DIY A Fun Outdoor Entertaining Activity With This Budget-Friendly Dollar Tree Idea

Whether you're preparing your home to host summer parties or trying to find fun games to play outside with your friends, family, and children, this DIY is a simple and inexpensive way to entertain. Using 12 buckets from Dollar Tree and a few balls, you can make your own giant version of pong to play in your backyard. Depending on the size of the party you're hosting, purchase 24, 36, or 48 buckets for playing several yard pong games at a time. People of all ages will love it. Even though it is based on the classic college drinking game, giant yard pong is generally played with water or empty buckets to be enjoyed by anyone. 

You can simply set out the buckets in triangle formations and start playing. This DIY is super convenient to complete, and it only takes minutes to clean and put away. Once the party is over, save your activity supplies to use for the next one. Depending on how you want to play the game, you can choose from a variety of buckets and balls. Additionally, you may choose to decorate your buckets to match the style of your yard or make them look more like SOLO cups for an adult-themed party. Since most everything at Dollar Tree is just $1.25, this DIY is as budget-friendly as it is simple to set up. 

Dollar Tree has various baskets and buckets perfect for this DIY, but the ones for you depend on your needs. For those wanting a water-free bucket set up to make a fun summer staycation activity for kids, you may use laundry baskets from the low-cost retailer, along with a few beach balls. Alternatively, Dollar Tree's foam-rubber sports balls could be a good choice when playing with young kids. With this option, your buckets would remain empty, allowing easier cleanup and indoor play.

If you'd prefer to fill your buckets with water, try the colorful plastic bucket with handles, or if that's too small, Dollar Tree's plastic storage tub with handles comes in neutral colors and could hold more water. For a sleeker look, the silver plastic ice buckets would be perfect and could also be painted or decorated however you'd like. When playing this game with water, you'll want to ensure the balls you use won't get damaged. Dollar Tree's pack of six splash-n-swim water balls is a great choice, but you might also opt for wiffle balls or other plastic options, depending on what your local store has in stock.

Once you've gathered your supplies, it's time to set up your game. Depending on how you want to play, this will vary slightly. Start by lining up half of your buckets or baskets in your yard to form a triangle. You should have three on the bottom row, two in the middle, and one at the top. Now, you'll arrange the rest of your buckets opposite of this. With adults, you can space out your sets of yard pong cups between 12 and 25 feet apart; however, with kids playing, this could be too much distance, and you'll need to try out different lengths until you find one that suits them.

For those who want to play with empty baskets, they may topple over in the wind, but this can be easily remedied by taping them together. You might also choose to weigh down the containers with a small amount of sand or stones to keep them in place. Once a ball has been thrown into a cup, move it to the side. To raise the stakes a bit, try filling your buckets with water, and when a ball goes in, the loser has to dump it on their head. This is a simple, classic, and fun backyard game you can DIY in no time and on a budget.