct tape the ends together. Then do the same thing again with a second pool noodle.

Take a third pool noodle and cut it in half. Stake each noodle to the ground, at an appropriate distance apart, so it creates a standing pole.

Then, it’s just a race to see whose ring ends up on the pole first.

Find pool noodles on Amazon.

You didn’t really think that was all I had to say about pool noodles, did you?

Just when you thought you couldn’t have any more fun with pool noodles, you were introduced to pool noodle hopscotch.

Probably the easiest game to make, you simply take 10 pool noodles and make circles out of them. Tape each end with duct tape and lay them in the grass in hopscotch formation.

Jump through the course and test out your skills.

The main object is to get your bolas around the steps of the ladder. There are lots of quality sets available for purchase, or if you’re adventurous you could attempt making your own.

Find the Ladder Toss Game on Amazon.

Make sure you get creative in your gameplay and try distracting your opponent so he misses the best moves. When playing the game outside, be sure you choose one that’s durable and weatherproof.

Find Life-Sized Connect 4 on Amazon.

I know, a slip n’ slide isn’t really a game, but it’s some of the best summer fun around.

Stay clear of those high priced, small versions and go all out with a homemade slide.

Figure out how long you want the slide. If you use six pool noodles (I know, those pool noodles again), it would be about 35-feet long.

Take a long piece of heavy-duty plastic and attach your pool noodles down each side. Wrap the plastic around the noodle and use Velcro to keep them tight.

Stake one end of the slide and then stake the bottom after ensuring that you’ve pulled the slide taut.

Turn on the sprinkler and get ready for the ride of your life.

Just pick the one you will have the most fun with. The inflatable version would be easier to store over the long haul, but the wooden set will probably be more durable.

Find the Giant Bowling Set on Amazon.

Once you shoot it off the net, your opponent has three hits, just like volleyball, to control the ball and hit it back down to the net. The nice thing about this game is its portability.

You don’t need to keep it in your backyard, take it to your friend’s house as well.

Find Spikeball on Amazon.

If your kids are Angry Birds fans, they're going to love this idea.

Gather together lots of boxes and create a strategic playing area.

Consider using white and blue spray paint to make some of them ice cubes and maybe even some gray paint for stones.

Gather red, blue and yellow bouncy balls and find a template online of the various faces you need to paint on them. Paint green bouncy balls as the pigs and set them on Mason jar lids in the box maze.

Now, launch your birds and knock out the pigs. Pretty awesome, right?

your favorite beer pong games so it’s like playing the original, just bigger.

Remember to fill the bucket part way with sand or water so it doesn’t blow away.

If you aren’t concerned with having an exact size, you could purchase your own buckets and make your own version.

Search Giant Yard Pong on Amazon.

scooter is going to lift a pot and attempt to catch the balls underneath.

Then, after being dragged off the field, they will release the balls into their stash. The person with the most balls at the end of the game wins.

Find equipment for  Human Hungry Hippos on Amazon.

This is often considered to be a safer alternative to lacrosse.

Find Scoop Ball on Amazon.

Have some golf fans coming to your party?

Grab a fun putting green to throw outside and everyone can try out their golf skills.

The best part is that it comes with built-in sand traps to really test your maneuvering abilities.

When you’re done playing, it simply rolls up to store back inside.

Find Putting Greens on Amazon.

Weighing just over 2 pounds, this set is great to take camping or over to a friend’s house as well.

Find Frisbee Golf on Amazon.

Want an outdoor activity that's going to keep the kids busy for hours (and maybe some adults too)?

Fold a large, thin tarp in half and tape the three open sides shut with duct tape. Make sure you leave a little hole in one of the sides for easy filling. Slide your water hose into the opening and fill up your tarp.

You can also add things like blue food coloring, confetti or gummy worms for some extra fun. Once it’s full, tape up the remaining hole and watch everyone roll around and have fun.

Nothing says fun like fly swatters!

These cheap inventions are great when you want to swat around a few balloons in the backyard.

Get creative with the games and set rules.

You might even want to set up a little makeshift net to play with. The nice thing about this game is that you can have the entire family play together.

They’ll need to catch the water-filled balloon in the towel and launch it back.

Obviously, you’re going to get wet if that balloon misses the towel, so be careful!

Since this game is completely portable, it’s also fun to take camping, tailgating and even to the local playground.

Find Lawn Darts on Amazon.

Just when you thought I was done talking about pool noodles, I came up with another one!

Make six pool noodle rings as I instructed you earlier. Use that handy duct tape to attach them together; three on top and three on the bottom.

Then take two pool noodles and tape them to the six rings; one on either side. Hammer two dowels into the ground and slide your pool noodle target station on top.

Now you can hurl your other pool noodles through the targets. If you want to get really competitive, you can even assign different point values for each hole.

Whoever can wrap it around the pole first is the winner.

You can easily adjust the height of the pole so anyone can play and when you’re done, it folds up for easy storage with the attached carrying case.

Find a Swingball with Tether on Amazon.

One simple idea is to spray paint a pewter stepping stone. Use your imagination on what to use as the playing pieces.

Find the Jumbo Checker Game on Amazon.

If it starts raining at your party, you can take this game indoors.

The bright colors make it easy for you to see the target which also means there are no excuses when you miss.

Find Rubber Horseshoes on Amazon.

Great for summer weather, simply fill up a kid-sized plastic pool with not just water, but also ice and marbles.

Have four people stand in the freezing cold water.

Using just their toes, they have to retrieve the marbles from the pool and place them into the pitcher designated for the team. You’ll want to set a specific time for this game and then see who has the most marbles at the end of the time.

If you want to add a team aspect to it, have a player tag another member and swap out of the pool for a fresh set of feet.

This game won the Dr. Toy Top 10 Active Games & Creative Child Seal of Excellence Award and the 2015 Men’s Journal Gear of the Year Award.

Find Rollers Backyard Games on Amazon.​

Maybe you want to let the kids stand a little closer to make it fair, or maybe not! 

Find the Bean Bag Ladder Toss on Amazon.

If you'd rather make your own version, you could play a fun game of capture the flag with some glow sticks. Just be sure to buy a different color for each team.

Find Glow-in-the-Dark Capture the Flag on Amazon.

Want to get your friends and family wet? It’s really simple to make your very own dunk bucket.

Cut out a target of some wood and then use more wood to make a base for your 5-gallon bucket.

Using some hinges, you’ll want to attach your bucket to the tree. Make sure you also attach your target to the tree. Find a way to hold the bucket upright, maybe some washers.

Sit your loved one in front of the target and fire away with some tennis balls. For an easy refill, make sure you set up a filling system with some piping.

Grab some cork tiles and spray paint to make the memory tiles.

Spray all the cork tiles with white spray paint and allow them to dry.

You can use some stencils to make different images on the tiles. Using spray paint of different colors, paint your images on the tiles, make sure you have two of the same image for matching purposes.

Once dry, you can set them up in your yard upside down. Each player will turn over two tiles at a time, attempting to make a match.

The player with the most matches at the end of the game will win.

This set includes 25 jumbo, colorful, pine wood pickup sticks perfect for two or more players. Play on your lawn during any backyard party for a good time.

Find Giant Pickup Sticks on Amazon.

With all the games I’ve found for you, you won't be getting bored this summer! Play one or all at your next get-together for ultimate fun and endless laughs.

What are your favorite games to play outdoors?