Discover New Yard Games to Make Fun in the Sun a Success

When the weather is ideal and you find yourself itching to get outside, yard games are the perfect way to make great use of your day. Not only are outdoor games a great way to stimulate your mind, but they also offer you a chance to socialize with family and friends. But if you’ve participated in your fair share of cornhole competitions, we’re looking at you mid-westerners, and want to give something new a try, check out these yard games.

Yard Games for Your Outdoor Enjoyment

Perfect for Grill Outs or Camping

Kubb

It’s believed that this game (pronounced “koob”) has been around for centuries. Some estimate it has roots in Viking culture, but more recently appears to have claimed popularity in Sweden. Today the game is appearing on the lawns of Americans. Kubb requires a specialty set of wooden blocks set up on opposing sides of a pitch. In the center resides a piece called the “king.” 

Teams take turns knocking smaller blocks over on the opponent’s side until they are able to assume the other team’s pieces and finally knock down the king. Of course, there are rules for how to toss, where to stand, and which pieces can be claimed and how. While the concept is simple, the game can become tricky and fierce competition may ensue. You can find history on the game and a game guide here.

Rollors

This yard game combines some of the classic elements of bocce ball and lawn bowling. Individuals (or teams) roll wooden discs with point values on them towards a target. The team gets points for landing closest to the target. Scores increase when discs land on their sides or touch the target.

Games to Get the Grandkids Excited

Flickin’ Chicken

What doesn’t sound fun about tossing rubber chickens across the yard towards a bullseye? Hurl your designated rubber chicken towards a target in as few tosses as possible, much like golf. Each throw counts as a point with the winner at the end of all rounds being the player with the fewest. Young and old will get a laugh out of this one!

Scatter

This lawn game feels like a combination of bowling and pool and is simple enough for anyone to grasp quickly. Toss a wooden dowel at cylinders called “skittles” that have points on them to add to your score. You can use skill to gather more points by knocking higher valued skittles down and avoid toppling others. 

Anything Oversized

Why is it that anything shrunken down or enlarged beyond normal size is suddenly more fun? Giant versions of classic board games will get everyone excited and you won’t have to spend too much time explaining the rules. You’ll find super-sized versions of Connect4, Yahtzee and Jenga are becoming bbq staples. 

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