Water, water everywhere and not a bored kid in the yard!
Playing with water might be just what your kids need on a hot summer day.
You don’t have to have a swimming pool to enjoy a splash. All you need is a garden hose, some water balloons or a couple of buckets and sponges to plan a refreshing day of water fun.
Sponge games
- Sponge Tag – throw a soaking wet big sponge at the person; if it hits her, she’s it.
- Sponge Relay Races – Fill two buckets with the exact same amount of water. Form two teams and give each team a big car-wash sponge. At the start of the race, the first person on each team soaks up as much water as she can in the sponge and carries it to another bucket, squeezes out the water and runs back to hand the sponge to the next person on her team, who repeats the process.
Water balloon games
Some water balloon kits come with an adapter that fits on your outdoor water spigot to make it easy to fill the balloons.
- Water Balloon Toss - Form two lines of paired players, facing each other. Have each pair toss a water balloon back and forth, taking a step backwards after every two tosses. The further back you step, the further the toss and the more likely the water balloon will burst. The last pair to have their water balloon intact wins.
- Hula Hoop Water Balloon Toss - One person holds a hula hoop to his side and the other person tries to toss a water balloon through the hoop.
Hose games
Put a Y connector (available at any lawn and garden store) on your outdoor spigot and attach two hoses. Give the hoses to the kids, turn on the spigot and let the games begin!
- Beach Ball Race - Place two beach balls on a starting line and have the two contestants squirt water on their ball to drive it across the yard. First ball to get to the finish line wins.
- Fill the Bucket Have the kids see who can fill a bucket the fastest.
- Write with Water If you have a large driveway or other paved surface outdoors, set your hose on the smallest stream possible. Have the kids write big letters with the water, or make shapes. The hotter the day, the faster they’ll disappear.
Ice cube fun
On a super hot day, crack open a tray or two of ice cubes and let the kids use their imaginations and play until the ice melts!
- Icy Building Blocks - Sprinkle a little salt onto an ice cube and press it onto another ice cube. The salt will melt the ice slightly and then it will refreeze to hold the two together. Stack the ice cubes to form a pyramid, a wall or other structure.
- Ice Cube Melting Race - Give each child an ice cube and see who can get it to melt the fastest in their hands. Working in pairs or teams is best, so when a child's hands get too cold, they can pass the ice cube off to a teammate.
For more summer fun ideas, see:
And check out Suite 101’s Kids Activities page.
