When the sun's out, we all want to be in the garden having fun. Once you have children, that no longer means lounging with a glass of Pimm's, but instead engaging in more interactive, active, and adventurous pastimes - like enjoying the best garden games for kids.
There are loads of garden games for kids that the whole family can enjoy. You can transform your garden into an adventure playground to help them burn energy. Whether your kids are babies, toddlers or beyond, there are loads of outdoor games they can play. They don't have to cost the earth – you can make a children's garden space they'll love on any budget!
Garden games can be enjoyed whatever the weather or season wearing the right clothes - there's no such thing as bad weather when you have the appropriate clothing, after all! Make sure they stay out of the sun at the hottest part of the day - finding shade and always using sun cream and sun hats (for yourself as well as your babies). And if it's chilly, wrap up warm with coats and scarves, and don't forget the waterproofs for rainy days. But always embrace the weather, and teach your children to love all of the seasons.
Best garden games at a glance
Garden games: ideas for the family
Here are some of our favourite ideas for garden games you must play with your children:
Play Chef with a mud kitchen
Finding role-play games for your children is always a winner, and if you can incorporate those games with nature and the outdoors, the more’s the better. Invest in a mud kitchen and you’ll be guaranted hours of muddy fun in the garden. Play ‘Chef’ or ‘Dinner Party’ with your children; get them to pretend to be chef and waiter, and serve you mud pies decorated with pinecones, and mud cupcakes with flowers on top.
Best garden games mud kitchen
Image: Amazon
This is the ultimate mud kitchen, with all sorts of features included. There’s a hob, a plastic removable sink, shelves, a chalkboard, hob rings, and pans and a whisk are included, too. We love that there's plenty of space for your little one plus siblings or friends to get involved in the mud-making. This needs self-assembly, which reviewers say can take quite a while as there are so many parts involved.
| Size: | 96 x 43 x 108 cm |
| Made from: | Wood and plastic |
| Accessories: | Pots, whisk included |
Water balloon dodgeball
We know from our own childhood how much fun dodgeball is, but it might not be quite suitable for younger children just yet – so instead, make it more fun and messy by turning it into a water balloon dodgeball session. Buy a load of water balloons and fill them up for an afternoon of soaking wet fun for all the family. Mum and Dad might get a bit too competitive, be warned, but the kids will adore this exciting water game!
Best garden games water balloons
Image: AmazonIf you want a game of water balloons, you’ll need some, you guessed it - water balloons. This pack contains 555 self-sealing water balloons with a rapid-fill feature, allowing you to fill all 555 in just ten seconds. The balloons are biodegradable and the pipes are recyclable for guilt-free family fun!
Natural art
Go on a journey around the garden and pick loads of twigs, sticks, leaves, flowers, pinecones and anything else your little one can find, then stick them on to paper or card for some natural crafting and artwork. Invest in some decent PVA glue though – Pritt Stick just won’t work for this one. You can then turn the artwork into birthday cards for friends and family.
Best garden games sketchbook for nature art
Image: AmazonPlanning some nature artwork with the kids? You’ll need a good scrapbook to fill with leaves, flowers, and drawings. This one has 80 pages and good paper thickness for your little one to fill with earthy creations.
Scavenger hunt
Another fab game for little ones in the garden is a scavenger hunt. Write a list of things to find in the garden, like a leaf, a snail shell, a pink flower – you can even get them to draw pictures alongside the list – then arm them with a basket or little cloth bag, and let them roam around the garden finding all the goodies.
Best garden games scavenger hunt
Image: AmazonIf you need a hand thinking of what to scavenge for outside, this card game is ideal. There are 33 cards with nature-themed items to find – but not just ‘things’, also themes like ‘snap’ and ‘small’. The cards come in a handy little bag, and they’re great for in the garden or out on adventures.
Treasure hunt
Hide your little one’s toys, or little treats, around the garden and send them off on a treasure hunt. Make it as easy or hard as you want; it’s great for one child or loads of them.
Best garden games treasure hunt
Image: AmazonThese little treasure boxes contain adorable finger puppet animals and each lock with its own numbered key – and they're perfect for a treasure hunt in the garden! You get ten and could hide the keys and treasure chests separately for hours of fun. The game is suitable for kids aged 3+
Frisbee or catch
A quick and easy idea for a garden game that can last for ages, fun for everyone and you can do it with anything – a frisbee, a ball, a toy… Great for physical development as they learn to throw, catch, and run around.
Best garden games for frizbee or catch
Image: AmazonLittle ones will love to play catch with these animal-design foam balls. At six inches, they’re a good size for small hands, and you can choose from nine animals designs including a fox, lion, panda, and a turtle that looks more like a snake.
Bubble catching
It’s a universal fact that all babies and toddlers love bubbles (and adults too, we admit). So get yourself a bubble machine, or a big bubble wand, and play Chase The Bubble. Let your little ones chase those bubbles around and see if they can catch them.
Best garden games with bubbles
Image: AmazonSave yourself from blowing bubbles all day with an automatic bubble machine – this one comes with two bottles of bubble liquid. It claims to blow up to 500 bubbles per minute – that’s a lot of bubbles to chase!
Make a secret hideout
Grab a blanket, or even put up a tent and create a den in your garden.
Image: AmazonThis portable play tent is easy to fold away and pops up for play! We like that it can be used indoors or in the garden, you could even take it with you in the car to the beach or park. And the jungle theme is perfect for a secret hideout den in the wild...
More of the best gear for garden games:
We’ve shortlisted our favourite essential gear to step up garden games with your children:
Best garden games scooter
Image: micro-scooters.co.ukwww.micro-scooters.co.uk
Although not technically a game, the playtime opportunites with this are endless - think tag, races and more. Shortlisted back in 2017 for the best toddler toy in the Motheru0026Baby Awards, the Micro Scooters Mini Micro Deluxe is a must-have for any garden. As well as being able to wizz up and down the patio, this scooter is great for trips to the park, when visiting the grandparents and even on your next staycation.
Read our full and detailed Micro Scooters Mini Micro Deluxe review here.
Image: AmazonGet the whole family involved with this fun ladder toss game! Go head-to-head agaisnt the kids as you throw the brightly coloured bolas so that they wrap around the steps of the ladder - the higher the step, the more points up for grabs! The first player to score 21 points wins.
Image: Decathlon.comwww.decathlon.co.uk
For ages two to six, this baby gym balance kit is a great way to encourage your child to learn more about balance and improve their psychomotor development while enjoying the outdoors. Decathlon's product engineer Annabel, created the balance kit in collaboration with a physiotherapist after a series of tests, it was shown to improve little ones' balance.
How we test and choose recommended products
Our product recommendations are based on a combination of real-world testing from our burgeoning army of mum testers and the extensive knowledge of our experienced editorial team and product specialists. Where we can, we also consult experts who specialise in that field to ensure you get the right advice along with the right product, and we listen to what you say as well.
Our thriving mum community on our Facebook group #mumtribe consistently provides great insights into which products mums like best and why, helping us highlight the products that will meet your needs.
For essential products, our annual Mother&Baby Awards shortlist the top products tested. Full reviews from our mum testers can be found on our product pages. The winners and runners-up for each category will also appear in our top picks article for that product, along with other products that were rated highly by our team.
_Maria Martin is the Digital Group Editor Motherandbaby.com and Yours.co.uk, where she leads the editorial strategy and content direction, blending creativity with a deep understanding of digital media. As a mum-of-two, she’s passionate about empowering women and parents, drawing on her own experiences to create relatable, informative, and engaging content. From supporting breastfeeding mothers with expert advice to fostering honest conversations about mental health, her work is driven by a commitment to helping families thrive.
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