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6 Backyard Games for Families Everyone Will Love

6 Backyard Games for Families Everyone Will Love

Summer is in full swing, and with the hours of sunshine, time off of school for the kids, and the amazing weather to boot, spending time outdoors with the family should be a priority for everyone. But anyone with kids knows that finding games for the whole family, especially backyard games that everyone will enjoy, is a challenge.

Understanding what makes truly great and engaging backyard games can help you make smarter decisions. Here at Caliber Games, we are dedicated to offering only the best backyard games that capture the essence of the play.

Here is a look at the six backyard games for families that everyone will love and some tips and advice on what to look for in an exceptional backyard game.

What To Look For In A Backyard Game? 

Backyard games for families Playing TowerBall Next To a Pool

Any family looking for the perfect game to play in their backyard should look for a few key things. 

  1. First, the game should be one that people of all ages can enjoy. 
  2. Second, it should encourage players to interact with each other in person rather than relying on technology. 
  3. Finally, it should be something that gets everyone up and moving, exploring active play.

Games meeting these criteria help families lead more active and balanced lives. They allow kids and adults to explore their imaginations, burn off energy, and bond with one another.

Everyone with a family has gone through this experience: You buy a brand new backyard game that you think the whole family will find awesome. But you finally take the fun out for a test drive and... it's a big disappointment.

Rather than letting those disappointments with other backyard games make you believe that there are no great backyard games, consider what elements make a good backyard game before playing.

Backyard Games Your Whole Family Will Love

Now that we have a stronger foundation for what makes an incredible backyard game, we're ready to go through our carefully curated list of the best backyard games that the whole family will love!

  1. Cornhole
  2. Bottle Bash
  3. Chippo
  4. HOKU
  5. Putterball
  6. TowerBall

Cornhole 

Backyard games for families Throwing a Bean Bag While Playing Cornhole

Cornhole is a backyard staple and has been for years and years. While you may be familiar with Cornhole, don't underestimate just how much fun it can be.

  1. The game starts with each team or player behind their respective game board. 
  2. Each board has one center hole players are trying to toss their bean bags into to score points. 
  3. Points are awarded at the end of a round for bags on the board (one point) and bags through the center hole (three points).

Traditionally, you would play to the first player or team to reach 21 points. It is also common to play blackjack so that you lose if you are over 21. This would mean you would lose if you were at a score of 20 and then score a bag through the center hole.

While the game is straightforward, the competition can get fun and fierce. Our Cornhole Boards Bundle is the classic Cornhole experience that includes boards, bags, tote, and zip-up carrying case for easy portability.; you can check out Cornhole here.

Bottle Bash

Backyard games for families Throwing a Frisbee While Playing Bottle Bash On The Beach

If you have a large backyard with plenty of space or live near a great open field or beach area, then Bottle Bash is the perfect backyard game for your family. Bottle Bash is unlike any other backyard game out there, and it is a blast!

  1. Start by setting up the two poles and having the teams or players stand behind their poles. 
  2. Place the bottles on top of the poles so that they are balanced. 
  3. The aim of the game is simple, throw the disc at the pole and bottle to knock the bottle and disc to the ground.

But it's not quite as simple as hitting your opponent's pole - the defensive team has the opportunity to catch the bottle and the disc to prevent them from reaching the ground. The offense scored points for the items that made it to the ground each round (two points for the bottle, one point for the disc)

This game is super fun, especially if you love frisbee. The best part is that Bottle Bash keeps you engaged on both the offensive and defensive sides of the game. Few other backyard games have this element, which is a great way to keep people engaged in play throughout the game.

Bottle Bash can be played indoors, but there has to be enough space for throwing the disc and catching the bottle safely and without any damageable items in place. Think more like a gym than a living room.

Chippo

Backyard games for families Playing Chippo On The Beach

Chippo is another golfing-based game that borrows elements of cornhole for an ultra-fun twist. Chippo is the perfect addition to your collection of backyard games if you already love Putterball.

Chippo comes with two turf and rubber putting mats, six high-density foam balls, and two Chippo boards, designed like cornhole boards but with a larger center hole and two additional smaller holes in the corners and covered in turf. 

As you can probably already guess, the game is like cornhole, except you chipped golf balls at your opponent's board rather than tossing bean bags.

Once again, Chippo is a brilliant game to add to your collection if you are looking for an easy and fun way to work on your short game. But whether you've ever played golf before or not, you'll find Chippo is a fun time.

The putting mats help prevent damage to your lawn and allow you to play indoors - but remember only to use the high-density foam balls inside!

HOKU

Backyard games for families HOKU Game Set

HOKU is a toss-based backyard game, taking inspiration from backyard classics while offering new variations and elements that make HOKU unique and fun for the whole family.

The concept behind HOKU is simple - 

  1. Place the rubber wood game board on your lawn.
  2. Players toss their stars starting from a spot decided by the first player, at least three paces away from the board.
  3. Players score one point for throwing the star that ends the round closest to the center of the board, and players are awarded three points for each start that achieves a HOKU - when the point of when one of your stars breaks the plane of the notches around the HOKU game board.
  4. At the end of each round, the player in the lead decides on a new throwing position (which can be anywhere in the playing space that the player desires) until one player reaches the predetermined score for winning. You can choose any goal number, but we recommend starting with 9 points.

HOKU is super fun, super easy to learn, and each game is unique, allowing you to play over and over again without getting bored. From kids to adults, HOKU’s difficulty is adjustable to provide a challenge for anyone playing while remaining fun. The convenient carrying case is easily portable to bring anywhere you go this summer.

Be careful when playing, however, that the throwing stars are made of wood and can cause injury or damage when thrown. You should only play in an area with enough playing space without damageable items and never throw the stars at another player or bystander.

PutterBall 

Backyard games for families PutterBall In The Street

To raise the next Phil Mickelson, you need to get the family started on their short game skills early. There are a few more fun and engaging ways to get some putting green practice and enjoy a bit of healthy competition than with Putterball!

PutterBall is a crossover between putting green and the game of pong, challenging you to sink all the holes on your opponent's side of the green as fast as possible to be crowned the winner. PutterBall manages to be fun for people of all skill levels and isn't just for golfers. It is just as fun for players who have never picked up a golf club!

The PutterBall bundle from Caliber Games comes with everything you need to play, including the high-density foam game board (ultra-durable), turf plugs for scoring a hole, two putters, and two PutterBall branded golf balls so that you can play straight out of the box. Plus, you get a premium carrying case to make transport easier.

Give Putterball a try, and you may just find your new go-to backyard game.

TowerBall 

Backyard games for families - TowerBall In a Grassy Field

Another Caliber Games original on our list is the toss-based backyard game that is changing the world of backyard gaming - TowerBall. While toss-based games have been a cornerstone for the backyard games world for a long time, many offerings on the market are simple, one-dimensional, and grow tiresome quickly - not so with TowerBall.

TowerBall puts toss games into a three-dimensional context, giving you the tools for the ultimate casual competition game. To provide this, TowerBall features a four-sided scoring Tower rather than a simple board or post - giving different targets, difficulties, and options for creativity to shine.

TowerBall is super easy to set up and break down and is so simple that children of all ages will be able to grasp the rules quickly. But don't be fooled - TowerBall provides challenges you constantly have to adjust for, making it difficult to truly master.

There are three different ways to play TowerBall; you can view the game guide for TowerBall for many different ways to play. 

The tower panels and other equipment are all completely weatherproof - letting you play come rain or shine or even in the pool. Plus, the soft, hackey-style balls are safe enough to play indoors!

You have to try TowerBall to believe just how fun it can be! You can get the TowerBall Bundle with free shipping at our games section.

Backyard Games Your Whole Family Will Love: Takeaways

There is no better time than right now, at the beginning of the summer, to expand your arsenal of backyard games. But as we all know, not every backyard game is created equal.

We look for backyard games at Caliber Games that promote engaging and active play for people of all ages. The play state is beneficial for children and adults to unwind their minds, open their hearts, and keep their bodies busy. We also create our original games with this intention at our core.

If you want a great new backyard game to try with your family, look to our list above for options that everyone will enjoy. From TowerBall to HOKU and everything in between, we have something for everyone.

So go out there and get something new for the family to try. It will spark new memories and make your family fun, and it might become the new family favorite game. There's only one way to find out!

Sources:

The benefits of play for adults | Luminis Health

History of Cornhole: Is it a sport? | News Nebraska

Wait, Where Did Beer Pong Actually Come From? | Bar Games 101