DIY Outdoor Games for Kids

Summer is almost here and it’s time to start thinking of ways to get the kids outside having fun. We love playing games as a family but it can get expensive buying a lot of outdoor games. I decided it would be fun to make our own DIY Outdoor Games so I headed to the store for the supplies. It was really easy finding everything I needed for a few fun games I knew the kids would enjoy. Heck, hubby and I loved playing them too.

Here are some of the DIY outdoor games we made for the whole family to enjoy. They would also be fun for a family reunion or Summer party. Most of the supplies were bought at the dollar store to save on cost. 

Large Tic Tac Toe – make the tic tac toe game using a plastic table cloth, duct tape, and 2 different colors of plastic plates. Cut the table cloth so it is square then measure and tape off the tic tac toe area in 9 equal squares. Cost- $4

Small kids can play it like regular tic tac toe, just on a larger scale. Older kids can play by tossing the plates like a Frisbee onto the square they want. They’re really having fun, I promise, I just snapped this photo at the wrong time to show that.

Pool Noodle Football Toss – you will need 5 pool noodles, duct tape, a football, and rebar from the hardware store. Form 3 of the noodles into rings and tape where they meet. Tape each ring individually then tape them together. Tape the end ring noodles to the long ones. Place the 2 rebar pieces in the ground then slide the noodles over each one. Cost – $9

You can give each hoop a different point system or just one point for each throw thru the hoop. We played it where you would get a point each time you tossed it thru.

Fly Swatter Badminton – you will need flower fly swatters and wiffle golf balls. Cost – $2

Play like regular badminton. We played over the football toss since it was already set up but a net would be even better.

Ins and Outs – you will need 8 balls (of different sizes) and rope. Cut 8 pieces of rope the size of a hula hoop then tie the ends together. Place the rope circles fairly far apart from each other. You will need a ball for each circle. Place 4 balls inside each circle and 4 balls outside each circle. You could also use hula hoops but the cost would be a little more. Cost – $2-8

This was our favorite game and it’s more fun the more people you have playing. You have 2 teams, one team is trying to get all the balls inside all the circles while the other team is trying to get all the balls outside all the circles. It is so fun and very fast paced.

Bucket Ball Toss – you will need 5 buckets, 3 soft balls, and sticky numbers. I used my vinyl cutter to make numbers for each bucket, you could also use sticky letters. Cost – $6

Line the buckets up starting with the smallest number closest to you. Each player gets 3 balls to toss and the player with the most points wins. Smaller kids can stand closer to the buckets with older kids starting farther away.

You can also make or purchase a Game Bag to carry all the supplies except for the football toss. I was able to make all 5 games for $23-29. It was inexpensive and easy to create all these games and my kids are having a blast playing with them. Now I’m trying to think of more games to make. What would you make using these supplies?

Pin it for Later: DIY Outdoor Games 

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