Getoutside with great outdoor games

By David Mellor

Published on April 15, 2020

5 min read

Rain or shine, round up your friends and family and challenge them to an outdoor game. Whether you’re looking for something for the summer BBQ, a picnic in the park, or a day out to the countryside — we’ve got you covered.

Here at OS we love being outside, and our selection of family-friendly garden and outdoor games helps you do just that. From garden skittles to a giant parachute, there’s something for all the family. We’ve recently added NEW outdoor games to help keep you busy (and outside!) for longer.

We challenged GetOutside Champions David Mellor (Potty Adventures) and Ross Toole (Dad Adventure Diaries) to try out two of our games with the kids, plus share their ideas for family outdoor fun below.SHOP THE OUTDOOR GAME RANGE

Badminton Set

The Potty Adventures crew were our trusted testers of the Badminton set. It’s quick and easy to set up, great for a quick game after school, or a mini-championship tournament on the weekend. Easy to use and fun for all the family whether you’re in your garden, the park or taking a trip to the beach.

BUY YOUR BADMINTON SET

Garden Croquet

The gang at Dad Adventure Diaries tried out the Junior Croquet set and had great fun in their back garden.

It was a new game for us but everyone enjoyed the challenge. It got very competitive!

You can easily adapt the Junior Croquet set to make it more achievable for little ones or more challenging for older kids and adults. What’s more, it’s perfect for small gardens if your outside space is limited.GET YOUR OWN JUNIOR CROQUET SET

Why not invent your own garden game!

There’s loads of weird and wonderful games to keep you entertained in your garden. Why not use your imagination and make up your own? GetOutside Champions David and Ross share their family favourites!

Crazy Garden Golf

Crazy Golf is great fun but, unfortunately, not many of us have a family set of putters in the garage. As such, why not play Crazy Bowls and inject a bit of fun and adventure into the sedate game of crown green bowls. Simply create a nine-hole adventure course in your garden using things you have lying around the house but, rather than needing putters, you aim to roll a ball towards each object in as few moves as possible.

Game credit: Potty Adventures

The Floor is Lava

The Floor is Lava is one of our favourite garden games. Create a ninja warrior style course around your garden using boxes, chairs, garden slides and swings, and aim to get around it without placing any of your body on the ground. If you have a paddling pool or sprinkler handy, you can even create a lake and water jet to navigate safely through too. If you’re a family of four or more, you could even do a blindfolded version in pairs. While you’re blindfolded and trying to slowly make your way over the course, your partner is shouting directions to you. Fastest team to finish without touching the floor is the winner.

Game credit: Potty Adventures

Hot Chocolate with a difference

One #GetOutsideInside activity to build hand-eye coordination is ‘Hot Chocolate’. All you need is a bat/tennis racquet/frying pan and something to balance on it such as a ball. One person turns their back and the challenger must creep up and try to reach them. Any time the person turns around the challenger must stop and stay still. If caught moving or if the object falls off the bat/racquet the challenger must return to the start and try again. As soon as the challenger reaches the person, they need to shout “Hot Chocolate”. This is a great simple game that the kids love because they do not want to get caught.

Game credit: Dad Adventure Diaries

Garden Obstacle Course

Another activity we have been doing a lot lately is inventing obstacle courses. We get the whole family involved in the building and designing of our courses. We love timing how long it takes to complete the course and then try to beat our own scores, Mum and Dad included! Again, you can make these as easy or as challenging as you want with anything you have lying around.

Game credit: Dad Adventure Diaries

Garden Festival

If you want entertaining over a longer period than just a few hours, why not consider getting your tent out and holding your very own garden festival, complete with music, games and entertainment? We did this over the Easter weekend, and it was a huge hit with the kids.

We created a line-up using playlists and streamed acts from real festival websites. The kids got tattoos, had their faces painted, played games and activities that you’d usually find in the kids’ area at major festivals, such as circus skills like juggling, hula hooping and tightrope (slackline) walking. It kept us entertained all weekend!

Game credit: Potty Adventures

Den Building

Den Building is a family favourite. During lockdown we have built dens both inside and outside the house. We’ve built them for sleepovers, to have picnic lunches and watch movies. Under the dining table with a blanket over the top will make a basic den. You can make them as simple or as elaborate as you like. My six-year-old likes to draw and design them first and then we try to re-create them.

In our back garden we use any materials that we can get our hands on, like old bits of wood, the slide, old painting sheets and tyres. This encourages lots of imaginative play. Often, we pretend we are on a pirate ship or a lookout tower!

Game credit: Dad Adventure Diaries

Head over to our online shop to get your hands on one of the awesome outdoor games to enjoy with your family.

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By David Mellor