5 Outdoor games for family fun

Celebrate the arrival of spring by getting the family together for some outdoor playtime!

Photo credit: The Party Dress

Set up the wickets, get out the mallets and gather the family for an afternoon game of croquet. Kids of all ages will be thrilled to whack the ball through the hoops and then do it all over again. If you feel like entertaining, invite some families over to join the fun at a Cocktails & Croquet party!

Photo credit: The Taylor House

Treasure hunts of any kind are always a hit with the kids — especially when there’s a prize at the end! Create a scavenger hunt that you can play in your own backyard by listing items that can be found in nature — for example, something fuzzy, something smooth, something blue, your name spelled out in sticks etc. If you have little ones who can’t yet read, use pictures instead of words or pair them up with an older sibling or parent.

Photo credit: The Playtime Press

Hula hoops, balls and a tunnel are all you need to set up an obstacle course that will provide plenty of challenging fun for the whole family. And if you don’t have these items, just improvise! You’ll be surprised at the obstacles you can create with chalk, laundry baskets, a jump rope or whatever you have lying around in your own backyard. Get more ideas here and here. Grab a timer and let kids try to beat their own record.

Photo credit: Mom Endeavors

Set up a miniature carnival including a bean bag toss, pin the tail on the donkey and the ever-popular ringtoss game. Buy a ringtoss game online or go the DIY route and customize your own. Just make sure Mom and Dad stand far enough away from the posts to give the kids a fighting chance!

Photo credit: Adore Your Place

If your kids can’t get enough of putt-putt, they’ll be thrilled to have a mini-golf course set up in their own yard! Dowels, construction paper and duct tape are all you’ll need for the flags, and you can use recycled coffee cans or plastic containers for the golf holes. A word of advice: Choose larger containers to make it easier for little kids to sink their putts!

More family fun

Games that older and younger siblings can play together
Big-game activities that will score with your child
7 Family fun ideas in the great outdoors