Top 12 Kids Water Games
Kids love summer. No homework. Hanging out with friends happens a lot. Fun abounds. Everything is great until…you hear those dreaded words – “I’m bored.” Keeping your kids occupied all summer long is a challenge. Most of us parents want to limit our child’s screen time and encourage playing outside. Kids love being outdoors but eventually, they will run out of ideas on what to do. At ToySplash, we wish everyone had access to a pool or lake, but we know that’s just not always the case. So, we’ve compiled a list of some of our favorites. Of course, we always want water to be involved in some way so here is our ToySplash list of Top 12 Kids Water Games. These ideas are sure to keep your children happy and busy all summer long! (warning: some games are so much fun parents may want to join in!)
Our Top 12 Kids Water Games
Water Games for Kids ages 8 and up
**Water Bomb Tag: **This game is basically like tag but instead of tagging someone with your hand, you hit them with a water-soaked splash ball! Once someone is tagged with the ball, that person is IT. Time to reload the splash balls and find a running target! Keep a bucket of water handy so the balls can be reloaded after every round.
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Giant Ring Toss: **This giant version of a baby favorite is definitely not for babies. Gather two teams and take turns tossing the giant rings onto the buoy. Each ring has a point value so be sure to keep score to see which team wins! This game is great for the backyard, at the park, and, of course, in the pool or lake. Works great with or without water.
**Hot Potato with Water Balloons: **Play this game with the basic rules of hot potato. Gather all players in a circle and pass the water balloon around from player to player. Before filling the balloon with water, poke a tiny pin hole in the balloon so that once filled, it will have a slow leak of water. Whoever is stuck with the empty balloon at the end of the game is out! Keep the handy Water Bomb Factory close at hand to fill those water balloons quickly.
**Water Balloon Launcher: **Speaking of water balloons, why not build a super-cool water balloon launcher? We found these easy-to-follow instructions over at FrugalFun4Boys.com. Click here for the instructions and get the fun started! Note: launching water balloons at neighbors, neighbor’s dogs, or neighbor’s cars is not recommended by ToySplash. Launch water balloons at your dad at your own risk!
**Frozen Feet: **Have kids sit on chairs around the edge of a water-filled kiddie pool. Give each player his own empty bucket or bowl set on the ground next to him. Now dump a big pile of ice cubes into the pool. At the starting signal, players must pick up as many ice cubes as they can and put them into their own buckets using only their feet! The player who collects the most ice cubes within the allotted time period is the winner!
**Race to the Finish: **Who’s ready for a splashing, watery race? The Slip and Slide Race is the perfect way to spend a summer afternoon with friends. This dual-track slip and slide is ready for kids to race to the finish line at the end of this slippery track. Ready, set, slide!
**Liquid Limbo: **Remember doing the limbo? Trying to shimmy under a stick was always a challenge. Well, why not exchange that stick for a stream of water! Attach a sprayer nozzle to the garden hose and set it on a stream rather than a spray. Now, you’ve got your limbo stick ready for action! Turn on some fun music (ah, maybe the Limbo song? Just sayin…), turn on the hose, and get the party started. Once everyone has made it under, lower the stream of water. When someone gets wet, they are OUT! Keep lowering the stream of water closer to the ground until you finally have a winner. Your winner should still be dry so…spray the winner!!
Water Play for Children ages 2-7
**Whack-a-Mole: **This crazy game is reminiscent of that hammering, goofy game at the carnival. Who doesn’t want to bop a mole on the head with a giant hammer? Combine that with a sprinkler and your kids will be squealing with delight when they play this game. Whack the mole before he can pop up and spray you. But if he does, what better way to stay cool in the summer sun?
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Baby Whales: **Young children love to play pretend and our Whale Spray Pool is the perfect place for make-believe ocean fun. Encourage little ones to pretend they are swimming right along with mama whale. When an unfriendly ocean dweller comes along, turn on the sprayer to scare them away! Our adorable blue whale is the perfect place to stay cool and play pretend all day long.
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**Animal Matching: **Learning is easy when it’s made into a game. The waterproof Splashimals Floating Cards challenge kids by getting them to match the correct two corresponding cards to create the whole animal. A fun alternative is letting kids mix and match to come up with their own silly new animal combinations! These cards can be used in the bathtub, in a kiddie pool, or get them wet and see what they stick to!
**Backyard Bubble Bath: **Have you ever thought about taking your child’s bath to the outdoors? Why not fill a kiddie pool with water and bubble bath and let your child take a bath under the stars? Add in some buckets and other water toys and that nightly chore will become exciting!
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Paint Bag Writing: **Technically, this doesn’t include water however, this activity is just too cute to pass up. We saw this nifty idea over at lets-explore.net and wanted to share it with our readers. It’s simple – add finger paint or tempera paint to a gallon-sized freezer zip bag. Zip it shut and then tape the bag to the table to make it easier for little ones to use. Give your child a cotton swab and let her draw or write letters on the paint bag. This bag makes it easy for children to practice writing alphabet letters one at a time. Not quite right the first time? Run your hand across the plastic bag surface and start over, again!
The ToySplash Water Fun Experts love it when kids have a great time playing with water. No pool? No problem. Try all these exciting water games and stay wet, cool and have a blast all summer long!!
*** Remember: always watch kids around water!***