With summer quickly approaching its inevitable end, here are some lawn games that are a must-buy and a must-try at either the next family barbeque or even just the next sunny summer day.
This list not only contains games you should play on the next warm afternoon, but a few insights into their rules as well.
1. Cornhole
Set-Up
Cornhole has a very simple set-up with only a few pieces of equipment required. This game includes two cornhole boards (which can be made out of different materials, although wooden boards create the best experience) and eight bean bags.
When setting up the boards, if you have a family who takes lawn games very seriously, you should keep some distances in mind. According to the American Cornhole Association, the cornhole boards must be 27 feet from one another and the pitcher’s box (where you throw the beanbags from) must be a 4’ by 3’ area at each end of the board and on each side. Or if you want to make the game easier or just don’t want to go crazy with the rules, you can always create house rules — but that does create the risk of family feuds, so proceed with caution.
Rules
Cornhole is a game for two teams of two. One player from each team will stand opposite of the other. The game starts with players on one side taking turns throwing the eight bean bags and going back and forth trying to either place the beanbag in the hole or on the board, without stepping in front of their own board.
Scoring
Once all eight bags are thrown you count up the points by subtracting them from one another and whoever has leftover points gets them for that round. Getting the beanbag in the hole counts as three points while getting it on the board counts as one point; the ultimate goal is to get 21 points to win.
2. Kan Jam
Set-Up
Kan Jam is a game that consists of two Kans that have a circular opening at the top and a rectangular slot in the front middle as well as two frisbees. In order to set up the game, you will have to set up the two Kans with a 50-foot distance between them and place the two frisbees on one side. Again, if you want to make the game easier for younger players, you may decrease the distance between the Kans.
Rules
Kan Jam is a game for two teams of two people. Much like cornhole, the players who are on the same team will stand on opposite sides. One player will throw the frisbee toward the Kan on the other side while the player on that side attempts to hit the frisbee either inside of the circular hole in the Kan or into the Kan, so it touches it. This goes back and forth, and you will take turns being the one who throws and the one who deflects the frisbee.
Scoring
In Kan Jam the goal is to get to 21 points. This can be done by scoring in a couple of different ways. If a frisbee is thrown and tapped into the circular hole at the top, that is worth three points. If the frisbee is thrown and hits the Kan on its own, then that is two points. If the frisbee is thrown and tapped into the Kan, but not inside of it, then that is one point. And lastly, if the frisbee is thrown into the small slot on the front of the Kan, then that is an automatic win because of its difficulty and rarity.
3. Spikeball
Set-Up
This is the easy part. To set up Spikeball, all you have to do is pull the legs from underneath the short and netted “trampoline” to then place it on the ground and pick up the ball.
Rules
Spikeball is yet again, a game for two teams of two. All players besides the receiver must begin six feet away from the net. One player will start by “serving” the ball down toward the net to the other team who will then have three hits (much like a volleyball “bump, set and spike” situation) to get the ball back to the net. This will go back and forth until a team is unable to get the ball to the net in the proper way.
Scoring
In this game, you receive points based on the mistakes made by the other team. If the opposing team hits the rim of the Spikeball net, bounces the ball more than once on the net, allows the ball to hit the ground or hits the ball more than the allowed three times, then you receive a point. This game will go on until one team scores 21 points to win.
4. Outdoor Jenga
Set-Up
Outdoor Jenga consists of 54 oversized Jenga blocks that you have to stack by alternating rows of three. Once all the blocks have been set up, you should have a life-size Jenga tower in front of you.
Rules
Outdoor Jenga follows the same rules as its smaller version where players will take turns pulling out one of the blocks from the tower while attempting to avoid causing it to crash down.
Scoring
Although there is no score in Outdoor Jenga, there are still winners and a loser. Whoever pulls out a block and causes the tower to tumble is designated the game’s loser and those who were able to avoid causing the fall are the winners.
Of course, there are also many other outdoor games that are worth looking into such as Ladder Ball, Outdoor Connect Four and Bottle Bash, along with a multitude of others. The games listed above, however, are some of the top lawn games that families love to play to find their competitive side and stay active during the summer.
