10 Memorial Day Games You Can Play In Your Back Yard
Most people can safely expect to spend Memorial Day in social-distancing mode. That said, if you’re still looking to celebrate the holiday with family festivities, what better place to do it than in your very own backyard? For your at-home Memorial Day celebration, here are 10 game ideas that your family is sure to enjoy!
1. Lawn Twister
This backyard “twist” on the classic party game requires some supplies, but it’s super easy and is the perfect game for your backyard Memorial Day party! With some washable spray paint and circular stencils made from a recycled pizza box, spray paint a “Twister board” onto your lawn. All you need to do is eyeball the distance and voila! This is, of course, the ideal game for your more flexible family members, but family friendly competition never hurt anybody…or did it?
2. Giant Beer Pong
Giant beer pong is one of the most fun Memorial Day games you can play in your backyard. Replacing the traditional Solo cups or shot glasses with actual sized trash cans, grab some volley balls, basket balls, or traditional rubber balls and challenge your adult family members to the ultimate test of aim! This game provides some additional fun with the obligatory drinking portion, but if you’re including kids in your backyard bash, feel free to exclude that element of this classic party game.
3. Flashlight Tag
Although this game can only be played once it’s dark out, it’s one of the most fun games you can play in your backyard! Flashlight tag only requires a flashlight and some serious endurance, and definitely should be on your list of must play Memorial Day games. It might require some running around the neighborhood, but flashlight tag applies the same rules of regular tag and hide and go seek, only you use a flashlight to “tap” people instead of your hands. Come to think of it, this is also the perfect social-distancing-friendly party game as well!
Flashlight tag is more fun with more people, so gather all your party guests and lay out some rules. Making sure everyone is on the same page is key for this game, since every one always seems to have a different definition of “tagging” someone. Good luck!
4. Water Balloon Dodge Ball
If you’re looking to have some wet and wild fun in your backyard this Memorial Day, water balloon dodge ball is a super fun game that will bring out the athletic and competitive side of your family members! It’s the same thing as regular dodge ball, but with water balloons instead of regular dodge balls! Memorial Day games that can cool you off on a hot day are perfect for backyard fun, and this game definitely brings that. If you’ve got the space for it, just draw a line down the middle of your yard using spray paint and have fun with the challenge!
5. Outdoor Pictionary
If you have a big fence or garage, invest in a big board and some chalkboard paint, and then mount it up on the wall space of your choosing. There you go: your very own, life sized Pictionary board for one of the best Memorial Day games! Pictionary is a creative and fun game for the whole family, and the best part is that once you’ve made your board, it’s there forever! You can use it again and again, and not just at your backyard Memorial Day bash.
6. Corn Hole
No All American party would be complete without corn hole, one of the most fun (and unfortunately named) backyard games! Corn hole is pretty much an essential when it comes to Memorial Day games, and it’s super easy to set up. For an easy D.I.Y. corn hole set up, just cut a hole in two planks of plywood, mark it up with point values, and gather some bean bags. You and your team mate will stand at opposite planks and aim for the hole, giving you the highest point value! Corn hole can easily be turned into a drinking game, too, if you aren’t interested in playing a kid-friendly version.
7. Animal Race
This is a kid-friendly game, but if you’re looking to embarrass some of your older relatives who don’t normally show off their goofy side, look not further than to Animal Race this Memorial Day! Standing at one end of your backyard, someone calls out an animal and the word “go,” and everyone has to race to the other side of the yard in the same way that animal would! Bonus points if you mimic their noise!
8. Ring Toss
Similar to beer pong (but without the beer….or the pong…?), this is a game about aim. If you’re into Memorial Day games that are low maintenance but require a lot of strategy, this is the one for you! To set up ring toss in your back yard, you just need some plastic rings and an object you can toss them onto. American themed objects, like an American lawn flag, put the perfect festive twist on this versatile and endlessly fun backyard game!
9. Egg Race
Egg races might seem like an obvious pick for games to play at your backyard Easter party, but with some red, white, and blue paint, this game will take any Memorial Day celebration from drab to fab! With an egg balanced on a spoon, the first person to make it to the other side of the yard without dropping it wins. An egg race is a foolproof way to bring out the most competitive sparks in all of your family members, and will also prove who’s the most careful. Painting the eggs beforehand also presents an activity on its own, and although it’s not a competitive one, it’s something fun for your whole family to do!
10. Pie Eating Contest
Pie eating contest are also a universal game for any party, but will totally take your backyard Memorial Day celebration to the next level. Any dessert will do, so it’s just a question as to what your competitors are willing to eat! Pies are an American classic, though, and also messy, which means that they definitely make for a good (and humiliating!) photo op.
Assuming you bake the pie yourself, the decoration is a game in itself. Pie eating contests can double as a decorating competition, or even just a straight up bake off!
