What Are the Best Driveway Games to Play With Just One Basketball?
Driveway basketball games are simple hoop or ball games played on a home driveway with one ball and minimal setup. The best driveway games you can play with just one basketball are H-O-R-S-E, 21, and Around the World — all three need only one ball, one hoop, and about twenty minutes. If you don't have a hoop at all, Dribble Tag and Keep-Away work with nothing but the ball and a patch of driveway.
That "just one ball" part matters. Most game lists quietly assume a ball per child, a coach, or a full team, and most parents in a driveway have exactly one ball and one kid who wants to play now. Every game below survives that constraint: one ball, one driveway, no extra gear.
Q: What games work with exactly one basketball?
H-O-R-S-E
H-O-R-S-E is the best first game for a 6-year-old, because nobody has to run and nobody has to be good at dribbling. One player calls a shot — from the chalk line, behind the back, standing on one foot — and if they make it, the other player has to copy it. Miss the copy and you collect a letter; spell H-O-R-S-E and you're out. Two players, about fifteen minutes, and kids will happily try the same shot five times until it goes in.
21
21 is the game for a kid who wants real competition without real teams. Players take turns shooting — two points per basket, three from farther out, free throws after a make — and the catch is you must land on exactly 21; overshoot and your score drops back. Two or more players, about twenty minutes, and a clear winner at the end.
Around the World
Around the World is the quietest of the three, and the best one for a kid who wants to practice without pressure. Draw five or six chalk spots in an arc around the hoop and take turns shooting from each spot in order. Make it and you move on; miss it and you stay put until your next turn. First player to finish the circuit wins. It takes about fifteen minutes, works with two players or a whole family taking turns, and doubles as a shooting drill without ever feeling like one.
Q: What if there's no hoop?
No hoop, no problem — two games need nothing but the ball. In Dribble Tag, one player dribbles while the other tries to tag them, and the tag only counts if the dribbler keeps the ball bouncing; lose the dribble and you swap roles. In Keep-Away, two players pass the ball back and forth while a third tries to intercept it, and the interceptor swaps in when they touch it. Both build the skill a beginner needs most — keeping the ball under control while moving — and both end naturally when someone gets tired, which is a feature, not a bug, with a 6-year-old. Just agree before you start that a ball rolling into the street means the game pauses and an adult fetches it.
Q: How long should a driveway session last for a 6-year-old?
Twenty to thirty minutes, and quit while it's still fun. Play one game, take a water break, play a second game, and stop before the third one turns into a negotiation. Rotate games across days, and let the kid pick tomorrow's game tonight — choosing is half the excitement. One more tip: be the referee, not the opponent, for the first few games. A kid who beats a parent once will come back tomorrow.
Q: Which basketball should a 6-year-old use?
An honest note first: published size guides disagree about what a 6-year-old should use, recommending size 3, 4, or 5. A size 5 ball is the confident-6-year-old pick — a kid who can already handle a smaller ball and wants the real thing — not a universal standard. If your kid is small for their age or brand new to the game, start smaller and trade up.
Our pick for that confident 6-year-old is the Kids Basketball, Size 5 Rubber Basketball for Children ($28.99, ages 6+), a rubber outdoor ball built for driveways and sidewalks, which is where it will actually live.
Pros: rubber cover handles rough driveway surfaces; size 5 is the youth-league step-up size; easy to wipe clean. Cons: full-weight size 5 can tire small hands on long sessions; no lighter-weight option for beginners.
Three verified alternatives:
Spalding Rookie Gear Youth Basketball, 27.5" ($34.99). The same size 5, but about 15% lighter than a standard youth ball, with a composite cover that grips well. Pros: lighter weight builds shooting confidence faster; durable indoors and out. Cons: costs more than a basic rubber ball; composite cover scuffs faster on rough concrete.
Franklin Sports Junior Optima 27.5" Basketball ($8.49–$9.99 at Target, 4.7 stars). The budget pick for finding out whether basketball sticks. Pros: cheapest way to start; rubber shell shrugs off driveway play. Cons: basic grip and bounce; may need replacing within a season of daily play.
Wilson NCAA Icon Basketball SZ5 ($19.99 at Target, 4.8 stars). The middle ground: a name-brand rubber youth ball with a butyl bladder for a consistent bounce. Pros: reliable bounce and familiar feel; strong reviews for the price. Cons: full weight, so less forgiving for small hands than the lighter Spalding.
Whichever ball you buy, the games above all work with it — that was the whole point. If you want the one we stock, it's the size 5 rubber basketball for children linked here, and it ships as a single ball.
Q: How do you stop the game ending in tears?
Two house rules fix ninety percent of driveway meltdowns. First, the mercy rule: if one player is three letters or ten points behind, the leader takes their next two shots left-handed, or from the silly spot. Second, the rematch rule: every session ends with a rematch of the game the kid lost, and the parent plays it at half speed.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can a 6-year-old really play H-O-R-S-E? Yes — it's the easiest game on this list, because there's no running and no clock, and the silliest shots are legal.
Do you need a real hoop for these games? Only for H-O-R-S-E, 21, and Around the World. Dribble Tag and Keep-Away need no hoop at all, just the ball.
What if the ball rolls into the street? Agree before you start that a ball in the street means the game pauses and an adult fetches it. Never let a kid chase a rolling ball into traffic.
Is a size 5 ball too big for a small 6-year-old? It can be. Size guides disagree for age 6, so if your kid is small or brand new, start with a smaller ball and move up to size 5 when they can control it.
One ball, one driveway, twenty minutes — that's a basketball habit. Start with H-O-R-S-E today.