Back-yard BBQ Games

Serve your guests barbecue; don't forget to entertain them with games.

Make your backyard barbecue a party to be remembered by coming up with a few creative and entertaining games. Set up the traditional volleyball net, horseshoe set and potato sack races, and expand the game selection with silly activities that guests of all ages can enjoy. Most people forgo giving party favors at barbecues; however, you can photograph your laughing guests as they participate in the games and print the photos for guests to take home.

Silly Rings

Introduce your friends and family to the silly rings game at your next barbecue. All you need to do is write silly commands on garden stakes with a permanent marker or paint. For example, you could write "do chicken dance" or "sing silly song." Decorate the empty area on the stake with smiley faces, flowers, peace signs or other fun symbols. Place the stakes in the ground randomly around your lawn. Give players rings and instruct them to go around the lawn throwing their ring at the stakes. They must perform the action on the stake to move on. The first person to complete all the commands is the winner.

Tea Swing

Make ice tea for your guests and save the tea bags. Lay a broom down in your backyard and ask your guests to line up behind it. Hand each player a used tea bag. Tell them they are to use only their mouths to throw the tea bag. The person who throws the farthest bag wins.

Dangling Dog

Turn eating a hot dog into a game by covering it with barbecue sauce or ketchup and dangling it from a string. Then recruit your guests to eat the dangling dogs while holding their arms behind their back. Hang several hot dogs at time; when you yell "Go!" players begin to eat the swinging dog. The first person who eats his hot dog is the winner.

Egg Toss

Buy several dozen extra cartons of eggs while shopping for your barbecue party, so your guests can participate in an egg toss. Divide participants into two groups and line the groups up facing each other. One line will be catchers; the other line will toss the eggs. When you blow a whistle, one side will toss the raw eggs while the other tries to catch them. Everyone who succeeds will take a step away from each other and repeat the process. The team who catches the most eggs wins.

Soda Shoes

Put empty cases of soda to use by pretending they are giant shoes. Kids and adults can slip their feet into the "shoes" and race to the finish line. You can turn this game into a team relay by dividing participants into small groups. All players must run to a particular location and back to the starting point. The team whose players finish first wins

References

• Dayton Garden Labels: Wooden Stakes
• Youth Work Practice: Station Games
• Amazing Moms: Summer Fun--Backyard Play