4 Easy DIY Backyard Games For The Whole Family!
Summer is a time to kickback and unwind, especially once the kiddos are done with school. And if you’re like me, finding ideas to keep everyone entertained without taking up a bunch of space or resorting to binge-watching TV is always a challenge. (Oh, and I also don’t like to spend a ton of money.) This year, I put my thinking cap on and headed off to my local dollar store for supplies — because instead of my usual home-centric projects, I was on a mission to make some easy DIY backyard games! Here’s what I came up with:
YARD BOWLING
Supplies
- (5) small sparkling grape bottles
- Twine/Rope
- Hot glue gun
- Ball (for this one I used a large tennis ball from the pet section, but any small ball will do)
My girls love sparking grape juice and they were more than willing to help me empty the bottles for this project. I gave the bottles a quick rinse and set them to dry. Then, starting from the bottom of each bottle, I used hot glue to secure the twine as I wrapped it around the bottle all the way to the top. (This is to prevent the bottle from breaking when knocked over.) TADA! That’s it! No, seriously….it’s that quick and easy. Amazing, right?
RING TOSS
Supplies
- Bottles from the yard bowling game
- Plastic shower rings
Set the bottles up like you would for the yard bowling and toss the shower rings to see who can get the most. Make it more challenging by moving the bottles around to different configurations.
YARD-ZEE
Supplies
- (6) Foam dice (look in your dollar store’s educational section)
- (1) bowl or bucket (look in the summer entertaining section)
- Permanent marker
Mark the dice using the permanent marker just like a standard die. That’s it!
FRISBEE SPONGE TOSS
Supplies
- (4) Frisbees
- (3) sponges
- Permanent marker
Mark the underside of the frisbees with the permanent marker; I used numbers 10, 20, 30, and 40. Line them up in a straight line and, using the sponges, toss them to see who can get the highest score. You can also soak the sponges if they’re too light.
HINT: If you soak them in a bucket of ice water, it’s also a great way to cool off on a hot day! As an added bonus, you can also toss the frisbees to see who can toss the furthest.
It’s also perfect to transport and can mix and match with other toys (for example, if you’ve got small round trashcans, you can turn the frisbees into a Kan-Jam game!). It could also make for a cute gift to a kid who has a summer birthday (who wouldn’t want a literal crate full of fun???). And even if it gets too hot outside, or it’s too rainy, you can take these games inside for fun (but I’d keep the sponges dry in that case!).
But the best part? This doesn’t cost a whole lot of money, especially if you already have some of the items on hand. Hours of fun for the whole family without breaking the bank? Now that’s definitely an easy DIY!
Need More DIY Inspiration?
I hope you have fun creating your own DIY backyard game set for your family. For more backyard-inspired DIY projects, check out this DIY round up of some of my favorites, and be sure to check the Homes.com blog for upcoming articles. Have a project you’d like a tutorial on? Drop it in the comments section below!
