5 Unique Games You Can Play In Your Backyard

You don't have to go far to have fun!

With sunny skies and warm breezes, spring is the perfect time for outdoor family fun. You can go on a picnic, cool off at a water park, or build sandcastles at a nearby beach. You can also have plenty of fun without leaving home, as there are many games you can play in your backyard. Here are five great games and activities to get you started.

Kan Jam

Kan Jam is a backyard Frisbee game with a goal which makes it more like a beanbag toss or a game of horseshoes. Players divide up into teams of two and take turns trying to float a frisbee across the yard and into the basket-shaped goal. The twist is that teammates can work together on every toss. One player throws, while the other can try to redirect or tip the Frisbee into the goal. Different assists earn various points, and getting the Frisbee into the basket without help can win the game.

Ladder Ball

Instead of tossing a beanbag or a simple ball, people playing ladder ball attempt to throw bolas so that they wrap around the rungs of a special ladder-shaped goal. Bolas are shaped like two golf balls attached by a string. Players take turns swinging their bolas across the yard and earn points when they catch on the goal. The first player to reach 21 points wins the game.

Freeze tag

You don’t have to spend money on a new game to have fun in your backyard. Freeze tag is a great activity that puts on spin on the classic game of tag. When the person who is “it” tags someone, they have to stay frozen in place until someone else unfreezes them with another tap. Once someone is frozen three times, it becomes their turn to be “it.” The game also ends if the person who is “it” manages to freeze all of the other players.

Obstacle Course

Setting up an obstacle course in the backyard can be almost as much fun as racing to be the fastest to get through it after it is done. Let the whole family help set up the course with jumping ropes, hula hoops, lawn chairs, and other objects. Agree on what you need to do at each station, such as hopping through a row of hula hoops or jumping over some lawn chair cushions. Then use a stopwatch to see who can complete the course in the shortest amount of time.