10 Outdoor DIY Games You Should be Doing This Summer!

Temperatures are rising and the kids are out of school for the summer, this calls for some outdoor summertime fun! Unplug the Play Station, hide the iPhones and get outside! We have gathered the top 10 DIY outdoor games that your kids will enjoy so much you won’t be able to get them back in the house!

1. Lawn Scrabble

Who doesn’t love a game of old fashioned scrabble? This version has an awesome summer twist to it! All you need are cardboard squares and some markers, this life-sized oldie will be just as much fun creating and playing!

2. Twister

Lawn twister is as simple as grabbing a circle template and painting some circles on the lawn. You can even create various boards and have some friendly competition, or if you want to go all out, create a giant board and invite the neighbors over! Want to add a twist to twister? Turn the sprinklers on, see how that works out!

3. Beanbag Toss

*Flashback to the county carnival* Create fun and creative templates using plywood and paint, grab some bean bags and toss away!

4. Rock Dominoes

A terrific idea for a backyard BBQ! Find (or purchase) some smooth rocks and paint on them, now you have a fun and essentially free outdoor game that everyone will enjoy.

5. Giant Jenga

This game might require some handy man skills! You can purchase some 2 x 4 wooden boards to cut into forty- eight 10 ½ inch pieces, we do understand not everyone has that handy man ability, (my dad doesn’t) thankfully you can get the wood cut at your local lumber yard. Sand the edges to make the blocks easy to glide across each other. Lastly, paint the ends in a couple of different colors, now you have yourself a giant Jenga!

6. Sponge Water Bombs

What’s summer without some water fun? Water balloons can be a pain filling up and literally painful when they hit your bare chest (we’ve all been there). The worst part is probably finding and picking up the balloons from your lawn, we’re sure all the moms love that! With sponge water bombs, you can pick up some absorbent sponges at your local dollar store, cut them in shapes or strips and soak them in water. Bombs away!!!

7. Open Air Art

This is a great outdoor activity to get those creative juices flowing! You can pick up a large piece of plywood from a hardware store, sand until smooth and paint the board with chalk board paint. Pick up a bucket of chalk and draw away!

8. Pool Noodle Olympics

You can pick up a couple of pool noodles for less than a dollar at your local Walmart, Score! Tape them into different shapes and insert them into the ground using nails creating your own noodle obstacle course. This will have the kids occupied for hours, and will surely get them to bed early!

9. Balloon Dart Art

You can pick up a canvas board, paint and some balloons at your local arts and crafts store, add some squirts of paint in the balloons and inflate them. Nail or tape the balloons to the canvas board and start darting away!

10. Slip and Slide

This is our personal favorite! A roll of thick plastic sheeting, measuring about 6 feet wide and 50 feet long should suffice. The slide will work best on a slope, if you have a flat yard, try velcroing a couple of pool noodles around the edges for support. Add some baby soap all around the slide and turn the hose on! You can leave the hose on the edge with minimal water pressure or use a sprinkler for the water park effect. Just go easy on the soap, you wouldn’t want the kids to slide into the neighbors sliding too!

The Land Store offers properties with enough space for all of these fun summer time activities,  Visit our Property Page to check out where you can create your own play ground!