DIY 4th of July Yard Games
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The 4th of July is one of the biggest holidays to really enjoy the outdoors with food & fun. Whether you’re celebrating at a campground, local park, or even your own backyard, yard games are a great way for all your friends & family to have some fun together.
Yard Twister
The best part about DIY yard twister is that you can add as many or as few dots as you like, creating the perfect-sized game for any number of players. Be sure to ask permission first before spray painting at a park or campground.
DIY Instructions:
You will need a box about the size of the circles you want, and a can of red, yellow, blue, and green spray paint. Or you can just go the patriotic way and get red, white, and blue. Cut a circle in the bottom of the box and use it as a stencil for the circles. A great tutorial on how to make the spinner can be found here.
1. Designate one player to be the referee. This person will be in charge of the spinner. Rules/How to Play:
2. Each player starts by spreading out from one another and standing with each of their feet on any two circles.
3. The referee will spin the spinner and call out the resulting action (the body part and the color that the arrow points to). For example, “Left foot, blue.”
4. Each player must then move his or her body part to a vacant circle accordingly, per the referee’s call.
5. If a player’s hand or foot is already on a circle of the called color, that player must move it to another circle of the same color.
6. There cannot be more than one hand or foot on any circle. First come, first serve. If two players try for the same circle, it is the referee’s job to decide who reached the circle first.
7. Players cannot remove their hands or feet from the circles unless they are instructed to do so by the referee. The only exception to this rule is if a player needs to lift a hand or foot to allow another hand or foot to pass by, but that player must announce this to the referee.
8. If all the circles of a color are already covered, the referee will re-spin.
9. Any player who falls or touches the ground with an elbow or knee is out of the game. The game ends when there is only one remaining player.
Life Size Jenga
This classic game for all ages has been revived in a large-scale form. The drama is more intense than ever as the teetering 2×4’s could topple at any wrong move.
DIY Instructions:
Buy and cut up 2x4s into 10.5 inch blocks, making a total of 54 blocks. Most lumber yards will cut these for free or for a small fee. Sand the edges to make the wood smoother and easier to slide. We don’t recommend staining or painting the blocks, as that may make them less easy to slide.
Rules/How to Play:
1. Set up the 54 blocks as an 18 story tower. Each story should have three blocks side-by-side, with each added story running perpendicular to the story below it. Set up on a sturdy, accessible picnic table or park table. (See picture)
2. Using only one hand at a time, take away one block from any story below the highest completed story and place that block on the top of the tower, perpendicular to the row below it.
3. Once a player has successfully removed his or her block and stacked it on top of the tower, he or she must wait ten seconds before moving on to the next player’s turn.
4. Each new story must be completed with three blocks aligned side-by-side before a new story can be started.
5. Players are allowed to tap blocks to test how loose they may be, but any moved blocks must be put back if the player decides to move a different block instead.
6. Players keep taking turns removing and stacking the blocks until someone topples the tower. The last player to have stacked a block without collapsing the tower wins!
What other yard games have you tried? Share your games and experiences in the comments below!