When the summer sun is scorching, there’s no better way for kids to cool off and have a blast than with water play and pool games. Whether you have access to a pool, a water park, or just a garden hose, these water activities will keep your kids entertained and refreshed all summer long:
- Slip ‘n Slide Fun: Set up a slip ‘n slide in your backyard using a long piece of tarp or a slip ‘n slide kit. Add a hose to keep it wet and slippery. Your kids will love sliding and splashing through the water.
- Water Balloon Piñata: Hang water balloons from a tree branch using strings at varying heights. Blindfold your kids, and let them take turns trying to break the balloons with a stick or bat. It’s a wet and wild variation of the classic piñata game.
- Sponge Relay Race: Divide the kids into teams and line them up. Place a bucket filled with water at the starting line and an empty bucket at the finish line. Give each team a large sponge. The first player soaks the sponge in the water, then passes it over their heads to the next player and so on, until the last player squeezes the water into the empty bucket. The team that fills their bucket first wins!
- Water Limbo: Use a garden hose to create a water limbo game. Have one person hold the hose horizontally while the rest of the kids take turns bending backward to go under it. Lower the hose after each round to make it more challenging.
- Water Gun Battle: Arm the kids with water guns and let them have an epic water gun battle in the yard. Set some ground rules to keep it safe and fun for everyone.
- Floating Boat Race: Make small boats using materials like foam, plastic bottles, or leaves. Take the boats to a nearby stream or the shallow end of a pool and have a floating boat race. Cheer for your favorite boat as it sails to victory!
- Duck Pond Fishing: Fill a kiddie pool with water and place rubber ducks or other floating toys in it. Write numbers on the bottom of each duck. Give your kids fishing rods (with magnets on the end of the string) and have them “catch” the ducks. After catching a duck, they can turn it over to reveal a prize or a number that corresponds to a specific prize.
- Water Balloon Baseball: Play a wet and exciting game of baseball using water balloons as the “balls” and a soft bat or pool noodle as the “bat.” Kids take turns hitting the balloons and running the bases.
- Pool Noodle Sprinkler: Poke holes in a pool noodle and attach it to the end of a hose with duct tape. Turn on the water, and you have a homemade sprinkler! Kids can run through the refreshing spray on hot days.
- Diving for Treasure: Toss coins or diving toys into the pool and challenge your kids to dive and retrieve them. You can assign different point values to each item, adding an element of competition to the game.
These water play and pool games will keep your kids entertained, active, and cooled off during the hot summer months.
