13 DIY Backyard Party Games to Play Outdoors this Summer

Today, I’m sharing my favourite DIY backyard party games and outdoor party games to try this summer! Some of these are classic outdoor games, and a few I’ve invented. These will give you and your guests some fun activities to keep the party spirit high and the laughter and chatter flowing.

One thing I absolutely love about summer is hosting my friends and family outside. It’s so much fun to sit around the patio table or stand around the lawn in small groups with drinks, food and conversation, isn’t it?

But since you can’t eat the entire time you are together (believe me, I’ve tried), I’m sharing my favourite backyard party & outdoor party games to make your next family reunion, backyard bbq, or outdoor birthday parties a huge success!

And because it’s me, I’m also sharing some game-themed party decor that you can use to take your event to the next level. Let’s get started, shall we? 

DIY Backyard Party & Outdoor Party Games

Some of the best outdoor games are the ones you make yourself! I’ve got a few easy DIYS here that are simple to make and so much fun for little kids and grown adults alike. 

DIY Backyard Speed Scrabble 

My DIY Speed Scramble is one of my favourite backyard games because Scrabble is a popular game that most people know how to play already! Have you ever played Speed Scrabble? It’s like normal Scrabble but fast.

This is a great game for adults and older kids, although your little kiddos who can’t spell yet might still have fun with it. Best of all, this version has no board so it works great for the lawn.

Get my tutorial covering cutting, painting, and finishing your set of Speed Scrabble lawn version tiles, plus some basic rules for playing the game! 

DIY Chalkboard Corn Hole

I feel like there are a thousand tutorials for Corn Hole out there. Yet… my husband and most of my family at our barbecue had never heard of it! By the end of the day, a couple of them were asking if they could take my set home with them (haha, not happening!).

The object of the game is to throw bean bags through a hole in a piece of plywood. Does that sound boring? Add team competition and some friendly rivalry to the mix, and you will see how much fun it really is!

In this post, I’m sharing a full tools and material list as well as instructions for how to make this most simple of fun outdoor party games so that you can have your very own set! 

DIY Giant Jenga

Jenga is such a classic game with all the thrill of faster paced games (it could fall at any time!), but you can still carry on a relaxed conversation as you play. It’s also great for adults and kids of all ages to play together, which makes it a fun lawn game for an all-ages get-together. And it’s also really easy to make.

You are just creating a set of sealed wooden blocks that you cut, sand, and stain yourself. So it takes a bit of time but in the end it’s totally worth it.

I’m sharing my full tutorial and materials list so you can make a set of these giant Jenga blocks for your own backyard! 

DIY Giant Dominoes

Next in the DIY giant outdoor games series: dominoes! Before making these dominoes, my hubby and his brothers had never played an actual game (have you?). They had only played that game where you stand the dominoes up and make a long trail that collapses (also fun).

If you have never played “real” dominoes either, you can find the basic rules here, but there are 101 games to play with them. So these should never get old! Making and painting these domino pieces is easy, and I’m giving you a full tutorial here. 

DIY Giant Yahtzee

Are you digging the “giant” theme of the last few games? This one is no exception! We went really simple on this one. We just chopped a length of 4×4 into squares and then painted and sealed them to create giant dice!

You can either throw the dice by hand or shake them in a 5-gallon Home Depot bucket for a more authentic Yahtzee feel. This is a perfect game for people of all ages, since it’s really just about luck! Get all the instructions and materials list, plus tips on how to paint the dots on your dice, right here! 

DIY Wooden Ladder Ball 

I feel like by now, most people are at least a little bit familiar with the game of Ladder Ball, yes? You can buy plastic ones in the store, but they are a bit flimsy and I just don’t think they cut it, especially with a general party theme of DIY games! So I made my own sturdy Ladder Ball set out of wood.

It will shock you all that I chose white and black as my colour scheme, right? I even painted the outside of the frame with chalkboard paint for a built-in scoreboard. Learn how to turn wood, rope, and golf balls into a perfect outdoor party game for any occasion!

Round Chalkboard Scoreboard 

Now that we have a decent list of giant DIY games for you to choose from, it’s a good time to give you an idea for a DIY outdoor scoreboard to keep track of how each person is doing! For some people it isn’t fun unless you’re keeping score, so this idea is for all those people. 

I think the best part about this is that it gives a small child a way to participate in the harder games, and I have found that kids love to pick a side and cheer for their person to win! I wanted to do something that was more fun than a standard square chalkboard and really wanted to add a hand lettered element.

So when I was looking through the Dremel tools and spotted the Moto-Saw (a baby of a jig saw and a scroll saw), I knew exactly what I wanted to do. I love how this “Let’s Play” scoreboard turned out, and I can’t wait to show you how I did it! 

Bring the Pinata outdoors

I know pinatas are typically indoor birthday party activities… but they’re just as much fun outdoors. Even more, honestly. Hang it from a tree and really get to swinging! We did that at this fiesta themed baby shower and had a blast.

If you want to make your own pinata, you can see how we did that for a lego theme party right here.

DIY Printable Backyard Party & Outdoor Party Games

I love printable games! They allow a large number of people to play, and they are a great way to break the ice if you have a gathering of people who don’t know another well (yet!).

I especially love how you can customize classic games with a fun twist for any party theme. And because they don’t require a board and are often played by large groups, they are great to play outside too!

I’m sharing some ideas to show you that printable party games are some of the best outdoor games around!

Printable Baby Scattergories- Fiesta Style!

This game is a simplified version of the normal Scattergories game that I designed for a baby shower! The premise is simple: give your guests a card with category titles on it, set a timer for 4 minutes, and get everyone to write all the words they can think of that relate to each category before the timer goes off. 

Seeing the creative answers everyone pulls out under pressure is so much fun! My favourite of the night was definitely a tie between bootylicious and bodacious to describe the new mama.

You can customize Scattergories like this for any party theme really, or if you want this Fiesta Baby Scattergories design feel free to download it here!

Table Topics

Remember Table Topics? It’s basically a cube of conversation starter cards. I created my own DIY version for a date night in, but I also love to bring it out at family gatherings – someone always ends up flipping through and starting a conversation we never would have found on our own!

This game would be perfect for sitting around the fire with a group of friends in the evening. You just never know where these conversations will take you!

You can download and print your own Table Topics game here, and start having fun and interesting backyard conversations today! 

Talk Time! Free Printable Conversation Starters

Here is another version of the game I shared above! I created these floral table topics/conversation starters as part of my birthday dinner celebrations one year. I just love how they jump-start the conversation around the table, and I’m sure they would be a fun addition to your next backyard outdoor dinner party!

It’s not always easy to get people talking about something other than the weather right off the bat, and this set of conversation starter cards does just that. I made 36 of them, so download them today and don’t run out of things to talk about all night! 

DIY Decor for Backyard Parties

I’m assuming that if you’re here looking for suggestions for outdoor classic party game ideas for a group, you’re probably hosting a party! And when it comes to a party, I just can’t help myself when it comes to decor. 

Even outside, I think some small touches of decorations are a fun way to set that festive tone. So here are some ideas you can use to make your outdoor parties that much better! 

If you’re looking at hosting even a kids birthday party- I love to suggest taking it outside. It makes clean up feel so much less overwhelming, just like we did for this rainbow themed birthday party! We’ve done the same for adult birthday parties as well.

Basically any decoration you would use inside… can be used for outdoor parties as well. Here’s a few I love!

Secret Morse Code Party Garland

This DIY is a morse code party garland plus a hand lettered printable decoder, just for you! Yep, you heard me right! MORSE CODE! This means you can hide any secret message in your party decorations. How rad is that?!

And what could be more perfect for an outdoor party where games are involved? You can even make decoding the garland into a game all on its own! Give your guests their decoders and tell them to look for patterns.

One color is the dots, one color is the dashes, and one color is to distinctly separate the letters. This is such a fun thing to do, and it’s almost like a treasure hunt for the littles!

Get all the details about how to make your own secret message garland here. 

Giant DIY Tassels for a Donut Party

I’m sharing a how-to for my DIY giant party decor tassels because I think they are the perfect addition to any party! They’re big and fun and it just takes a few to make a rad party backdrop for very little time and money.

I used them for my donut-themed party, but you can make them different colors and use them for anything! And because they are big and bold and indestructible, they are perfect for decorating an outdoor table, archway, or fence. Wouldn’t they make a perfect cheery background for all your outdoor party games fun? 

More Classic Outdoor Backyard Party Games 

If you’re looking for even more classic games to play outside, you can always add a DIY factor to any of these favourites. You can DIY the prizes, the starting line, and of course, the background decor to keep the DIY backyard vibe going. Try adding one of these to your repertoire: 

Scavenger hunt:

This is an excellent game for all ages! You can either hide things around the yard and give a list of clues to your participants or have them search for naturally occurring items. Does anyone remember desperately trying to find a four-leaf clover to complete their list? 

My friend Cori made a fun printable version of a basic backyard scavenger hunt right here!

Hula hoops:

This game is almost too simple! Just provide your guests with a hula hoop each and see who can keep it going the longest. I guarantee there will be a lot of laughing till you cry with this one.

Water balloon toss:

All you need for this game is some water balloons, a partner, and clothes you don’t mind getting wet! Start out a couple of feet from each other and toss the balloon back and forth. Every time you toss it and it doesn’t break, take a step back. Eventually, someone is going to get soaked! And if it turns your yard into a giant water balloon fight, even better.

Potato sack race:

This game is especially popular with the younger kids. Line up on the starting line with your feet in a sack, then hop your way to the finish line and try not to fall over! Hint: Large pillow cases make great sacks for little kids!

And there you have it! A whole list of DIY Backyard Party & Outdoor Party Games to make your next event a memorable one! And if this list of good ideas wasn’t enough for you, why not read the book I literally wrote on DIY backyard games? Yes, I wrote a book!

Not only will it give you 13 DIY tutorials for games you can build yourself like the giant 4 in a row and memory games but it also contains a whole section dedicated to basic tools and materials that you will be using for any DIY projects. So it’s a valuable resource no matter what project you have planned! 

Like These Backyard party games? Pin it for later!

Don’t have time to take on making these backyard games right now? Pin this for later! Not only will you have it to come back to, but sharing this post on Pinterest or Facebook helps my site be found by new readers- thank you!

I hope you found something here to inspire you to create a fun backyard experience for your party guests! Have you tried any of these games before? What’s your favourite one? Let me know in the comments!