Cornhole

Cornhole is a classic game that is perfect for family reunions.

To play, you need two teams of two players each.

One player from each team stands at opposite ends of a rectangular board, which is filled with holes. Players take turns throwing beanbags at the other team’s board, trying to get them into the holes.

The team with the most points at the end of the game wins!

Horseshoes

Horseshoes is another classic game that is perfect for outdoor family reunions.

To play, you need two players and two horseshoes per player. Players take turns throwing their horseshoes at a metal stake in the ground, trying to get them to wrap around the stake.

The player with the most points at the end of the game wins!

Frisbee Golf

The game of frisbee golf takes place on a flat area in your backyard or a nearby field.

The object of the game is to hit different targets that vary in distance, and you get points for how close or far away they are from your throw – meaning this one’s not just about accuracy! You can also make the game more challenging by adding obstacles.

Use trees, playgrounds, or patio furniture to make things more interesting.

The player with the most points at the end of the game wins!

Sack Race

Sack races are a fun game where you race in a sack.

To play, you will need at least two people. Each person will step into their own sack, grab onto the top to hold it up and hop their way to the finish line without falling.

Do you only have two sacks, but a big group wants to participate?

Turn your race into a relay race!

Split your group into two teams, and have the first person from each team run the race.

Once they come back to the start line, they hop out of the sack and the next person gets in.

This process repeats until everyone on the team has a turn, and the first team to get through everybody first wins!

Ladder Golf

Ladder golf is a game that is similar to horseshoes.

You throw a bola, or two balls attached by a string, towards a ladder with three rungs.

The point of the game is to get to 21 points by having the bola wrap around the arms of the ladder.

Ladder golf is easy to set up and put away, which makes it a great option for a family reunion.

Giant Chess

Giant chess is exactly what it sounds like.

The pieces are life-sized, and the board is set up on the ground. You’ll have to walk on the chessboard to move each of the pieces, completely immersing you in the experience and getting you as close to playing “wizard chess” as you can safely get.

The rules of chess might be too advanced for some of the children at your family reunion, but giant checkers make a great alternative.

Giant Jenga

Jenga is another classic game that can be made into a giant version.

To do so, simply grab some 2x4s (or other sturdy lumber) and cut them into Jenga pieces.

You’ll need 54 total, and they should be about 10 inches long.

Set up the Jenga blocks on a table or the ground, and take turns pulling out a block and stacking it on top of the tower. The person who causes the tower to collapse loses the game and the laughs when those pieces come crashing down will bring joy to everyone at your family reunion, whether you’re playing Giant Jenga or just watching.

Yard Yahtzee

Yard Yahtzee is another large version of the classic dice game.

Players take turns rolling five dice and trying to score points by matching the numbers on the dice to combinations on the Yard Yahtzee scorecard.

Unlike the classic version that uses standard size dice in a small cup, the dice are the size of small shipping boxes, and you need a bucket to roll them.

Giant Connect Four

Giant Connect 4 is a game where you try to connect four pieces in a row on a tabletop, but giant connect 4 is the backyard version.

A vertical game board where you and a partner take turns dropping your pieces to try to get 4 pieces in a row horizontally, vertically, or diagonally.

Building your own giant connect 4 isn’t easy, because each column needs supports to keep the game pieces in a vertical position, and there needs to be holes in each column to see where the pieces are going to fall.

Luckily there are quite a few options on Amazon at quite a few price points.

Slip and Slide kickball

Slip and slide kickball is a glorious combination of both backyard games.

The game is set up just like kickball; there are two teams, 3 bases, and a home base, a soccer ball, and a pitcher…

Except in between each of the bases there is a slip and slide. This makes it a little harder to get to the bases if you try to run, but you can slide from one base to the other with enough momentum.

This game is tons of fun for kids and adults, but might not be great for grandpa who just had hip surgery.

He might enjoy watching as everyone falls and slides to each base..

Crossnet

This fun family reunion game is a cross between volleyball and four square. If you are familiar with the popular game 9 Square Crossnet is basically a more compact version of it. It’s a pretty quick set up all you need is level ground to set it up on. You will fit the poles together, attach the net, stake it in the ground and finally add your perimeter boundary line. The net makes 4 quadrants and a player stands in each space. The server serves to the person diagonal from them. That person then volleys the ball back to someone else.

The volleying continues until someone misses the ball or hits it out of bounds. Then that person is out and a new player comes in rotating through the 4 positions.

The goal being to try and get into the top server position and stay there as long as possible.

This is a fast paced game and you can have as many waiting in line to play as you would like. They will rotate in one at a time as someone else gets out.

The rotation goes quickly so your wait in line won’t be long.

The poles are also adjustable so you can lower it if younger kiddos are playing..

Water Balloon Toss

Whether you’re 5 or 50, water balloon toss is always a fun backyard game.

As partners step further away from each other, and the water balloon has to travel farther distances, the game becomes more and more fun until the balloon breaks.

If you still want water to splash, but you don’t want to pick up tiny pieces of broken water balloons, try a reusable water balloon instead!