Spring has been here for quite a while now and summer’s just around the corner. The smell of food cooking on the barbeque is in the air. It is an amazing time to be outdoors and bask in the sun!

This is a popular time of year for several school and community events, backyard birthday parties. Entertainment is a key element in making such outdoor events a huge success.

Providing games and other activities for both indoors and out will keep kids of all ages (even adults who are young at heart) entertained for any given outdoor event. It will all come down to the single most important element of every event—FUN!

Here are a few fun outdoor ideas and games for kids and kids at heart heading into the summer:

Bouncy Castles- these are great for people of any age. They come in different shapes, sizes and even themes. These bouncy castles are best enjoyed outdoors in a backyard with an electrical outlet close by. Bouncy castles are very easy to set-up as they inflate in minutes and provide endless hours of fun.

Carnival Themed Games- Create your own midway with a variety of games.

• Build your own ring toss using hula hoops and square boxes and give away prizes.
• Hi-Striker game- This is an old fashioned carnival favorite. See who can “ring the bell”. These come in both adult and children sizes.
• Fish Pond game- you can rent or create your own backdrop. Make two “fishing poles”. Bamboo works great with a string and clip on the end for a prize. Purchase small prizes to give away (the dollar stores are great for this).
• Toss games. Stack cans or bottles and see who can know them down. Or find a cream can or other solid container to throw soft balls into.
• Dunk Tank- This is carnival crowd pleaser. People will love to watch your “volunteers” get dunked and soaked in water!
• One On One basketball. This is another favorite. It is electronic with sound and a score board. Race to see who gets the most baskets.
• Cow Milking- challenge someone to a race to fill your milk bucket the fastest.
• Boom Blaster- race to blow up and pop your balloon the fastest

Frame Games for the Sports Enthusiast- These games are supported by a metal free-standing framework that can be used both indoors or out. They are great for older children and adults. Test your skills at:

• Frisbee- Toss a frisbee through various slots
• Golf- shoot velcro balls onto a backdrop
• Baseball- pitch balls through a target
• Hockey- shoot a puck through the goalies open spots
• Soccer-  kick a ball past the goalie into the net

Games for Younger Children:

• Parachute- large colorful parachute is great for outdoors or large indoor spaces.
• Duck pond- Ducks float around in a duck pond. Children pick one out to win a prize.
• Tub Games- Toss a bean bag to knock over trolls, hook a ring on an elephant’s trunk or put a ball into a gopher hole.

There are numerous other outdoor activities available. You can easily use the games you have at home and bring them to backyard or park on a nice day. Horseshoes, Bocce Ball, Croquet, Volleyball, Badminton, Frisbee, Baseball, Football, Tug O War, Potato Sack races, relay races or scavenger hunts are just some examples to name a few.

In the summer, fun outdoor activities are almost just limited by your imagination.

To complement all the fun outdoor activities you can have for the upcoming summer, you may want to consider some refreshment and snack ideas as well for all of your guests.

Stay tuned for our next article on refreshment and snack ideas to go along with these outdoor entertainment ideas