Easy Backyard Games: Bored No More!

About halfway through summer, kids can start to get restless. Rather than buy another movie, or send them to another water activity, teach them some new games that can be played right in their own backyard. Playing games is something that seems to be relegated to gym class or scout clubs. Surprise everyone with a new game and be ready to be crowned the Cool Mom. Make it official by offering cold drinks or frozen treats.

Backyard games

Squirrel Tag. It's all in the name. If squirrels are as common in your area as they are in mine, this game will be a hit with the little ones. Designate a squirrel catcher, leaving everyone else to be the squirrels. To start, all the squirrels hold on to a tree, note, a fence post or outdoor furniture works too if your yard is lacking trees. When the squirrel catcher announces, "Squirrel scramble!" all the squirrels have to leave their safe spot and scramble to another without getting tagged. Once tagged, the squirrel turns into the squirrel catcher and game resumes. Alternately, the game could be played by accumulating squirrel catchers until there is one lone squirrel standing.

Backyard obstacle course.
Obstacle courses can be made from nearly anything, anywhere. The backyard is full of great objects to use. Set up buckets to run around or jump over, have kids do an army-crawl under a picnic table or run a lap around the backyard. Large numbers placed on the different challenges will help keep the game moving in the right direction. Time each individual or set up two courses side by side to race.

Catch the Bunny. Love this game. You will need a small soft ball to represent the bunny, and a beach ball to represent the farmer. Set everyone up in a circle and start passing the bunny around from person to person. Once the bunny is in motion, add the beach ball going in the opposite direction. The farmer is trying to catch the rabbit. If a person is holding the bunny when the beach ball, or farmer, is passed to them they are out. Since everyone in my family is a huge fan of Phineas and Ferb, we've changed the bunny to a platypus and the farmer to Dr. Doofenshmirtz. If you do not have a small rubber ball, or a beach ball, use something else! Stuffed animals work just as well.

Pick a stick. A natural variation of the classic game, pick-up-sticks. You need a lot of sticks for this game, so if your backyard is treeless, you may have to wait to play in the wooded area at a later date. Start by collecting sticks of all different sizes and lengths. No need to hurry through this part, gather sticks that you like they will be the basis of the game. Once there are approximately twenty sticks hold them vertically and then let them fall to the ground so that they fan out and make a pile.

Take turns removing a stick from the pile without any other stick moving. If the player is successful, they get another turn. If any stick moves, the game moves to the next player. The winner is the one with the most sticks at the end of the game. Make it more difficult by making players use their non-dominate hand.

Now, pull out the Popsicles and accept your award for the coolest house on the block.

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