DIY Backyard Olympics 🥇

With the 2020 Summer Olympic games postponed for the first time in decades, there is no need to miss out on the games completely this year. It’s time to make your own summer games! And the host of this year’s games? You and your backyard!  You may not be Michael Phelps, Simone Biles, or Usain Bolt but you definitely have a chance to win a backyard gold medal!  We’ve put together a list of a few fun, easy (and competitive) backyard games for players of all ages!

Let the games begin!

Water Balloon Toss

Grab a partner and get ready to concentrate!  All you need for this game is a pack of water balloons and a hose or sink tap.  Fill up the balloons with water and then split up into teams of two.  Each player lines up across from their partner and one player begins by holding the water balloon.  When the game begins, the player holding the water balloon tosses it to their partner across from them. If the partner catches the balloon, then both team members take a step backward.  If the player does not catch the balloon and the balloon breaks, then that team is out.  Each remaining team continues tossing the water balloon back and forth until there is just one team left to win the gold!

Cornhole Tournament

This simple game is sure to bring out the competitive spirit in all players!  To get started, you will need a cornhole set and an open area with four players at a time.  Split up into teams of 2, and each teammate stands on one side on the board, leaving each player standing on the same side as their competitor. To begin the game, each team gets assigned a bean bag color and all bean bags start on one side on the board.  One player begins by tossing the bean bag at the board and you alternate tossing from one side until each team has thrown all 3 bean bags.  The goal is to land the bean bag on the board or toss it through the hole at the top of the board!  After all bean bags are thrown by each team from one side, the opposite side takes their turn.  Any bean bag that lands on the board is worth one point and if the bean bag lands through the hole, that’s 3 points! The first one to 21 takes home the gold!

Potato Sack Race

Now, this is a throwback game! In the potato sack race, each player will need their own large burlap or potato sack to participate. There are also easy substitutes for a burlap sack like garbage bags, laundry bags, or even pillowcases. To start, all players must step both feet into their potato sack and pull the sack up waist-high. Create a reasonable distance from the starting point to the finish line for the players to race.  When the starting whistle blows, each participant must jump forward in the sack moving toward the finish line.  The first one to cross the finish line wins!  This game will definitely get a few laughs from the crowd as participants hop or fall over the finish line!

Tug of War

The age-old game of tug of war is perfect for backyard Olympics! There is only one item needed for this game, a rope. Split the players into two even teams and position them on either end of the rope.  Mark a spot on the ground as the middle.  The objective of tug of war is for one team to pull the other over the center mark on the ground.  As the game begins, each team starts pulling the rope in their direction as hard as they can.  A winner is crowned when a team fully pulls the competition over the middle spot and on to their side!

And remember, if you don’t take home the gold, silver, or bronze at this year’s backyard games, there’s always time to start training for the winter games!