This post includes outdoor water activities for kids. Summer is around the corner, and I bet that as your kids finish up another school year, you are thinking of ways to keep them occupied. After all, your kids will have all this free time!
So what better way to entertain them than by doing these outdoor water activities that your kids will enjoy? There is no better time than summer to have fun playing with water.
Outdoor Water Activities for Kids
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Here’s the ultimate list of outdoor water activities for kids to do this summer:
Water Balloon Toss
Materials: Water balloons (we love Bunch O Balloons)
To play this, pair up kids and have them toss a water balloon back and forth. Each time a successful catch is made, take a step back. Continue until the balloon bursts. Water balloon toss is a simple game that every kid loves playing. The best part is you do not have to do much, which is a big plus.
To make this more challenging for the older kids, you can have them toss the water balloons with their non-dominant hand or do a 360-degree spin before throwing them back. This is a great game for kids of all ages.
Sprinkler Run
Materials: Garden sprinkler
I bet we all have a sprinkler laying around the house, but if you don’t, here is one you can get, or you can make your own DIY sprinkler, as seen here!
Sometimes, the best way to keep the kids busy and entertained is by doing the simplest things, like setting up a garden sprinkler and letting them run through it. It’s a great way to keep your kids cool during a hot day.
Slip ‘N Slide
Materials: Slip ‘N Slide, hose
Set up a slip-n-slide on a flat lawn. Keep it wet with a hose, and let kids take turns sliding down. Not only will your kids, older and younger, love doing this, but so will the adults! You can add shaving cream or dish soap to make it even more slippery.
Water Gun Tag
Materials: Water guns
It’s similar to a regular tag, but the “it” person tags others by squirting them with a water gun. Once tagged, they switch roles. Don’t forget to get squirt guns if you don’t have any.
Splash Pad Play
Materials: Splash pad
Go to a local splash pad where kids can enjoy cooling off with water fountains and sprayers. Alternatively, if you do not want to go to a splash park, you can have your own splash pad at home.
Boat Races
Materials: Small toy boats or kiddie pool
Fill a kiddie pool with water. Kids blow on their boats or use their hands to create waves and race to the other side. Here is a tutorial for making boats that you can use for this with pool noodles!
Water Balloon Pinata
Materials: Water balloons, string, stick, or bat
This is a fun twist on the regular pinata. Fill the Bunch O Balloons with water and hang them from a tree branch. Blindfold kids and have them try to break the balloons with a stick or bat.
Be sure to hang some of the water balloons at different heights. Have the kids take turns one by one and pop the balloons. You can also have the kids be blindfolded while trying to pop the water balloons.
Water Limbo
Materials: Garden hose
Play limbo using a stream of water from a hose instead of a stick. Lower the stream each round until a winner is determined. What a fun way to keep the little ones entertained, and the best part is that you do not need much to play this.
Ice Cube Melt Race
Materials: Ice cubes
Give each kid an ice cube. They must melt it using only their hands. The first kid to completely melt their ice cube wins. Watch as the kids get creative, trying to melt the ice cube. It’s a fun activity that the younger kids will enjoy doing.
Wet Sponge Relay Race
Materials: Large sponges and buckets
Kids soak sponges in one bucket, then run to another and squeeze out as much water as possible. The team with the most water transferred wins. This game can have a time limit, or you can see who does this the fastest. You can also have mini challenges to make this more challenging.
Water Balloon Painting
Materials: Water balloons filled with colored water and white paper
Hang white paper on a fence. Kids throw water balloons at the paper to create art. It’s a simple way for the little ones to play while making cute artwork. Once they finish, you can display their artwork with this frame! You can also add food coloring to the water gun.
Sponge Toss
Materials: Large sponges, buckets, or mixing bowls
Set up buckets or mixing bowls at various distances. Kids toss wet sponges into the buckets to score points. This activity will be fun and will help them work on their hand-eye coordination.
Fishing for Toys
Materials: Kiddie pool, small plastic toys and nets
Fill a kiddie pool with water and small toys. Kids use nets to “fish” out the toys. This game is an excellent way for the little kids to have fun.
Water Balloon Dodgeball
Materials: Water balloons
This is the same as regular dodgeball but with water balloons instead of balls. Once a player is hit, they are out. Playing water balloon dodgeball is better done with more kids, but either way, it is a fun way for them to cool down during the summer months.
Car Wash
Materials: Sponges, soap, water, toy cars or bikes
Set up a “car wash” for toy cars or bikes. Kids can wash, rinse, and dry their vehicles. It may not seem like much, but for younger kids, it’ll be a fun way to enjoy some water play while also cleaning up their toy cars or bikes.
Bubble Play
Materials: Bubble solution and bubble wands
Fill a kiddie pool with bubble solution and let kids use wands to create large bubbles. I have raved about this bubble wand, and for a good reason. They make the big bubbles! Your kids will absolutely love playing with them.
Water Obstacle Course
Materials: Various water toys, hoses and sprinklers
Set up an obstacle course with water elements like sprinklers and water balloons. Your kids will have fun navigating through the course.
Frozen Treasure Hunt
Materials: Small toys, ice cube trays, and water
Freeze small items in ice cube trays or something a little bigger. The kids must then melt the ice to retrieve the toys. Have them use a mallet, or to make it last longer, have them get creative by finding other ways to do so.
Tug of War Over a Pool
Material: Rope and inflatable pool
Set up a rope over an inflatable pool. Kids play tug of war, and the losing team gets pulled into the water.
Frozen T-Shirt Race
Materials: Wax paper and shirts
Now, this is a fun idea from A Girl and a Glue Gun. Soak a bunch of shirts and place them in the freezer overnight. Pull them out the next day, and have your kids try to put on that shirt. What a fun and easy way for kids to have so much fun this coming summer.
Water Balloon Hot Potato
Materials: Water balloons
Play hot potato with a water balloon. Pass it around until it bursts. Toss the water balloon instead of passing it to make it more exciting. You can also make the circle bigger as the rounds go by.
Water Balloon Baseball
Materials: Water balloons and plastic bat
Use water balloons as baseballs and a plastic bat. Kids take turns hitting the balloons. This game will be a fun way to cool down on those summer days while burning all that energy off!
Sink or Float
Materials: Various objects and a kiddie pool
Kids guess if objects will sink or float, then test them in a kiddie pool. Objects can include a bouncy ball, Lego figurine, toy car, plastic spoon, and whatever else you have around the house.
Water Balloon Darts
Materials: Water balloons, a target, and sidewalk chalk
Set up a target with chalk on the ground. The kids will throw the water balloons to the target to earn points. If you don’t have any chalk, you can also use masking tape or hula hoops as targets. If you want to make this last longer, have the kids aim for a specific score until they finish.
Cup Transfer Race
Materials: Plastic cups, water, and buckets
Kids fill a cup with water and run to transfer it to another bucket. The team with the most water wins. You can make this more fun for the kids by adding challenges they must complete before filling the other bucket or set a time limit. That will add a sense of urgency.
Drip, Drip, Drop
Materials: Water, cup, or a sponge
A water version of Duck, Duck, Goose. Instead of tapping heads, drip water from a cup or sponge and pour it on the chosen “goose.” The game is pretty much the same as the Duck, Duck, Goose game.
You have the kids sit in a circle, and the “it’ person walks around the circle gently dripping a small amount of water on the kid’s head while saying drip. At some point, the child who is “it” will pick someone that is when they will say drop and pour the rest of the water to this kid. The kid who got dropped on stands and chases the child who is “it” around the circle.
The goal is for “it” to run around the circle and sit in the empty spot left by the “drop” child before being tagged. This game is a fun twist on a classic game the whole family can enjoy.
Splash and Dash
Materials: Sprinkler and various obstacles
Set up a racecourse with sprinklers through the course, getting soaked along the way.
Sponge Tag
Materials: Wet sponges
Play tag using wet sponges to tag each other. The person tagged becomes “it”. This water activity is great for the little kids. Here, you will find simple homemade sponge bombs that you can use to play with.
Race Cars With Water Soakers
Material: Water soakers or water guns and toy cars
This is a game the younger kids will have fun doing, and you probably already have everything you need. The kids will use water guns or soakers to move their cars to the finish line. You can have the kids do this simultaneously or play against each other.
Cup Races with Water Soakers
Material: Water soakers/water guns, string, cups, something to make a hole, and tape
This game is similar to the one above but slightly different. It is a great target practice game from All for the Boys.
It is also done with things we most likely have laying around the house, and what better way to work on their gross motor skills than by playing this?
Spoon and Balloon Race
Materials: Spoon and water balloons
The game is similar to the egg and spoon race, except you use a water balloon instead of an egg. Have the kids race to finish while balancing the water balloon on their spoon. The first kid to finish without popping their water balloon wins. Once the race begins, no hands can touch the water balloon, and if kids drop it, they must return to the starting line with a new balloon.
To make this more challenging for older kids, you can use smaller spoons depending on what you are using, race backward, or have the kids blindfolded while someone else is giving them verbal directions.
Water Balloons on Trampoline
Material: Water balloons
By now, you know we love Bunch O Balloons. If you’re thinking of getting some here, you can. It’s a great way to beat the summer heat while getting the kids’ energy out. Kids of all ages will love playing this on those hot days.
So basically, you get a bunch of water balloons ready and put them on the trampoline for kids to play with. They can stomp them, have a water balloon fight, or whatever they wish to do. Either way, it will be a fantastic way for them to cool off on those hot summer days.
Pass The Water Relay Game
Materials: Cups or buckets and water
This game from Kid Friendly Things To Do is fun and easy for anyone to play. You pass the water backward over your head to your teammates behind you so they can catch it and pass it along to the end of the line.
You try to keep most of the water in the cup or bucket with each pass. The team with the most water at the end wins. Of course, you won’t end up with as much water as you started with, but hey, it’s freaking fun and hilarious.
You can set a timer or play until you have filled the bucket with water. The first team to do so wins.
Final Thoughts on Outdoor Water Activities for Kids
These activities are perfect for keeping kids entertained and cool during the hot weather. I hope you were able to find some outdoor water activities for kids here that will keep them busy this summer!
If you did, share this post with your friends.
Related post you might find helpful:
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