Four fun outdoor game kits to keep in your car boot

But summer after summer, we drag out the same old games… cricket, footy, soccer, volleyball. Sure, they’re classics, but how about trying something a little different?

Whether you’re fiercely competitive or you just want to have a laugh, here are our top four unusual and unexpectedly enjoyable game kits that you may (or may not) be familiar with. They’re perfect to keep in your car boot for your next adventure to the park or beach.

Who would have thought chucking blocks of wood around could provide endless hours of entertainment? The Finns, of course. Mölkky is a simplified, less physically intense version of the traditional Finnish throwing game kyykkä, where large pins are thrown at an opponent’s skittles from a fair distance – requiring both strength and accuracy.

So how’s mölkky played? Well, it has 12 numbered skittles (bits of wood) that must be arranged in a specific order. Knock down the pins to score. Sounds easy, right? Not quite. Your aim is to be the first player to reach 50 points, which requires both strategy and skill. And when we say 50 points, we mean bang on 50 points – no more, no less. Score 51 and you’re sent straight back to 25. After each turn, reset the skittles upright in the same place they fell, so that as the game progresses they’re spread further apart, which makes each one easier to target. If you knock down a single skittle you earn the number of points written on it – but knock down multiple and they’re only worth a single point each. And beware: if you don’t make contact with any skittles for three turns in a row, you’re out

If lobbing projectiles at a target in a competitive manner sounds appealing, ladder golf could be your new fave game – although it might take a little while to get the ‘hang’ of it. If you want to see how tricky it can be, check out this clip of Martha Stewart giving it a shot (well, sort-of-but-not-really trying)

How do you play? Space your ladders about five metres apart. These serve as both your goal and your mark for taking shots. Your playing implements are weighted balls connected by a length of string. If you wanna get down with the correct terminology, call them ‘bolas’. You want to hit your mark on all three ladder rungs to ace this game – because you need to score exactly 21 points to win. The top rung is worth three points, the middle rung two and the lowest rung one. Get momentum by swinging your bolas back and forth like a pendulum, and then let ’em fly!

You can also play defensively/aggressively by attempting to knock your opponent’s bolas down. Be ruthless.

Yeah, bocce’s a competitive sport – but we’re gonna go with backyard rules here. While it’s usually played on a court with a synthetic turf surface that provides minimum bounce and maximum roll, the natural undulations of sand and the uneven surface of most backyard (and park) lawns add an exciting layer of unpredictability to the game. It’s a lot more difficult to bowl strategically when you can’t control your bocce! Btw, the lowdown on lingo: balls are ‘bocce’, and your jack is a ‘pallina’.

Bocce can be played with teams of one, two or four people. The aim is for one of your team’s bocce to be the closest to the pallina at the end of each round. Roll, toss or bounce your bocce any way you like, as long as it’s thrown underhand. You can also try to knock the other teams’ bocce out of the way, but at your own risk – it’s super easy to knock them closer to the pallina by mistake.

Teams don’t alternate shot for shot. Whoever has the closest ball is ‘in’, and (logically) this makes the other team ‘out’. The ‘out’ team must keep taking shots until their ball lands ‘in’. When both teams have played all their balls, the round (‘frame’) is over and the winning side is awarded a point. The first team to reach 16 points wins the match.

If you’re hardcore competitive and keen to learn all the rules, get off our grass. We’re here for a fun time, not the freakin’ Olympics. (Bocce’s not actually an Olympic sport, but it should be.)

Perfect for a lazy afternoon lawn sesh, croquet is most fun when played by between four and six soon-to-be frenemies. The winning side is the team that successfully gets both balls through a series of six hoops in the correct order, in both directions, and then hits the centre peg first.

Succeeding at croquet requires a LOT of skill, as there are many rules and mallet techniques to master. The rules are actually super complicated.

Want a ruthless demonstration of aggressive croquet strategy (and rivalry between teenage girls)? Look no further than the film that brought the game from the realm of British aristocracy into the pop-cultural psyche: Heathers. Bottom line is, you’ll love playing this game if you have a sadistic/misanthropic streak. Not. Competitive. At. All.

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