13 DIY Backyard Games and Play Structures

A Backyard Built for Playing Games

Give kids and guests a buffet of playtime options and your backyard could be the season's hottest destination. All it takes is games suited to all ages and abilities, a place where family and friends can gather to face off—whether it be for an innocent competition or a heated grudge match. In other words: If you build it, they will come.

We're not talking about staid badminton or weak-willed Wiffle ball. You need games of skill and strategy, games once played by warriors and kings—games like bocce, horseshoes, and croquet. To learn how you can create your own outdoor sport courts, see A Backyard Built for Games.

For how-tos to build your own Cornhole game, Ladder Golf set, outdoor fort, soccer goals, and many other yard games and play structures, keep reading.