BBQ Fun: Backyard Games You Never Knew You Liked
With the hot weather firmly looking to be with us for the next 3 to 4 months, you’re going to want to have a family barbecue sooner or later.
And during the barbecue, you’re going to wonder, ‘isn’t there more to do than just drink beer and eat?’
Why yes, yes there is! Backyard barbecue games are some of the best fun you can have during spring and summer.
The weather is nice, the days are long and you can have really competitive games with the people you love.
But what are some backyard games which you have never heard about?
A Southern favorite
Cornhole is one of the simplest yet fun games to play when you’re out in the garden. It’s really easy to follow along.
Just put the bag of corn into the hole that’s on the board. You just have to calculate the distance and trajectory of your throws, that’s what makes it so fun. You can play 1v1 or in a team.
You each get around 4 bags and you have to get the most in the hole to beat the other team.
You can use blocking techniques to obscure the hole and throw your bags over the blockade.
Or you can rely on pure skill and just get the bags in the hole before any kind of defense can be mustered.
Cornhold boards are awesome because you can get some really cool customized variants.
These themed regulation cornhole boards are perfect examples of top-notch artwork and design.
You can choose flag designs, alcohol, and beach designs, as well as emergency rescue and NFL themes too.
You can even get military themes, great for a family that has a son or daughter in the armed forces.
Just be forewarned, it can get pretty feisty for such a simple game.
Fishing for marbles
You’ve heard of apple dunking or ‘bobbing for apples’, but have you heard of fishing for marbles?
If you have a small kiddie pool, fit it up with cold water. Then contestants are given a place to stand around the pool, and marbles are thrown into the pool.
The cold water will make it more difficult to grab the marbles with their toes, making it fun and hilarious.
Just make sure you have towels waiting at the side for them and a bucket of warm water for those that can’t feel their toes anymore.
The race begins. The first contestants to grab and retrieve 10 marbles wins the game.
They’ll be a lot of splashing and jostling for position so be ready to fill the pool back up after each round.
This game can be played by anyone and makes for fantastic family fun.
For a final tip, don’t throw in same-size marbles, mix it up a bit so those with large feet have to fight hard to grab the small marbles, and those with small feet, struggle to grip large marbles.
For an additional twist, throw some ice cubes into the pool mid-way through around.
Swimfin-feet bucket race
Give the contestants some swimfins to put on. They must then fill up a small bucket of cold water and place it on top of their heads.
They are only allowed to use one hand to hold it.
They must walk from one end of the garden to the other and fill up a large bucket, up to the line you have drawn.
This could take several trips and with the flippers on, it will make them waddle like a penguin and the challenge of not spilling the water almost impossible.
The contestants should also do this with just swimming trunks or a bikini on.
This way, the cold water will give them a surprise if they spill it, making the game hilarious and challenging.
Bean bag ladder
This one is so simple. Just stand a ladder about 10 feet away, and grab a few bean bags.
The bottom step is 10 points, the one above it is 15, the one above that is 20 and so on.
If you can land a bean bag and get it to stay on the step, you get the points when all bean bags from either opponent or team have been thrown.
However, all throws must be underarm and you can knock another bean bag off a step which makes it more fun.
Barbecue backyard games are so fun because they’re simple, anyone can join in, and yet they can get incredibly competitive.
Young and old can get together to face off in the arena and see who can score more points!
