Backyard games for the whole family

As the warm weather (slowly) returns, we’re looking to our backyards and local parks for family fun. Here are the backyard games worth investing in as we head into spring and the school holidays.

Bocce

When it comes to simple backyard games, classic Bocce can’t be beaten – all you need is a Bocce set and you’re on your way! Lawn bowls lovers will love Bocce as the objective is similar: get your team’s balls closer to the pallino (the first ball put into play) than the other team’s or knock the other team’s balls further away. When all balls have been used, the closest team scores a point for each ball closer than the opposing team’s balls. The first team to 11 points wins.

Finska

If ball games aren’t your thing, you may want to invest in a Finska set. This game involves throwing a wooden block at a cluster of 12 wooden cylinders, which are marked with the numbers one to 12. If you knock over one cylinder, you score the number it is marked with – knock over more cylinders, however, and you score the number of cylinders you knocked over. The first to exactly 50 points wins, but if you score above 50, your score drops back to 25.

Kubb

You may only just be hearing about Kubb, but this Swedish game has been providing non-stop family fun for centuries. Best played on grass or gravel, Kubb involves setting up a small court – ideally 6x3m – with the king piece in the middle and five ‘kubb’ pieces evenly distributed along two opposite sides of the court. The game then proceeds through a series of phases, through which both teams throw their kubb pieces whilst trying not to knock over the king piece until the very last round.

Giant Jenga

It’s the Jenga you know and love, made bigger and better. Giant Jenga is the backyard-approved classic block tower game that is so much fun for the whole family, and perfect for school holidays. Like regular Jenga, the rules are simple: simply take out a block and place it on top of the tower, all without toppling it over. To take things up a notch, you could write fun dares or challenges on each block for players to complete before their turn is over.

Yardzee

Why restrict the fun of Yahtzee to a tabletop?! With a giant set of dice, made from wood, plastic or kid-friendly foam, you can recreate this classic family game in the backyard. But why stop at Yahtzee? With a go-to set of jumbo dice, you could also play other games like Zilch, Bar Dice or Bunco. We do recommend picking up a large bucket or tub to act as a giant cup for rolling multiple dice at once.