Lawn Games for Little Kids

Once known as shuttlecock, the game of badminton as we know it today took its name from Badminton House, the home of the Duke of Beaufort in England. It's now an Olympic sport, with millions of fans and players around the world. But you don't need an Olympic set-up to play badminton at home.

Here too, you'll want to lower the net or start out by playing netless badminton with your toddler or preschooler until they get the hang of the game.

How to set up:

You can use any volleyball net to play badminton; you'll just need to lower it to five feet. Instead of playing with a volleyball, you'll use rackets and a shuttlecock (a small cone-shaped contraption made of either plastic or bird feathers).

How to play:

Like tennis, badminton can be played by one person per side (singles), or two people per side (doubles). Badminton play is a combination of volleyball and tennis: one person serves the shuttlecock, and the players hit it back and forth until it lands on the ground, in which case the team that hit it gets one point. The first team to reach 15 points wins the match.