SPONSORED CONTENT -- (StatePoint) Whether you’re hosting a get together or just want to keep everyone in your household entertained, it’s the best time of year to take the fun outdoors. Check out these five ideas for backyard fun for people of all ages:

• Create a waterpark:Avoid traffic and crowds and cool down from the comfort of home using sprinklers and splash pads. A fun way to beat the heat, you can create your very own waterpark during the dog days of summer

• Have a dance party: Portable instruments make it easy to practice and perform anywhere, including your backyard. A good choice for those starting a new musical adventure or anyone who wants to play music anywhere is a Casiotone keyboard. Stylish and sleek, it features a carrying handle for ease of transport and built-in speakers so you can pump up the jams for friends to enjoy. Whether you’re performing a concerto or using the keyboard’s Dance Music Mode to instantly create and remix EDM tracks in 50 different styles, you can just pop in six AA batteries, and you’re good to go.

• Make a bonfire: Get the friends together to tell scary stories, cook dinner over an open fire, make s’mores and have a sing-along. With many portable, smokeless fire pits on the market today, you don’t need to wait until your next camping trip to have a bonfire.

• Play jumbo-sized games: From chess and checkers to tumbling towers, outsized versions of your favorite classic board games are ideally played outside.

• Relax with a lazy day: With a hammock alone, you can instantly create the perfect backyard oasis for a leisurely day of reading and napping. Today’s hammocks are more versatile than their predecessors. Beyond those that tie to trees and mount to walls, self-standing models offer easy set-up and portability so you can follow the shade -- or sun -- as desired.

This season, take the fun outside. With a little creativity, music, games, meals and more can be enjoyed in your backyard.