It’s summertime, and you know what that means. Family time! After a long winter of being cooped up indoors, it is finally time to get out there and enjoy the fresh air. And with summer comes plenty of outdoor games to play with your friends and family.
Experts say that outdoor recreation is an important part of everyone’s life. It reduces stress and helps you relax with friends or family members.
The following are some fun games you can play with your loved ones.
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1. Sticks and Stones
Source: steveryangames.com
This is a really simple game that you can set up in just about any yard. All players start by drawing three stones on the ground, two to be used as goals (one for each team), and one to use when defending your goal from taunting opponents.
The first player throws their die onto the ground and then rolls it towards the other two dice already lying there. Whichever number ends up closest to both of these will be awarded points based on how many times they touch them before rolling back over into safety.
If someone gets five or more touches on their opponent’s stone before this happens, they get an extra point! Players take turns throwing dice until somebody reaches a predetermined amount of points.   Â
2. Spoons
This is a really fun game to play with your family or friends on the porch. For this round, you’ll need an assortment of spoons to start playing! The player starts by sitting at one end of the table and drawing a line two inches from their side (going perpendicular).
Players then take turns rolling dice and moving along the board until they reach either another person’s spoon or get close enough that only one more roll will send them past it. Whoever gets all three spoons first wins!
If someone lands on both somebody else’s spoon and their own, whoever had theirs last has to return everything where it was. Scholarly articles show that such fun games help to ease stress.
3. Knots
Source: gambolthemes.net
Knots are a bit more complicated, but they can be done just about anywhere. All players start by drawing two lines on the ground in any direction and then dividing them into three sections with one rope line between each section.
The first player rolls their dice onto the table, counts how many spaces they get to move forward (based on what number shows up), and follows those instructions accordingly.
If an arrow is shown instead of a number, that means you have to follow that direction until you reach your endpoint or another player’s knot! If somebody gets five knots before hitting another person’s knot, they win.
4. Hopscotch
Hopscotch originated during the Roman empire in ancient Britain. This game is way more fun with a group, but it can be done solo as well. Players start by drawing two lines on the ground and then dividing them into ten sections. Based on how many sections there are in your yard or wherever you’re playing, make sure that they all add up to ten!
The first player throws their dice onto the table and begins hopping along with those squares until they get five squares away from one of the ends (or if somebody’s dice lands inside another person’s square before getting five spaces). Whoever gets exactly four hops per square first wins.
5. Cat and Mouse
In this game, players draw two lines on the ground in any direction before dividing them into four sections with one rope line between each. The first player throws their die onto (starting from behind the starting point) and then rolls it along to try to hit another person’s square.
If they do so, that other player becomes “it” for the next round! Players keep rolling dice until somebody finally gets caught by a mouse and is forced back towards the start–the last cat left standing wins!
6. Tic-Tac-Toe
The Tic-Tac-Toe can be played just about anywhere. All players get together on opposite ends of either a chalkboard or a piece of paper and take turns placing their marks in the spaces. Whoever gets three sets first (either horizontally, vertically, or diagonally) wins.
7. Shoot Balloons or Play Knock Three Times
Source: joshplusjeanette.com
As for this game, it’s up to the person who starts it to say what they want. If someone wants to “shoot balloons,” players alternate shooting at each other until one misses. For “Play knock three times,” all players stand in a circle and try to make contact on their turns by knocking shoulders or hands together when it’s their turn.
The goal is for everyone else, but the player is doing so to keep them from making that contact. Whoever wins becomes the next caller. If there are no winners, whoever has been trying without success the longest becomes the next caller.
8. Relay races
Relay races are easy to play and can also be fun. You can take turns or one person can run the same distance twice. It is a great way to get everyone involved and you could even make it into a competition.
Just set up special rules and naming points for different activities (i.e The person who comes first in the final lap gets three points. The person who crosses the finish line gets two points; and, everyone else will get one point).
9. Frisbee
Source: Care.com
If you have a frisbee, then this could become an instant favorite for everyone involved. You can also play other games with the frisbee besides catch such as making it glide across the ground or in the air.
This game is great because it will always be fun and enjoyable to just play, but there are also different things you can do with it.
These fun games to play in the yard are so interesting and rejuvenating. Just remember when playing outdoor games with family or friends- keep it lighthearted.
Jason Walker from GameQuarium puts it in a nutshell, that these games are easy enough for kids to play but will still be fun and challenging for adults. What are some of your favorite board games that you have played outside? Share your thoughts below.
