26 outdoor and pool party games

Egg and spoon race

Players

2 to 12 at a time

Minutes

10

Ages

4 and up

You need

A spoon and an egg per player: hard-boiled, plastic, or a small potato

1. Players line up at the start with the egg on the spoon.
2. On go, they walk or run to the finish, holding only the spoon handle.
3. A dropped egg goes back on the spoon where it fell before the player moves on.
4. The first to cross the finish with the egg on the spoon wins.
5. For older players, hold the spoon handle in the teeth instead, one spoon per player.

Three-legged race

Players

2 to 8 pairs at a time

Minutes

10

Ages

6 and up

You need

A soft scarf or bandana per pair, and a flat, grassy course

1. Partners stand side by side and tie their inside ankles together loosely.
2. Pair children of a similar height.
3. Let pairs practice a few steps, calling out tied leg, outside leg.
4. On go, pairs race to the finish.
5. A pair who falls gets up and carries on.

Sack race

Players

2 to 8 at a time

Minutes

10

Ages

4 and up

You need

A burlap sack or an old pillowcase per player, and a short, grassy course

1. Players step into their sacks and hold the top edge at waist height.
2. On go, they hop to the finish line.
3. A player who falls gets up and keeps hopping.
4. The first to cross the line wins.

Red light, green light

Players

4 to 30

Minutes

10 to 15

Ages

4 and up

You need

An open space with a start line

1. One player is the light and stands at the far end, facing away.
2. When the light calls green light, everyone moves forward.
3. At red light, the light turns around and everyone must freeze.
4. Anyone caught moving goes back to the start.
5. The first to tag the light becomes the next light.

Capture the flag

Players

10 to 30, in two teams

Minutes

20 to 40

Ages

8 and up

You need

Two flags or bandanas, cones to mark a middle line and two jails, and a large yard or park

1. Split the space in half, with each team's flag at the back of its own half.
2. Players try to carry the other team's flag back to their own side.
3. A player tagged in the other team's half goes to that team's jail.
4. A teammate can free a jailed player by tagging them, and both walk back to their own side.
5. The first team to bring the other flag home wins.

Tug of war

Players

6 to 20, in two teams

Minutes

10

Ages

6 and up

You need

A thick rope, a bandana tied at its middle, and soft grass

1. Mark a center line on the ground and lay the rope so the bandana sits over it.
2. Make the two teams about equal in size and strength.
3. On go, both teams pull.
4. A team wins when the bandana crosses an agreed distance onto its side.
5. Hold the rope with hands only; never wrap it around a hand or body.

Backyard obstacle course

Players

2 to 20

Minutes

20 to 30

Ages

4 and up

You need

Things you already have: hoops, cones, a blanket to crawl under, a pool noodle to jump over, a ball and a bucket

1. Lay out 6 to 8 stations in a loop.
2. Walk the course once to show what to do at each station.
3. Players go one at a time while someone times them.
4. Let younger players skip a station or take a shortcut.
5. Run it again and let each player try to beat their own time.

Nature scavenger hunt

Players

2 to 20, alone or in teams

Minutes

20 to 30

Ages

4 and up

You need

A checklist and a pencil per team

1. List things to find: a round stone, a feather, something yellow, a leaf with jagged edges, a bird, a cloud shaped like an animal.
2. Set the edges of the play area.
3. Teams tick off each find by pointing to it, without picking plants or disturbing animals.
4. The team with the most finds when time is up wins.

Without a printer: Copy the list by hand onto a sheet for each team, or read each item aloud as the hunt goes on.

For this game: Printable scavenger hunt checklist

Summer bingo in the shade

Players

3 to 30

Minutes

15 to 20

Ages

5 and up

You need

A card per player, the call list, and pebbles or shells as counters

1. Gather in the shade for a break between active games.
2. The caller reads summer words in a random order: sand castle, ice pop, sprinkler run and the rest.
3. Players cover each called word with a pebble.
4. The first player with a full line calls bingo, and the caller checks it.

Without a printer: The caller reads the whole list first, and each player draws a 3 by 3 grid and writes in nine words.

For this game: Summer bingo cards

Flashlight tag

Players

5 to 20

Minutes

20

Ages

7 and up

You need

A flashlight, a base such as a tree, and a fenced yard checked for trip hazards in daylight

1. The seeker counts to 30 at base while everyone hides.
2. The seeker searches using the flashlight.
3. A player caught in the beam and named goes to base.
4. Hidden players may try to run back to base without being caught in the light.
5. The last player found becomes the next seeker.

Water balloon toss

Players

Pairs, any number

Minutes

10 to 15

Ages

5 and up

You need

A bucket of filled water balloons

1. Partners stand facing each other three steps apart, in two lines.
2. Each pair tosses its balloon back and forth.
3. After each catch, the catcher takes one step back.
4. A pair whose balloon bursts is out.
5. The last pair with a whole balloon wins; pick up every burst piece afterward.

Sponge relay

Players

2 teams of 3 or more

Minutes

10

Ages

4 and up

You need

Two large sponges, two full buckets of water, and two empty cups or small buckets

1. Each team lines up behind a full bucket, with an empty cup at the far end.
2. The first player soaks the sponge, runs to the cup and squeezes the water in.
3. They run back and hand the sponge to the next player.
4. The first team to fill its cup, or the fuller cup after three minutes, wins.

Duck, duck, splash

Players

6 to 20

Minutes

10 to 15

Ages

4 to 10

You need

A plastic cup and a bucket of water

1. Children sit in a circle while one walks around the outside with a cup of water.
2. The walker says drip over each head, with a tiny sprinkle.
3. On splash, they pour the cup over that player's head.
4. The splashed player chases the walker around the circle.
5. If the walker reaches the empty place first, the splashed player refills the cup and walks next.

Bean bag toss tournament

Players

4 to 16, in pairs

Minutes

30 to 60

Ages

8 and up

You need

Two bean bag toss boards or two buckets, 8 bean bags in two colors, and a bracket

1. Set the boards facing each other about 27 feet apart, front edge to front edge, and closer for children.
2. Each player throws four bags per turn, taking turns with the opponent.
3. A bag on the board scores 1 and a bag through the hole scores 3; each side's points cancel out the other's, and only the difference counts.
4. The first pair to reach 21 wins the match.
5. Write the pairs in the bracket and play until one pair is left.

Without a printer: Draw the bracket on a whiteboard or a piece of cardboard.

For this game: 8-team printable tournament bracket

Yard dice

Players

2 to 8

Minutes

30 to 45

Ages

8 and up

You need

Five large dice, or normal dice rolled in a bucket, and a five-dice score sheet

1. Write 13 categories on the sheet: ones to sixes (add those dice), three and four of a kind (add all dice), full house 25, small straight 30, large straight 40, five of a kind 50, and chance (add all dice).
2. On a turn, roll all five dice, keep any you like and reroll the rest, up to three rolls in all.
3. Write the result in one empty category, or a zero if nothing fits.
4. Play until every category is filled.
5. Add up the totals; the highest wins.

Without a printer: Rule a sheet of paper into 13 rows with a column for each player.

For this game: Printable five dice score sheets

Bocce

Players

2 to 8, alone or in pairs

Minutes

20 to 30

Ages

6 and up

You need

A small target ball and two to four larger balls per player or team, in different colors

1. One player throws the small target ball onto the lawn.
2. Players take turns rolling or tossing their balls to stop as close to it as possible.
3. When all balls are thrown, the side with the closest ball scores a point for each of its balls nearer than the other side's best.
4. The scoring side throws the target ball to start the next round.
5. The first side to 12 points wins.

Dizzy bat race

Players

2 teams of 3 or more

Minutes

10

Ages

12 and up

You need

Two plastic bats or pool noodles, and a soft, open lawn

1. Each player runs to a bat about 30 feet away, rests their forehead on the handle with the other end on the ground, and spins around it 10 times.
2. They then run, or wobble, back to tag the next teammate.
3. The first team with everyone back wins.
4. Keep a spotter by the bats and clear the lawn of anything to trip over.
5. Anyone who gets motion sick can be the spotter instead.

Blindfold obstacle guide

Players

Pairs, 4 to 20 players

Minutes

15

Ages

10 and up

You need

Blindfolds and soft obstacles such as cones, cushions and pool noodles

1. Scatter the obstacles across a patch of lawn.
2. One partner wears a blindfold; the other stands outside the course and guides with words only.
3. The walker crosses the course without touching an obstacle.
4. Each touch adds five seconds to the pair's time.
5. Send several pairs at once to make it louder and harder, then swap roles.

Marco Polo

Players

4 to 15

Minutes

15 to 20

Ages

6 and up, confident in water

You need

A pool, with an adult watching the water at all times

1. Agree the edges of the play area first, in water where every player can stand.
2. One player is Marco and keeps their eyes closed.
3. Marco calls Marco, and everyone else must answer Polo.
4. Marco follows the voices and tries to tag someone.
5. The tagged player becomes the next Marco.

Sharks and minnows

Players

6 to 20

Minutes

15 to 20

Ages

7 and up, confident swimmers

You need

A pool wide enough to cross, with an adult watching the water at all times

1. One player is the shark in the middle; the minnows line up along one side.
2. The shark calls: fishy, fishy, cross my ocean.
3. The minnows swim to the other side, and any minnow the shark tags becomes a shark too.
4. Keep crossing until one minnow is left.
5. That minnow is the first shark of the next game.

Treasure dive

Players

2 to 12

Minutes

10

Ages

5 and up

You need

Sinking dive toys or rings in several colors, and an adult watching the water

1. Toss the toys into water at a depth that suits the swimmers: standing depth for young children.
2. Give each color a point value.
3. On go, players dive or reach down to collect them.
4. Players count their points when the pool floor is clear.
5. Run a separate round in the shallow end for the youngest swimmers.

Beach ball relay

Players

2 teams of 3 or more

Minutes

10

Ages

6 and up

You need

Two beach balls and a pool where players can stand

1. Teams line up along one side of the shallow end.
2. The first player moves the beach ball across the pool without using their hands, pushing it with their head or by blowing.
3. At the far wall, they throw it back to the next teammate.
4. The first team to get every player across wins.

Cannonball splash contest

Players

3 to 15

Minutes

10 to 15

Ages

8 and up, strong swimmers

You need

The deep end of a pool where jumping is allowed, and judges on the side

1. Check the pool's rules and depth, and jump only where it is deep enough and allowed.
2. One player jumps at a time, and the next waits until the water is clear.
3. Judges hold up fingers from 1 to 10 for the size of the splash.
4. Add a round for the silliest jump.
5. The highest total after two rounds wins.

Floating ring toss

Players

2 to 10

Minutes

10

Ages

4 and up

You need

A floating target such as an inflatable ring or a pool noodle tied into a circle, and 5 rings

1. Float the target a few feet from the edge of the pool, or tie it in place.
2. Players stand on the side or in the water and toss five rings each.
3. A ring that lands inside the target scores 2, and one that touches it scores 1.
4. Move the target farther away for older players.

Fourth of July trivia

Players

4 to 40, in teams

Minutes

20 to 30

Ages

10 and up

You need

The question set, paper and pens

1. Gather teams at the picnic tables once the food is served.
2. Read one question at a time and give teams a minute to answer.
3. Each team writes one answer per question.
4. Reveal the answers at the end and add up the scores.
5. Time the last round to finish before dusk or the fireworks.

Without a printer: Read the questions from a phone; teams write on paper plates if nothing else is at hand.

For this game: Fourth of July trivia questions

Red, white and blue relay

Players

3 teams of 3 or more

Minutes

10

Ages

4 and up

You need

Red, white and blue items such as cups, balls and bandanas, and a bucket per team

1. Give each team a color and a bucket at the start line.
2. Scatter items of all three colors across the lawn.
3. One player at a time runs out, brings back one item in the team's color and tags the next runner.
4. When every item of its color is in its bucket, the team sits down to finish.