50 Ultra-Fun DIY Backyard Games for All Ages

Create endless outdoor fun for family members and friends of all generations with our favorite do-it-yourself games and activities.

By: Maria Conti and Morgan Faulkner

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Outdoor Drawing Board

Put your artistic skills to the test with this fun outdoor drawing board. Use copper pipes and our DIY instructions to create this party staple, and enjoy hours of guess-what-I'm-drawing as well as other written guessing games.

DIY Kerplunk Game

This supersized childhood favorite is made all the more fun with high-stakes water balloons in place of marbles. Make it for your next warm-weather weekend gathering, and tell guests to pack a change of clothes for good measure.

Get the How-To: Kerplunk Into Summer With This Giant DIY Yard Game

Plinko-Style Bottle Opener Game

Put your guests' boozy sips to use with this unexpected and entertaining bottle cap opener game. The DIY Plinko-inspired game takes an afternoon to put together and adds a fun, personal twist to any gathering. Use chalk paint to paint the bottom section of the game so that you can switch up the phrases and add age-appropriate actions to fit your event.

Get the How-To: How to Make a Plinko-Style Bottle Opener Game

Crowd-Pleasing Cornhole

Create your own set of crowd-pleasing and custom cornhole boards for your upcoming events. This classic lawn game offers easy entertainment and friendly competition for children and adults alike. Upcycle a few old wooden pallets by following our step-by-step tutorial listed below to create a charming, vintage-inspired cornhole set.

Get the How-To: How to Upcycle an Old Pallet Into a Cornhole Game

From: Brian Patrick Flynn

Plus, a Cornhole Scoreboard

While you still have the materials and tools out from making your cornhole boards, whip up this DIY scoreboard to make it easy to keep track of who's winning. The other side of the board has a handy bottle opener, cup holder and a wire basket to house the bags when not in use.

Get the How-To: Game on! DIY Cornhole Scoreboard for Tailgating

Super-Sized Tic-Tac-Toe

Elevate your family cookout game and go big outside with a super-sized, super-fun tic-tac-toe game made from hula hoops and pizza pans. Not only is this set ultra-easy to create at home, but it also serves as ultra-fun entertainment for every generation.

Get the How-To: How to Make a Giant Outdoor Tic-Tac-Toe With Hula Hoops

Bottle Ring Toss

Bring out a tried-and-true ring toss set — comprised of 12 glass bottles, rings and a wooden crate — to keep all the kids and adults entertained at your next outdoor party. Use the set in a grassy area and provide an inviting spot to relax with a pretty picnic blanket and matching all-weather floor cushions.

Get the How-To: How to Make a Ring-Toss Game

Water Balloon Piñata

Kid-friendly games will ensure your littlest guests also have fun. This twist on the classic candy-filled piñata is the perfect way to cool off on a hot summer day. Just fill at least a dozen balloons with water, bundle them together with a net and hang from a tree. Let the kids take their best swings with a stick or baseball bat and prepare to get soaked.

See More Photos: 50 Tips for Planning the Ultimate Backyard Get-Together

Pumpkin Can Toss

Bring old-fashioned carnival fun to your backyard this fall with our easy DIY can toss game. All you need to get started are equally sized tin cans, cardstock and hot glue. Follow our lead and go all-in on autumn with pumpkin-inspired cans, or follow our step-by-step instructions and customize your set with cardstock befitting the season or event.

Get the How-To + More Ideas: 3 DIY Pumpkin-Themed Yard Games for Fall Fun

Vertical Bag Toss

Short on corn hole boards? Create a vertical bean bag toss, instead. Use dowels to secure two noodles into the ground vertically. Bend three additional noodles into circles and secure between the vertical noodles with tape. From there, grab your lucky bean bag and give it your best shot.

See More Photos: 10 Ways to Turn Pool Noodles Into Almost-Free Backyard Kids' Games

Fire Pit Game Topper

Don't let that gorgeous fire pit go to waste because of soaring, sweltering temps. Instead, make the most of your outdoor gathering space by creating a DIY game topper that fits snug atop your fire pit. Trust us, there is no better way to wait on fresh-grilled goodies than by igniting some healthy competition among friends. 'Pit-top checkers, anyone?

Get the How-To: Turn an Unused Fire Pit Into a Custom Game Table

Slippery Sponge Toss

Up the ante at your next pool day with our slippery sponge toss game. Get started with several colorful dish sponges, four plastic plates, vinyl number stickers and scissors. Find our easy-to-follow instructions to create your slippery sponge set in the link below.

Get the How-To + More Ideas: Get Your Pool Party Poppin' With These Dollar Store Pool Game DIYs

Football Toss Game

Hosting a watch party for a big game? Provide guests of all ages with some pre-game fun with this football toss game. Made of plywood and a faux grass base, players will throw miniature foam footballs through the board to earn points. The first player to score 100 points wins.

Get the How-To: Make a Mini Football Toss Game to Add Some Fun to Any Tailgate

Noodle Racquetball

Pool noodles know no bounds in the world of outdoor frivolity. Use pool noodles to craft a pair of lightweight racquets for kids. Once you've cut the pool noodle to size, form it into the shape of a racquet and bind it with vibrant-hued tape. Slip produce netting on top and secure it with more tape on the handle.

See More Photos: 10 Ways to Turn Pool Noodles Into Almost-Free Backyard Kids' Games

Horseshoes

Invite your loved ones to partake in a friendly game of horseshoes outdoors. Easily build your own horseshoe court using our detailed instructions and materials list below. If you're keeping score, do it on an oversized outdoor chalkboard. It's easy to DIY and, when you're not keeping score, it serves as an art canvas or menu display for more formal soirées.

Get the How-To: How to Build a Horseshoe Pit

From: Brian Patrick Flynn

DIY Skee-Ball

This easy DIY project is inspired by an arcade classic but with a summertime twist. Line up five sand buckets to create the water balloon targets. Assign points to each bucket via colorful plastic plates. You can either staple the plate to a paint stirrer and place it inside the bucket or stick the plate directly to the inside of the bucket using duct tape.

See More Photos: Summer Backyard Water Games for Kids

Halloween Pumpkin Pickin' Party Game

Invite kids at your Halloween party to try their luck with this whimsical, pumpkin-picking game. Behind each felt pumpkin is a prize. Guests will slide their hands through the pumpkin of their choice to claim small treats such as candy or toys. Make the game more challenging by having players close their eyes, feel around and guess what the item is when choosing. If they're correct, they keep the prize.

Get the How-To: Halloween Party Game: Pumpkin Pickin'

From: Sam Henderson

Yard Yahtzee

Roll the (oversized) dice with a game of Yard Yahtzee. Follow the same rules as the original game but swap the small dice with a giant wooden set and use your grassy lawn as the designated playing area. This upgraded, oversized classic is just the addition needed for the next tailgate party, crawfish boil or wedding festivity.

Yoga Mat Bowling Alley

Unroll that old yoga mat sitting in the back of your car, and use it as the base for a backyard bowling alley. Cut up some colorful pool noodles and find a lightweight ball. Ta-da! The kiddos are ready to bowl for a victorious strike.

Get the How-To: Turn Pool Noodles Into a Backyard Bowling Alley for Kids

Pin the Nose on Rudolph

Put your art skills to the test with this Christmas twist on a classic party game. To craft your pin-the-nose-on-Rudolph game, all that's needed is a paint marker, black craft paper and a gift bow. To play, tape the reindeer face to a door and take turns wearing a blindfold while trying to pin the Christmas bow to Rudolph's nose.

Get the How-To + More Ideas: 3 Fun Christmas Game Ideas for the Family

Balloon Dart Art

Create long-lasting memories and one-of-a-kind wall art with this DIY balloon dart painting project. Lay down a tarp, then set up an easel with a large wrapped canvas. Fill partially inflated balloons with three to five paint colors, using a single shade per balloon, then secure them to the canvas with duct tape. Once all the balloons are in place, it's time to have fun! Throw pens (or darts if age-appropriate) to pop the balloons, and watchwith glee as the paint splatters across your canvas.

Water Word Find

Keep the kiddos entertained this summer with interactive pool games. For this game, label ping pong balls with each letter of the alphabet. Next, cut a short segment of a pool noodle in half lengthwise, and use a knife to shave off the rounded sides so they sit flat. Distribute the balls in the pool, and race to see who can spell a word on the noodle first.

Get the How-To + More Ideas: Get Your Pool Party Poppin' With These Dollar Store Pool Game DIYs

Tarp Toss Game

Put down the buffalo chicken dip and mid-morning cocktail, and put your throwing arm to the test. Our drop-cloth toss game takes less than an hour to make, reaffirming that this is DIY entertainment at its best. Be sure to incorporate your team colors around the cut-outs for optimal school spirit.

Get the How-To: How to Turn a Tarp Into a Fun Party Game

From: Brian Patrick Flynn

Bocce Ball

Bocce is a great way to spend time having fun with friends and family. This time-honored activity has been played for centuries in other parts of the world. In many countries, this game is taken quite seriously as a sport. Regulation size bocce courts are typically too large to fit most American backyards, so this scaled-down version is about one-third the regulation size — making it perfect for family fun.

Get the How-To: Build a Bocce Ball Court

Halloween Muscial Chairs

Musical chairs never disappoints. Set up for a round at your next gathering beginning with one seat per player arranged in a circle. Play music then stop at random so that players rush to the nearest empty seat. Remove a chair each round until there's only one player and one seat remaining.

See More Photos: 31 Fun Halloween Party Games for Kids and Adults

Backyard Hopscotch

Bring the playground home by creating homemade hopscotch out of stepping stones. This is a great way to keep children active. And who knows? The grown-ups might enjoy it as well. To recreate, simply position the stones in a traditional hopscotch pattern and use chalk to scribe colorful numbers on top.

See More Photos: 30 Outdoor Activities for Kids

Nautical Noodle Race

This is your chance to blow the competition out the water — literally. Create DIY boats out of just a few materials, then use a pool noodle to blow the assembled boats to the finish line.

Get the How-To + More Ideas: Get Your Pool Party Poppin' With These Dollar Store Pool Game DIYs

Washer Toss

Create the perfect tailgating activity with this cute and quick washer toss game. You can just make one or have two going with teams on each end. Keep track of how many washers land in the pipe. Whoever gets the most wins.

Get the How-To: How to Make a Fun and Easy Washer Toss Game

Pumpkin Tic-Tac-Toe

Classic tic-tac-toe — but make it fall. Our simple DIY pumpkin tic-tac-toe game checks out. Recreate at home with a nine-square grid outlined with festive duct tape (or sidewalk chalk) and a collection of mini orange and white pumpkins to represent each player.

Get the How-To + More Ideas: 3 DIY Pumpkin-Themed Yard Games for Fall Fun

Backyard Tetherball

Bring the fun of the schoolyard into your backyard with a tetherball court. Made inexpensively from an upcycled tire and a metal pole, this tetherball game can be rolled around the yard to play in the sun or shade.

Get the How-To: How to Make a Backyard Tetherball Set

Sponge Ball Bucket Toss Game

Make a splash with this outdoor water game. Cut multi-colored sponges into strips and secure them into a ball shape using twine or zip ties. From there, soak them in water and take aim. Compete to see who gets the most sponge balls into the bucket.

See More Photos: Summer Backyard Water Games for Kids

Scavenger Hunt

A backyard scavenger hunt is bound to make for a memorable afternoon. Follow our lead and create a hunt that involves objects and tasks that reflect the theme of the season or event.

Spider Web Toss

Conjure up some creepy-crawly fun with this festive spider web toss game. Recreate the eerily adorable spider web target with a hula hoop as the base and masking tape as the weave. Hang a set of two or three webs from a tree in your backyard. Provide white eggs (i.e. cotton balls) for the kiddos to toss and have them compete to see who can land the most on the web to win.

See More Photos: 31 Fun Halloween Party Games for Kids and Adults

Custom Obstacle Course

Your kids will jump with joy at the chance to create and compete in unique challenges faced in their very own custom obstacle course. Use pool noodles and dowels to position domes to crawl under, noodle circles to test agility and end with a water run-and-slide to finish it out.

See More Photos: Summer Backyard Water Games for Kids

Oversized Chessboard Patio

Usher in major whimsical-garden vibes into your outdoor space by building an oversized chessboard patio. Use concrete and sod to strategically create a checker design for a playful patio that appears chic with or without the giant chess pieces.

Halloween Pumpkin Bucket Toss Game

Pumpkin pong is the family-friendly take on the not-so-family-friendly pong you used to play at college tailgates. Set up each player with 10 festive candy buckets in the shape of a triangle. Brush up on the pumpkin pong rules and get the full breakdown on materials in the link below.

Get the How-To + More Ideas: 3 DIY Pumpkin-Themed Yard Games for Fall Fun

Soccer Noodle Domes

Get the kids kicking around the backyard for hours with easy-to-make DIY soccer domes. Rainbow-colored pool noodles and dowels are all that’s necessary to create this fun-filled soccer paradise.

See More Photos: 10 Ways to Turn Pool Noodles Into Almost-Free Backyard Kids' Games

Bobbing for Apples

Set up bobbing for apples at your next bonfire gathering and prepare for laughs aplenty. Keep it healthy and germ-free by supplying each guest with a bucket and apples of their own. Make it a competition by setting a timer and see who can retrieve the most apples before the time runs out. The winner (and the loser) is rewarded with a tasty fireside treat.

See More Photos: Our 50 Favorite Fall Activities

DIY Water Blob

Can't make it to the beach? You'll hardly miss the sand with this endlessly entertaining DIY in your backyard. This water blob is much easier to make than you expect and is guaranteed to keep kids of all ages laughing all day. Get started with some plastic sheeting, parchment paper, sponges and blue food coloring.

Get the How-To: The Easy-to-Make Backyard Water Blob You Never Knew You Wanted

Ladder Golf

The object of ladder gold is to wrap a bolo (two tennis balls held together by a rope) around a rung, with each rung being assigned a certain number of points. For example, one point for the bottom rung, three points for the middle rung and five points for the top rung.

Kiddie Car Wash

Skip the lines and bring water park realness to your backyard with our DIY kiddie car wash project. Our step-by-step tutorial (linked below) will help you build a kiddie car wash complete with streamers, sponges and sprinkling water galore. Your kiddos and pets will have a blast while cooling off all summer long.

Get the How-To: Crank Up the Fun With a DIY Kiddie Car Wash

Giant Jenga

Giant Jenga is a staple at beer gardens and rooftop pubs, so why not bring that fun into your own outdoor party space? With this easy DIY take on the game, there's no need to haul heavy wood pieces since it's made from colorful gift wrap and spare shipping boxes.

Get the How-To: How to Make an Easy Lawn Jenga Set

Soakers + Squirts

Playing tag is exponentially more fun when it involves a sunny day and a pool noodle water soaker. These water soakers are perfect for free play in the backyard or used for an element of surprise in a home obstacle course.

See More Photos: Summer Backyard Water Games for Kids

Projector Games

Projectors are all the rage for outdoor movie nights, but why not think outside the box? Instead, use a projector to create an interactive, outdoor tech-gaming station. Press play and compete with friends and family on your go-to online games, all while soaking up some fresh air and sunshine.

Get the How-To: How to Make an Easy Outdoor Movie Screen from a Sheet

Hay Hops

There are very few things that will keep your energetic kiddos entertained as well as stacked hay bales in the backyard. They can climb, jump and crawl their way into exhaustion throughout fall and even reap the benefits of healthy exercise without realizing it.

Recycled Cardboard Scrabble

Don't break the bank to invest in an outdoor lawn game. Make one yourself with our almost-free, eco-friendly Scrabble game. Create your own with recycled cardboard boxes, vibrant paint and our step-by-step tutorial linked below.

Get the How-To: Scrabble-Inspired Lawn Game

Rope Pull

Rope pulls have been a source of laughter (and blisters) for centuries, and we see no reason to stop short now. Invest in a long rope and invite all ages to compete at your next backyard barbecue.

See More Photos: Backyard Barbecue Party Ideas for Your Next Cookout

Playful Water Pegboard

Impress the kiddos with this easy-to-assemble (and low-cost) water activity station. Parents will appreciate that the clever design keeps kids captivated, creative and cooled-off all day long. All you need are zip ties, duct tape, funnels, plastic buckets and colorful pool noodles to make a pegboard maze of your own.

See More Photos: 10 Ways to Turn Pool Noodles Into Almost-Free Backyard Kids' Games

Backyard Dominoes

Oversized yard dominoes are far more fun than regular pint-sized dominoes. Double the size, double the fun. Easily create your own oversized set with pieces of wood and white paint.

Soft Toss

Pool noodles, duct tape and dowels are all the makings necessary to whip up our two-minute DIY ring toss game. You'll love this toss because it takes zero time to make, offers your little one hours of fun and does both with little-to-no risk for injuries in the process.

See More Photos: 10 Ways to Turn Pool Noodles Into Almost-Free Backyard Kids' Games