7 Back Yard Games for Your Teenager
As your teenager grows up, you may want to include backyard games in their time of fun. Here are seven backyard games that can be both fun and social events to help entertain your teens.
1. Horseshoes
Horseshoes is a game that you probably played when you were young. You may even remember practicing with your father or grandfather while they explained the rules and how to play.
Horseshoes are an excellent way for families to spend time together outside without having to compete against one another. It is also easy enough for anyone in the family to learn quickly and start playing right away regardless of age! If your teenager likes to show off their throwing abilities, then horseshoes are a must!
2. Wiffleball
Who does not love playing wiffleball? Well, okay…maybe nobody loves playing wiffleball…but it is still fun! The objective of this game is simple: score more points than the team you are playing against. Wiffle ball is a great backyard game for kid’s parties, team-building activities, family games at home, and more!
While you can use plastic whiffle balls in your backyard games, it might be worth looking into buying metal or rubber balls instead. These are less likely to break windows if they accidentally fly out of the yard, so you will not have to worry about playing this game inside.
3. Cornhole
Cornhole is a game that is similar to horseshoes in many ways but has exciting differences. Instead of tossing the corn bags, you try to get them to land on the raised platform (a hole). This game may involve more skill than horseshoes but also takes more strategy and planning factors into play!
Your teen will practice their aim when playing cornhole with family members in the backyard or whenever they are bored. It can be played with two people up to 8 players!
4. Frisbee Golf
Frisbee golf might sound like skeets mixed with frisbees, but there is nothing dangerous about this game at all! All you need is a few discs (aka frisbees), pencils, and some pens to mark the holes on the course. These materials are easy to find around your house or can be purchased cheaply for this game.
It is like regular golf, but you throw the discs instead of hitting them with clubs! This is another game where it does not matter whether your teen is young or old, as long as they are having fun!
5. Badminton
If you have a backyard, you have an area large enough to set up a badminton net! The object of the game is to hit the shuttlecock over the net and onto the ground on your opponent’s side of the court. You cannot hit it into the net or let it touch your feet because that will result in your point being deducted.
It is best if two players play against each other at first. However, four people can join forces as doubles partners. It is really easy for anyone to pick up badminton, especially kids because they do not need any kind of special equipment other than their bare hands (a racket would be optional)!
6. Kickball
Kickball is a backyard game that your teen can play with kids of all ages and backgrounds. As long as they know how to kick a ball, they will most likely be able to play along with the rest of the team!
Kickball teams can consist of 8 players at a time, but you can have more than one team if enough people make up a whole league. The most fun part about this game is having an adult cheer on one side versus another while they try their best not to get hit by the footballs.
It is no wonder why this is such a popular choice for family gatherings and kid’s parties!
7. Tetherball
Tetherball is a fun game that can be played alone or with another person (or multiple people if you want). If you have never seen tetherball before, it is basically like volleyball. Instead of hitting the ball over the net back and forth, players try to hit the ball onto the pole. The two competing players stand on either side of the pole, holding opposing ends of a rope attached to a yellow rubber ball.
As more players join in, teams are assigned so that each player has someone on their side. This helps even out the competition and quite nicely builds up your teen’s hand-eye coordination skills. Tetherball is a great way to get exercise too!
What can be better than spending an active afternoon outside with your teen? The wind will whip through their hair as you both compete for domination of that pole – it will be well worth all that effort! So what are you waiting for? Get outside and try out tetherball today!
Better Than Video Games
Teens and backyard games go together like peanut butter and jelly: they just seem to fit naturally. While these friendly get-togethers might seem innocent on the surface, backyard games can provide teens with a lot more than exercise and fun times.
Teens who get outside every once in a while and enjoy nature will be healthier in the long run, so why not give them something fun to do instead of having them play video games all day? These games are educational as well as fun so your teen can learn as they play.
Not only will they love these activities, but you will too! What better way to spend time with your family than by engaging in an activity that everyone is actively involved in? Now that you know about seven backyard games for your teenager, head outside today and try a few out!
The Importance of Backyard Games for Teens
There are several reasons backyard games are important for teens. Some of these include:
Allow Teens To Bond With Their Friends
One of the main reasons people enjoy playing backyard games is that they provide an outlet for socializing. Teens with few friends may find that playing backyard games is ideal for meeting new people and perhaps even turning their social lives around.
There is nothing like a little healthy competition and rough-and-tumble fun to bring friends closer together and develop lasting friendships. Playing backyard games with strangers may allow teens to break out of their shells and become more comfortable interacting with others.
Teens without many friends often have difficulty joining in group activities at school or making new friends, so giving them the chance to interact with other teens outside of school can be invaluable for helping them open up and become more comfortable around others.
Provides An Outlet For Competitiveness
Another reason that many people love playing backyard games is that it gives them an outlet for competitive urges and desires. Teens can use backyard games as an outlet for this competitive tendency and want to do well by creating tournaments between their friends and family members.
Whether it’s a friendly father-and-son competition or a tournament with larger stakes such as gift cards, teens will enjoy competing against those they know and love while also building closer relationships at the same time. The process of organizing tournaments may take some planning, but once they’re underway, these events are sure to be memorable for all involved.
Encourages An Active Lifestyle
Teens who live in physically active households are more likely to be physically active than teens whose parents can’t stand the thought of leaving their couch. With this in mind, it’s easy to see why so many families choose to play backyard games together.
Sometimes, kids just need a little incentive or an opportunity for physical activity to start playing outside again after school and on weekends. Playing backyard games isn’t just fun–it keeps them healthy too.
The Route To Self Discovery
The one thing that probably comes to mind when you think of teens is friends. And while hanging out with your friends is essential, it is not the only thing that is important for teenagers. Teens are on a journey of self-discovery and taking charge of their own lives.
They’re trying to learn who they are by figuring out what they like and don’t like. What they want in life, and how to define themselves through the things they love to do rather than just by what clique they belong to at school or who their family members are (whether biological or adopted).
Finding an activity that speaks out to teens can be challenging because most activities require money (going to the movies or bowling) or permission/supervision from parents (going to the skate park or playing paintball).
Backyard games do not require much supervision, but they also do not encourage teens to try something new. Sure, you can go outside and shoot hoops, but that’s boring if you’ve done it your whole life – at least now you have a basketball court in your basement!
But even with this option, there are still sports like baseball, football, racquetball, etc., where teens need access to equipment or people who know how to use it. That’s why backyard games are nice; you just need yourself and maybe some family members. It’s great for self-discovery and getting teens to do something different than what they usually do.
