Obscure Yard Games You Should Be Playing

The best part of the warm weather, aside from grilling out, of course, are the various types of outdoor yard games you can enjoy with friends and family. Whether it’s a family reunion or you just want an excuse to get outside and soak up some sun for a few hours on the weekend, yard games are among some of the best ways to enjoy the warm weather. Even though Cornhole and Dizzy Bat are always fun to play, it’s time to expand your repertoire. There are hundreds of games to be played and we thought we would list a few of our favorites.

Kan Jam Belongs in Every Yard

You might have heard of Kan Jam before. Frisbees, trash cans, and slam dunks? Yep, that’s the one, but what is Kan Jam exactly? Well, it was originally created in Buffalo, New York, where it was called “garage can Frisbee.” You only need two people to play Kan Jam, but as the saying goes, “the more the merrier.”

Think of Kan Jam like you would Horseshoes and how you help “slap” your teammate’s horseshoe onto the stake. Kan Jam is a similarly collaborative game where one player throws a Frisbee towards a plastic bucket with a slot just big enough to fit said Frisbee and an open top (trash bins work best). As one teammate throws the Frisbee, it is the other teammate’s duty to either dunk the Frisbee into the top for three points, into the side for one point, and if the Frisbee goes in with no assistance it’s worth two points. If at any point, the Frisbee goes in the slot, that team instantly wins.

Kan Jam is easy enough to play that everyone can get involved. The game is ripe for trash talk and is tons of fun. Frisbees are tricky enough to throw on their own that mixing the right amount of yelling, smacking, and scrambling makes Kan Jam the game that should be played at all barbecues this summer.

Play Like Vikings

On paper, Kubb may not sound like the crowd favorite, but after reading about it you will see why it has so much appeal. Much like Kan Jam, Kubb can be played with only two people, but you should really play it with the maximum amount of 12 players. Similar to Bocce, Kubb can take anywhere from twenty minutes to two hours to play and if you aren’t taunting your opponent in some fashion, you aren’t playing right. What’s even better about Kubbs is that you do not have to keep score and knocking over the kubbs is quite satisfying. So, how do you play this yard game?

The Oldest Game in The Book

Molkky is a game that has been around for hundreds of years, but you have probably never heard of it. Molkky was a popular outdoor game that originated in Finland and is kind of like bowling and pool combined. The points-based game also only needs two people to play, but if you can get at least six people to play, the game moves at a pace that is much more fun. Molkky is fast to learn, tons of fun to play, it doesn’t require too much space in order to have a whole lot of fun.

Molkky involves 12 pins that are all numbered with their point value. Players stand 12-feet from the pins and attempt to knock them over by underhand throwing their baton at the pins. If a player knocks down one pin, they score the number on that pin (1-12). If a player knocks down multiple pins, they only score the number of pins that were knocked down. After each player throws, the pins are placed upright exactly where they fell, making the gameplay much more strategic as the game goes on. Players must get 50 points to win and what makes the game tricky is that each time you throw your baton and miss a pin, you get a strike. Three strikes and you’re out!

Molkky is fun because it involves a decent amount of strategy, not a whole lot of athleticism, and just the right amount of trash talk necessary to win. You can start to feel the tension rising as each player gets closer to 50. Players start needing specific pins to win and as the game forces pins in difficult positions, the difficulty also rises. Molkky is a great game for friends, family, or any size group of all ages.

Spice Up Your Summer with Yard Games

While Cornhole, badminton, or volleyball are the more conventional yard games you can expect to see at cookouts this summer, you have plenty of other options available. Kan Jam, Kubb, and Molkky are all games that are just as easy to learn and sometimes twice as fun to play. You don’t have to rely on the same old yard games this summer, spice things up with friends and family and don’t forget your trash talk. You’ll need it!

Here are a few ideas for different games if you want to utilize that sweet custom Cornhole board you have been dying to break out.