Garden games for a party

A garden party lives or dies on whether someone thought about games before people arrived. Two hours of standing on a lawn is a long time.

Twenty below with rules, split by who's playing. Most need nothing more than a ball, some rope or a bag of balloons.

Children's garden games

• Egg and spoon race - hard-boiled eggs or new potatoes. Potatoes survive a whole afternoon.
• Sack race - old pillowcases work perfectly well and cost nothing.
• Three-legged race - pair children by height, use a scarf not a rope.
• Water balloon toss - pairs step back one pace after each successful catch. Ends wet, always.
• Duck duck goose - a circle on the grass and nothing else.
• Treasure hunt - clues around the garden, prize at the end. Write the clues the night before.
• Limbo - a broom handle and two willing adults.
• Parachute games - an old sheet with everyone holding an edge. Mushroom, cat and mouse, run-unders.

Adult and mixed-age games

• Rounders - the definitive British garden game. Four posts, a bat, a tennis ball.
• Boules or petanque - a set costs very little and lives in the shed for twenty years.
• Giant Jenga - blocks, patience and one person who takes it far too seriously.
• Swingball - the sound of a British summer.
• Kubb - Swedish lawn game with wooden blocks. Easy to learn, oddly gripping.
• Croquet - even a rough approximation on a lumpy lawn is funnier than the real thing.
• Tug of war - one rope, two teams, one marker. Warn people about hands.
• Welly wanging - throw a wellington boot for distance. Genuinely a competitive sport in parts of Yorkshire.
• Beer pong or a soft-drinks version - a trestle table and plastic cups.
• Garden Olympics - five events, scores kept, medals at the end. The best structure for a mixed-age party.

Running a garden Olympics

• Five events, ten minutes each: egg and spoon, welly wanging, boules, water balloon toss, tug of war finale.
• Mixed teams of four, named by the children. Team names take fifteen minutes and everyone enjoys it.
• Points: 5 for a win, 3 for second, 1 for taking part. Keep the score on a big sheet where people can see.
• Medal ceremony at the end with badges. A pin badge outlasts a chocolate medal by about twenty years.
• Announce a wet-weather plan out loud at the start. If it rains, everyone already knows what happens.

What to have ready

• Tennis balls, a bat, a rope, a bag of balloons and four cones cover about twelve of these games.
• Cones can be plant pots turned upside down. Nobody has ever complained.
• Have a shaded spot and water. Games stop working the moment people overheat.
• One adult as referee, openly biased, keeps the pace up and the disputes short.
• Bunting or a banner across the fence makes a garden look like a party for a couple of pounds.

Shop party supplies

Bits for the party

Banners, cake toppers and confetti that are actually in stock.

Cards for the occasion

Blank inside, designed in house, posted first class.

How to write it so it lands

• Hard-boiled eggs are optional; new potatoes survive an entire afternoon of dropping.
• Medals matter more than prizes. A badge with the date on the back gets kept.
• Decide the rain plan out loud before you start. It stops the party stalling if the weather turns.

Where to shop next

• Old fashioned party games
• Playground games we all played
• Classic British pub games
• Family card games
• Rainy day activities
• Garden games for a party
• Growing up in the 80s and 90s
• Nostalgic quiz questions
• Party supplies
• Work party ideas
• Celebration ideas
• Planning the party? Birthday party ideas
• How to make a balloon arch
• Photo booth prop ideas

Frequently asked questions

What are good garden games for a birthday party?

Rounders, an egg and spoon race, water balloon toss and a five-event garden Olympics cover children and adults at the same party.

What garden games work for mixed ages?

Boules, giant Jenga, welly wanging and the water balloon toss all work from about six years old to eighty.

How long should garden games last at a party?

About an hour in total - five events of ten minutes with breaks. Any longer and people drift towards the food.