A family tradition that lives in many patriotic Americans in celebration of our freedom to do so, hence ‘Independence Day’.
Over twenty-five games that you can enjoy during your fourth of July barbecue :
1. Pin the tail on the patriotic donkey (or elephant, it’s a preference call). Blindfold the child and give them ample space, I would hate to see him miss, safety first. As the child is handed a paper tail that sticks with tape, they guide themselves to the tree which the paper donkey or elephant hangs from. The closer the tail, the winner unveiled.
2. Egg or water balloon toss is interesting yet you may want to bring a pitcher of water and rags or possibly a hose if you try the egg toss game. Have the children stand across from each other as well as the adults. Have them toss their egg to the person across from them. The first person that drops the egg is out and those who continue to last at the end wins the prize. And with the water balloon, the one that does not break open and splash, wins. You will find prize ideas at the bottom of this article.
3. Card games can be enjoyed by the whole family. There is the simple ones such as fish and old maid for the young guppies of the family yet the variety grows for all other ages. Some favorites would be spades, poker (baseball, straight, five card, seven card, wild card and etc), war, spit, rummy, uno (with uno cards) and solitaire.
4. Quiet games are nice such as chess for anyone over 6 and checkers for anyone period. Toddlers do have a hard time pulling off most types of board game so start a child on checkers around the ages of 4 or 5.
5. Board games galore with ‘Life’, ‘Monopoly’, ‘Operation’, ‘Hungry Hippo’, ‘Trivial Pursuit’, ‘Yatzee’ , mini magnetic travel board games and all the other ones not listed. They are good for the silent players or those who just want to test their board game skills.
6. Pitching pennies can be fun for those who like to test their placement skills. For two or more people. You each toss a penny towards a wall and the one that gets it closer is given praise for being skillful. A tree can also be used as a wall.
7. Mud float racing is a messy way to have fun but on any rainy day, it can be a blast! For those who are in healthy shape, take a long float, the kind that you float in a pool with. Stand next to your competition with your raft at hand and run until you get to a certain point and slide on your float across the mud and whoever gets further, gets the prize. A hill may help the excitement yet safety first, be careful of where you may land.
8. Volleyball is never a let down yet it is smarter to sort the players by age and height.
9. Horseshoes are always on the schedule for the fourth of July. The base of the horseshoe post can come in many shapes. From a peg to a round sphere, horse shoes are not limited to just grass and dirt any longer. Team or no team, simply toss that horseshoe and get as close to the post as you possible can.
10. The slider games usually take a water slider that you can purchase at your local walmart stores. They are long and require a water source such as a hose. After watering down the flat surface, one runs and slides down its path. The slider is splashing fun on a hot July 4th and even though this is not a competition, it is still considered a game.
11. A singing game is a fun way to pass the time. ‘Name that Tune’ is a favorite where one person either says or sings the song in question. When a person guesses the song title, they then become the conductor of the game.
12. Baseball, basketball, football and soccer are great ways to spend an afternoon or evening during a fourth of July barbecue. Toss or kick a ball to a friend or form teams to play a game of any length.
13. Badminton is easy and fun as long as a person can hit it over the net. It can be fun for the shortcakes of the bunch by letting them hit the birdie up and let it land back on the top of the racket head.
14. Competitive races can be the talk of the barbecue. The potato sack race which is done by pillowcases if one can not find potato sacks can be full of created memories. Watch your loved ones and friends fall down in tangling legs while string connects them. They most likely will be the loudest laughing at that point. As long as these games are done within reason, they should be both fun and safe.
15. Skipping stones to see who can get across a water mass tests the skills of tossing weight in angle. The thrill of this game is to see who can skip the stones more and the only way this is done is to hold a flat stone sideways, toss across the waters top and watch it skip.
16. Frisbees are not only for the beach, they can be used in many places. If you have a family pet with you such as a dog, they sometimes like to play frisbee as well.
17. Stackers such as balancing games are becoming very popular with the simple use of plastic cups. A competition of skill as a stacker stacks as many cups they can without the tower falling down. The one who stacks the most, wins. You can get cups in basically any store and if you desire stacking board games your local stores should hold selections on the options of stacking games.
18. If you have a pool or lake area, you can have swimming races and the winner gets a prize. In a pool one can have the treasure hunts. After a child finds the coins that you tossed (away from the drains), they are one coin richer and satisfied with the find. This can be done for any age yet for the adults, placing a weight tied to a twelve pack in a plastic bag can become of interest to them once the bag is loosened and the cans spread around the bottom of the pool and it’s each diver for themselves. What a grand sight to watch as the adults scramble and to get a cold beer. Please drink responsibly.
19. One can create a competition when mixing art and game such as paper airplanes. You can see who comes up with the best plane that flies when it is tossed in the wind. This game does not have a prize since it does not seem to offer an even chance for each designer and with wind changes, the equal opportunity is unbalanced.
20. Bubble games can be created with just a flat well based plate to place bubble liquid into. Take a couple cheap hanger, gardening wire or any wire flexible enough to shape a circle with it at one end. Safety first, make sure that you use safety measures at all times. Once a circle is created that will fit in that flat well of the place, lay the circled wire into the bubble liquid and slowly bring it upward. It is then that you can make one huge bubble. The game is whoever creates the biggest bubble wins the prize. You may have to acquire a judge on this game.
21. Hopscotch, if you can find a surface that can fit this game layout. You create blocks, start with five, using sidewalk chalk and if you are at the beach, use your finger in the sand. Number each block from one to five with one being the closet, a person tosses a rock, penny, shell, etc. on the first number. They must skip over that number and onto the next. After they return, the next person tries. To understand the rules google ‘hopscotch’.
22. Jumping contests can be done anywhere there is enough room to jump. Everyone should jump from the same line or mark created where they stand. The one who jumps the farthest takes the prize.
23. You may laugh at this next one but in Jersey it’s a tradition. Donkey baseball is a great way to not only show off your fun at a barbecue but possibly gain tons of friends. If you can get a hold of a couple donkeys and create teams, you can actually play a softball game with the softest of balls (the safety of the donkey counts) and lots of excitement. Just as in baseball or softball a person is up to bat as another player is sitting on a donkey. Once the ball is hit, the player tries to get the donkey to go to first before they are called ‘out’. As far fetched as this sounds, it has been done and there is nothing funnier than watching your father lose a game due to a slow donkey.
24. One always has the classic outdoor/indoor games such as hide go seek, kick the can, four corners, tag and stop/go. There are always places to hide so it may be smart to draw a diameter in which the game should only be played. Kick the can should have limits drawn about the distance the can should be kicked. Four corners is safe and interesting while someone tries to pick the right corner. Tag is a hometown favorite that should also have limits on the locations one can run away to. Last, stop/go where someone stands a distance away and says ‘go’. At that moment everyone lined up behind a line walks fast and when the caller says ‘stop’, the walkers must stop in order to continue the game. The first one that gets to the other side wins the prize.
25. Watermelon roll is hilarious amongst the crowd as the competition try to roll a watermelon while the hands are tied behind the back. If the person frees the hands, they are disqualified. The watermelons have to reach the place that everyone agrees upon in order to win a prize.
26. Hanging on a tree is a container and in the container are unknown items to all except the one who filled it. Pinatas are fun for all ages as the person tries to knock and bust open the pinata with a stick or bat while being blindfolded. A suggestion of using a soft cushioned bat that you can find in your local stores down the toy isle. Upon breaking, it pours out candy, treats, mini fun toys and or tiny prizes.
27. Night games are fun and the ideas are endless. First, you will be playing these games in the dark. How can you play games in the dark? Easy, there are glow in the dark paints, washable and non-washable, that you can find in most craft stores such as Michaels and AC Moore. You paint the letters USA or any other design or word on the side of a football, soccer ball or another type of ball so that you can see it at night and play. Note : after painting the ball and it dries, place it in sunlight or near the light in your home. This will make it glow in the dark. It is well worth it and we use it for all our night time activities. Flashlight tag is another good night game. Simply tag them with the light.
28. A golf coarse makes golfing interesting and a quick game of practice for those who would like to try. Create a miniature golf coarse using the landscape, bushes, trees, shallow ways and other ideas that one could think of. After this, one can pull out those clubs and golf balls.
Prize Ideas :
Treats in a bag such as twistlers, peanuts or mini fruit roll-ups. You can also use toys that you can find in packs and bulk such as eight parachute soldiers and such. You can also find good prizes at the dollar stores that are located across America. Coins are always a favorite and you also could offer a gift card for five or ten dollars as a prize. Prizes should not drain a persons finances since the fourth of July barbecue sometimes is not cheap to pull together or complete. Have fun playing the games and a safe July 4th barbecue.
