• Yeehaw. Get ready to rodeo.rodeo image by Steve Lovegrove from Fotolia.com
  
  Play these rodeo games in the backyard with kids riding bikes or even galloping on stick horses. Contestants can wear cowboy hats, cowboy boots and bandannas to really get into the spirit of it. Serve lemonade to quench their desert thirst and you'll have a genuine rodeo on your hands.
  
  

Obstacle Course Race

• Set up an obstacle course using haystacks, chairs and other obstacles. Little cowboys race to maneuver their horses (bikes or stick horses) through the course the fastest.
  
  

Barrel Racing

• Kids try to race their barrels in a straight line, or even around upright barrels or cones. Be sure shoes don't have slippery soles.
  
  

Quick Draw

• Set up a target of stacked tin cans. Cowboys ride by and try to shoot the objects. Use a Nerf gun or water gun. You can also set up a shooting range with various targets without having the kids ride by.
  
  

Biking Bronco

• To mimic the challenge of staying in the saddle, use tape or chalk to outline a bike course that goes up and down hills and in tight circles. The tighter the circles the harder to stay on the bike. Riders see how far they can get without taking their feet off the pedals.
  
  

Rodeo Clowning

• Get in the clowning spirit with this biking balloon race. Tape balloons to sheets of newspaper and lay the sheets on the ground (secure with rocks if needed). Children race through the sheets trying to pop the balloons with their tires. Children on stick horses can stomp on the balloons with their feet.
  
  

Calf Roping

• Use rope or even a hula hoop for this game. Kids try to rope various objects such as a chair or fence post. Add a racing element by having a starting line, a finish line and several "calves" to rope in between.
  
  

Rope Tying Contest

• Demonstrate how to tie basic knots, then give kids a strand of rope to practice on. Hold races to see who can tie knots the fastest. For a twist, try tying knots with a strand of licorice.
  
  

Boot Toss

• Set up a line of cowboy boots and give kids beanbags to toss into the boots. Kids get points for each successful attempt. Set some boots further away than others and make them worth more points.
  
  

Haystack Hunt

• Hide items such as bouncy balls and yo-yos in a pile of hay. Kids can get a point for each item found, or you could use this game to distribute take-home goodies. Hide one for each child and have them stop once they've found a prize.