No-Sew Bean Bags for Outdoor Games with Kids

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I always find that my nieces and nephews are more invested in an activity when they are involved in the creation process. We are always outside making up new games and adapting old ones, so I decided to take it to the next level and create some fun bean bags. These quick and easy No-Sew Bean Bags are perfect to make with the kiddos in just about 30 minutes and with limited supplies. Scroll all the way down to check out the games we created to play outside on the patio!

Fairfield World™ Summer Patio Party

I am excited to be hosting the Fairfield World™ Summer Patio Party with Laura of Me and my INKlings, plus a bunch of talented designer friends. We are all sharing our favorite DIY Patio Projects! Scroll down to see all of the fantastic projects!

No-Sew Bean Bags filled with Poly-Pellets® from Fairfield World™

This post, No-Sew Bean Bags for Patio Games with the Kids contains affiliate links. Using links to these sites means I will earn a percentage of the purchase at no extra cost to you.

Here's what you need to make Patio Games

For the No-Sew Bean Bags:

• Poly-Fil® Poly-Pellets® from Fairfield World™
• Kids Socks from Dollar Tree – two pairs for $1.25
• Measuring Cup – one cup
• Scissors – I love my Fiskars!

For the Bean Bag Yard Games:

• Hula Hoops, three – Dollar Tree
• Sand Buckets, three – Dollar Tree
• Water Bottles, six to ten – Dollar Tree
• Paper Plates, white – Dollar Tree
• Sidewalk Chalk – Dollar Tree

Here's how to create Bean Bags with the Kids:

STEP ONE

To begin the No-Sew Bean Bags, gather all supplies. After that, remove the packaging from the socks. Dollar Tree has a bunch of cute colors and patterns of crew socks that are two pairs for $1.25. SCORE! I purchased two packages of three different colors and ended up with 24 socks. TIP: This is also a great time to gather all the single socks from the laundry room.

STEP TWO

Turn the socks inside out and tie a knot in the toe of the sock. Pull tight to create a small knot, then turn the socks back right side out. This will give the socks a round bean bag shape instead of a sock shape.

STEP THREE

Open the easy pour spout on the Poly-Pellets® and fill a one-cup measuring cup. Stretch the sock opening over the measuring cup and then pour the Poly-Pellets® into the sock. Stretch the cuff of the sock around the measuring cup to prevent spills.

STEP FOUR

Tap the filled sock on the work surface to get the Poly-Pellets® to settle and form a ball shape. Tie a knot at the top of the sock and then work it down into a tight knot. I love how these pairs of socks were color-coordinated but did not match exactly.

STEP FIVE

To finish the No-Sew Bean Bags, I cut off the excess sock cuff to create a more compact bean bag for the kids the throw and use for patio games, however, you could leave the sock whole. After that, I repeated the process with the remaining pairs of socks.

The kiddos now have two dozen bean bags and all I used to make them was six pairs of socks from Dollar Tree and my go-to Poly-Fil® Poly-Pellets® from Fairfield World™. The great thing about bean bags is there are countless things they can be used for. We can easily pull them out and then head outside for some friendly family competition.

Creative Games for Kids with Bean Bags

Basic Toss: Either take turns tossing a bean bag to one another, or make it a little more interesting. Begin facing each other and with each successful catch, that person takes a step back. See which person can catch at the furthest distance.

Tic-Tac-Toe Toss: Use sidewalk chalk and draw a large tic-tac-toe board. Determine a throw line and then take turns tossing the bean bags to get three in a row. Be sure you have enough of the same color family for two players.

Paper Plate Targets: Grab 5 paper plates and give each one a different value. Place them at varying distances and then take turns tossing the bean bags to see who can get the most points. Each turn can include between one and three bean bag tosses.

Hula Hoops: Place three or more hula hoops in the yard at varying distances. Take turns tossing the bean bags in the hula hoops. Give each hoop a different point value and then see who can get the highest score.

More Patio Games to Play with the Kiddos:

Knock-Out Soup Cans: Use empty soup cans and stack them in a pyramid, either on the ground or on a table. Toss bean bags at the pyramid to see who can knock all of them over. You can also assign each can a point value and then add up the scores.

Buckets: Place three to six sand buckets in different places. Various sizes are fine and then take turns tossing the bean bags in the buckets. Give each bucket a different point value and see who can get the highest score.

Toss at Water Bottles: Fill three, six, or even ten empty water bottles up about ¼ full and then set them up in a triangle formation like bowling pins. This can be set up on the ground or on a table. Toss the bean bags to try to knock all the bottles over.

Bullseye: Use sidewalk chalk and draw a large bullseye target. If desired, give each section/circle a value and then see who can get the most points or who can land in the middle of the target the most.

More DIY Patio Party Ideas and Projects

• Laura from Me and my INKlings created a reading nook for her patio with pallets
• Katie from A Sweet Berry shares a cute and comfy patio reading nook
• Super comfy DIY Ottoman Pouf from Alicia at Sew What Alicia
• Washable pillow covers for the patio from Jenny at Jenny's Colorful Life
• Annie at Rocky Mountain Bliss created an entire patio party for Summer
• DIY State Pillow uses an iron-on created with the Cricut from Ginger at Ginger Snap Crafts
• Fun Summer Tie Dye Pillows can be found over at Shani's site Sunshine and Munchkins
• Laura with Laura's Crafty Life created an aqua outdoor ottoman pouf
• Natalie from Doodle Craft made a feels-like summer pillow with the Cricut
• Heather from Beginner Sewing Projects shares a super creative deck rail planter
• A tutorial for easy placemat pillows can be found at Julia's site The Quiet Grove

Outdoor Craft Activities Your Children Will Love

There are many benefits tied to both spending time outdoors and getting involved in arts and crafts, especially for young children.

For example, arts and craft-related activities help children to put their creativity to the test, while also learning how to express themselves. Being outdoors can yield similarly positive results, with a recent study finding that “kids who play outside are happier, better at paying attention and less anxious than kids who spend more time indoors.” It is also a great way to ensure they’re spending less time staring at a computer or TV screen.

As such, by combining the two activities together and participating in outdoor arts and crafts sessions, you can allow your children to experience the best of both worlds. Not only that, but it's much easier to clean up a mess outdoors than from your home! 

Read on to discover some outdoor craft activities that your children will love!

Top Tip: Give your garden a makeover before getting started. 

Before turning your garden into your very own arts and crafts space, you should first make sure that it's in good condition. This will make your garden a much nicer place to spend time in, while also ensuring you have enough space to conduct all kinds of (messy) activities, from painting to modeling. 

One way in which you can achieve this goal is by making sure that you buy all of the right gardening tools ahead of time, such as a battery lawn mower.

Outdoor craft activities your child will love. 

Create your own herb garden using tin cans. There are many benefits associated with setting up your own herb garden. For example, not only will it bring a little flavor to your home-cooked meals, but it will also help you to save money on groceries.

You can also turn this into a fun crafting opportunity by spending time crafting planters from tin cans. For example, your child could decorate the cans by painting them their favorite colors, or by drawing pictures of their favorite TV characters on them. If you already have planters set up throughout your garden, you could also use this as an opportunity to revamp them.

Paint some rocks. If your gardenscape currently features rocks and pebbles, then painting them is another great example of outdoor craft activities that your child will love. This is because it encourages them to put their creativity to the test as there’s no end to the different ways in which they can decorate their rock. It will also bring some much needed life and vibrancy to your garden.

In order to ensure that your artwork then stands the test of time, you should be sure to apply some kind of sealant or varnish over the finished product. Otherwise, you may find that they start to fade relatively quickly, especially if you live in an area where it rains fairly often.

Nature collages. If you’re looking for a relatively simple craft project for your children to get involved in, then creating nature collages from things they find in your garden is a great choice. You could also turn this into a valuable learning opportunity by having them also research facts about their findings, or turning it into something of a scavenger hunt. 

Build your own fairy cottage. If your child has an active imagination, and is always keeping an eye out for fairies, building a fairy cottage is the perfect crafting opportunity. They can be placed throughout different areas of your garden, meaning that any visiting fairy friends have a place to say. If you aren't sure where to get started in this regard, try repurposing an old birdhouse. You can turn this into a more magical space by applying a fresh coat of paint and varnish, alongside plenty of cottage accessories and glitter. However, it's always best to let your children take the lead! 

If fairies aren’t their thing, there are other options you could try out during this time. For example, you could set up a dinosaur den. Gnome’s home or even a superhero’s base. There are endless options to choose from.

Create jewellery out of flowers. Creating accessories and jewellery out of flowers is also a lot of fun. While you have plenty of options to choose from in this regard, the easiest flowers to use for this kind of purpose include daisies and dandelions. This is because they tend to have long, flexible stems. Make sure that they are paying attention when carrying out this task, and encourage them to be gentle. Otherwise, they may find that they ‘break’ the stems, which makes it much harder to make their own jewelry (and could end in a tantrum).

Draw on a bigger canvas. If your children love drawing and sketching, then you could keep things simple and buy chalk that they can use to draw along the driveway, pavement or even walls. While their hard work will fade over time (or whenever the rain falls), it's a great way to encourage them to let loose and get creative. You could also use this as an opportunity to show them some of the games you played as a child, such as hopscotch.

If you’d prefer to be able to keep the work they create, then set up a drawing, sketching or painting session outdoors. Remember, let them know it's okay to make as much mess as you need, as you can quickly clean this up if necessary. This often encourages them to be a little more ‘free’ when crafting, as they are not worried about the clean-up or getting in trouble, which could mean that the final results are much more impressive. 

Final thoughts. There are many benefits associated with crafting outdoors; especially when it comes to ensuring you’re keeping your kids outdoors and away from the screens. Fortunately, you have many options to choose from in this regard too, from making your own fairy cottages to painting and sketching. 

Do you have any outdoor craft ideas you’d like to share? Leave them in the comments below! 

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Too busy to make these No-Sew Dollar Tree Bean Bags for Outdoor Games with Kids right now? Pin it for later!  I'd love for you to pin this project to your favorite craft board on Pinterest and then it’ll be waiting for you when you’re ready.

I'd love to hear what you think about this project, or if you want to know more about Dollar Tree Crafts. If you've made your own Bean Bags and Yard Games, I would love to see your creations! Share them on Instagram, and Facebook, or leave a comment/photo on the project pin on Pinterest! #CreativelyBeth

Looking for more creative activities to do with the kiddos? Similarly, I have a TON of quick and easy crafts, plus a Library of FREE Printables. Just download, print, and then get the kiddos coloring in no time flat!

Thanks for stopping by!