3 GREAT Outdoor Games for the Family

If you are like us and have been stuck inside the house on a “Staycation 2020”, you are probably grinding out ways to stay occupied, have fun with your kids, and stay active. We have found 3 of the best outdoor games to play if you are stuck at home. With spring weather hitting all parts of the country, many of us are ready to get outside and have some fun in the fresh air. These 3 GREAT outdoor games will have your family getting some exercise outside, and I promise will lead to many laughs and good times. We love the outdoors and these are some of our favorite outdoor games.

PICKLEBALL

The first GREAT outdoor game and probably our favorite outdoor game is PickleBall. This is a game similar to tennis but on a little bit smaller court. You can play this 1 on 1 or 2 on 2. We prefer to play 2 on 2, but have played some pretty intense 1 on 1 games as well. This is a fun activity for all ages. The game is played on a court that is 20 feet by 44 feet divided in half by a net. This can be done in a driveway or any area that has a flat, hard surface. Games are played to 11 points and you can only score if you are serving. You use paddles that are in between the size of a ping pong paddle and tennis racket and a hard plastic ball that is similar to a wiffle ball. There are some unique rules that you can find at www.usapa.org One of the fun rules is there is a 7 foot zone that stretches along each side of the net called “the kitchen”. This is a zone that you can’t go into unless the ball bounces first. It makes for many challenging “Matrix” like poses as people try to stay out of the kitchen and of course the occasional argument over whether you stepped in it or not. What you will need is a net, 2-4 paddles, and balls. The PickleBall net that we use is the Premium PickleBall net by Pickle Gear. Most sets will come with wooden paddles, but we prefer these TQVAI Graphite Paddles. You get a two pack and they even come with 4 balls and a storage sleeve to protect the paddle when not in use. These paddles have a better feel when playing the game and I think will last a little longer. Here is a link for a good 12 pack of balls with a storage bag that is nice.

SPIKEBALL

The next GREAT outdoor game is a game called Spikeball. This was a product featured on Shark Tank awhile back. The game is typically played 2 on 2 and this is the format for tournaments (Yes, you heard me, there are actual tournaments you can enter). But we have created our own 1 on 1 game as well. The game is played on a small circular net that is placed in the center of your court. There are no boundaries so once the serve happens players can travel 360 degrees around the net in order to make the play. A small inflated ball is used and players serve the ball at the net. After it bounces the other team has up to 3 alternating contacts (Think volleyball) to return the ball to the net. Once it bounces on the net the next team has to return it and the rally continues until somebody misses bouncing the ball on the net. The game is played to 15 or 21 win by 2 and you can only score a point if you are the serving team. We have made a variation of the game for 1 on 1 play and allow each player to make up to 3 contacts to themselves before returning the ball to the net. This game is great for hand eye coordination and you can work up a sweat pretty fast. And there are a ton of other variations you can create for some added fun, for example you could add one bounce on the ground for each team, one teammate needs to be stationary, or everybody has to hop on one foot, etc…. This is great and you can play it in the yard, on the beach, and even in the water. There are a couple different versions of the set that you can get. We purchased the Spikeball Pro/Tournament Edition for 99.00 on Amazon. This is a little sturdier, has better balls, and will last longer than the other cheaper version. If you want to play in the water you have to also purchase the Spikeball Spikebuoy which comes with floats and anchors. I haven’t tried this but will be purchasing this when we get out to the lake this summer.

CROSSNET

The third GREAT outdoor game is called Crossnet. This is a game that is played over a net with boundaries in 4 quadrants. This game is basically the old school game called 4 square but instead played over a net. You use a volleyball or other light ball and the goal is to keep the ball out of your boundary and work your way up to the “King” position. If the ball hits in your quadrant or you make an error you are out and have to return to the back of the line to work your way up to the “King” position. The “King” is the only position that can score points. The “King” starts the point by serving (or throwing if you have younger kids playing) and the rally continues until an error is made. If the person in the “King” spot doesn’t lose they earn a point, the player that made the error moves to the back of the line, and everybody else moves up a square. You keep track of your individual points until somebody earns 11 points from the top spot. You can play this game with as few as 2 players or we have had as many as 15-20 players. And it is great for all ages to play. You can purchase Crossnet on Amazon.