30 Fun And Easy Water Games For Kids To Beat The Heat in 2024

3. Sprinkler Red Light Green Light

Supplies: Sprinkler connected to hose

1. Have one person stand at the far side of the yard as the caller.
2. The rest of the kids line up at the opposite side of the yard.
3. Place a sprinkler in the middle of the yard and turn it on.
4. The caller turns their back to the other kids and says “green light.” When “green light” is called, the kids try to move across the yard to reach the caller.
5. When the caller turns around and says “red light,” kids must freeze in place. If a player doesn’t freeze, they return to the starting line.
6. The first player to tag the caller wins. That person becomes the next caller.

4. Water Cup Relay Games

Supplies:

• Plastic cups
• Two buckets (one filled with water)

1. Place two buckets (one filled with water and one empty) for each team 15-20 feet apart (or more if you have older kids).
2. The first player must use a cup to scoop up water from the first bucket, place it on his/her head (they can still hold it with their hands), and run to dump it in the second (empty) bucket. Then, the runner returns to the team and hands off the cup to the next person.
3. Play continues until one team fills their second bucket all the way to the top.

Related:

• Awesome Team Building Games & Activities
• Minute To Win It Games: Olympic-Themed!

5. Slide Down

Supplies:

• Plastic cups
• Two buckets (one filled with water)
• Slide
• Timer

Option #1

1. Place a bucket of water and plastic cups at the bottom of the stairs to a slide or playset.
2. Place a bucket of water at the bottom of the slide.
3. When the time starts, the player has to fill the cup with water, race up the stairs, slide down the slide (holding the filled cup), and dump it into the bucket.
4. To win, the player must fill the bucket at the bottom of the stairs before the time is up or be the fastest to fill their bucket up.

Option #2

1. To play in teams, have one person stand by the bucket at the bottom of the stairs and one person stand at the top of the slide.
2. When you say go, the first person at the stairs has to fill the cup in the bucket, go up the stairs, and pass it to their teammate at the top of the slide.
3. That person then pours the cup of water down the slide, trying to fill the bucket at the bottom of the stairs.
4. Players continue to switch spots for each round.

6. Pass The Water

Supplies: Plastic cups with water and 2 buckets

1. Divide into teams. Each team has to sit in a straight line facing forward.
2. Two buckets are placed at each end of the line for each team. 
3. The front bucket is filled with water and the bucket at the back is empty.
4. The people sitting at the front of the line have to fill their cups with water and pour it overhead into their teammates’ cups. The last person pours the remaining water into the empty bucket. The process keeps going.
5. The team whose bucket gets filled fastest will win.

7. Dizzy Dash

Supplies:

• Bat for each team
• Tray with 4-8 plastic cups filled with water for each team.
• Bucket for each team

1. The first person puts one end of the bat on the ground and the other on their head. They spin 3-5 times (depending on age).
2. They then pick up the tray of glasses and try to make their way to the other side and fill a bucket with the water.
3. The first team to fill their bucket wins.

*This game is fun to play as a group if you don’t have enough to make two teams. See how fast you can fill the bucket up!

Related: Exciting Game of Truth & Dare for Kids

8. Splash Jump Challenge

Supplies:

• Jump rope (3 players minimum)
• Plastic cup filled with water

Each player must hold a container full of water and jump the rope ten times. Whoever has spilled the least amount of water wins!

9. Fill The Bottle Relay

Supplies:

• Empty water or Gatorade bottle
• Plastic cups
• Water

1. Divide into teams. Each team has a bucket of water and plastic cup.
2. One player for each team lays on their back at the end of the relay and places an empty water or Gatorade bottle on their forehead.
3. Players race to fill up their empty team’s bottle as fast as possible! (The person holding the empty bottle WILL get wet!)

10. Frozen T-Shirt Race

Supplies:

• One frozen t-shirt per player
• 1 gallon plastic bag per t-shirt

1. Soak one t-shirt per player with water. Squeeze it out and fold it up.
2. Place each one in their own 1-gallon plastic bag and freeze them overnight.
3. When frozen– pass them out. The first person who can unfold their shirt and put it on wins!!!!

Option: Play in teams! Freeze two shirts and work in teams to thaw the shirts and get them on one team member. The first team to do this, wins!

11. Aqua Aim

Supplies:

• Plastic cups
• Water squirters
• Bucket filled with water
• Long table or elevated surface for cups

1. Place a tower (or single line) of cups toward the end of a table.
2. Use the water squirters to knock all the cups off the table.
3. The quickest person to do this is the winner!

12. DIY Slip n’ Slide

Supplies:

• Plastic tarp or heavy-duty plastic sheeting (preferably 8-10 feet wide and at least 20-30 feet long)
• Tent stakes
• Garden hose with good water pressure
• Dish soap or baby shampoo (to make the surface slippery)

Secure the tarp to the ground with tent stakes. Once in place, add water and take a running start to slide down the lane.

13. Frozen Fingers

Supplies: Ice cubes

1. Separate kids into two teams.
2. Each team passes an ice cube down the line or around a circle.
3. The first group to melt the ice cube wins!

Related:

• Ice Breaker Activities
• Easy Summer Activities for Kids

Water Balloon Games

Fill up some water balloons and play these fun games to beat the heat!

14. Hot Potato

Supplies: Water balloons

1. Have everyone sit or stand in a circle outdoors.
2. Choose who will start the game by handing them the first water balloon.
3. Participants pass the water balloon around the circle as quickly as possible while the music is playing.
4. The player holding the water balloon when the music stops (or timer rings) is out of the game for that round.
5. Start a new round with the remaining participants until only one player is left.

We had fun using this exploding hot potato water balloon game too!

15. Water Balloon Toss Games

Supplies: Water Balloons for each pair

1. Each team stands facing each other a short distance apart.
2. One player tosses a water balloon to their teammate. The teammate catches the ballon trying not to break it.
3. After each successful catch, both players take a step back.
4. Keep playing until the water balloon breaks. The last team with an intact balloon wins!

16. Water Balloon Dodge Ball

Supplies:

• Water balloons (enough for each participant)
• Large grassy space
• Boundary markers (cones, chalk to define the playing area)

1. Define a playing area with boundary markers. The size of the area will depend on the number of players and the space available, but ensure it’s large enough for everyone to move around freely.
2. Divide the players into two teams.
3. Each team gathers on opposite sides of the playing area. Give each player several water balloons.
4. Both teams start throwing water balloons at each other while trying to avoid being hit.
5. If a player is hit by a water balloon and it bursts, they are out of the game and must leave the playing area.
6. The game continues until all players from one team are out, making the opposing team the winner of that round.
7. Players must stay within the boundaries of the playing area. If they step out, they are out of the game.
8. If a player catches a water balloon thrown by the opposing team and it doesn’t burst, the thrower is out, and the catcher can bring one of their teammates back into the game.

17. Water Balloon Spoon Race

Supplies: Water balloons and large spoons

1. Each player races to the finish line while balancing the balloon on the spoon.
2. If a player drops the balloon, they must return to the starting line and try again.

18. Water Balloon Baseball

Supplies:

• Water Balloons
• Wiffle Bat

Take turns hitting water balloons with a wiffle bat for fun batting practice! Prepare to get wet!

19. Balloon Towel Toss

• Water Balloons
• Large Towel for each pair

1. Each pair holds the ends of a large towel. Place a water balloon inside the towel.
2. Toss the water balloon using the towel to another pair. They try to catch the balloon with their towel.
3. Play continues until the balloon bursts!

Optional challenge: Make this harder by throwing and catching the balloon over a net.

Swimming Pool Games

Have more fun with water at the swimming pool with these easy games.

20. Pool Noodle Jump Rope

Supplies: Pool noodles

See how many times you can jump rope with a pool noodle underwater in the swimming pool in one minute! Challenge your friends and family to see who can get the most!

21. Popsicle Tag

*No supplies needed

1. Start with one person as “it,” and have him or her tag the other players who are swimming in the shallow end of the pool.
2. When tagged, a player must stand frozen like a popsicle until another un-tagged player can thaw him out by swimming underwater between his legs.
3. Change the “it” person every few minutes.

22. Water Telephone

*No supplies needed

1. Choose one person to relay the message (usually one or two words).
2. Then the “guesser” goes underwater with the messenger and tries to guess what they’re saying.
3. Kids who don’t swim in deep water can participate in this pool game because they can dip their faces in to hear the message. 

23. Pool Tag Survivor

*No supplies needed

1. Choose one player to be “it.”
2. The chosen player then yells out “dolphin,” “froggy,” or “submarine.” Dolphins swim on top of the water, froggies swim in the middle, and submarines swim at the bottom of the pool.
3. Whoever is “it” must close their eyes and try to tag the other players.
4. When a player reaches the other end of the pool, they yell out “Survived!”
5. Players who get tagged decide which one is “it” next. 

24. Marco Polo

*No supplies needed

1. One player is designated as “Marco”.
2. Marco keeps his/her eyes closed and calls out “Marco”.
3. The other players respond with calling out “Polo”.
4. Marco listens and tries to tag players based on their responses.
5. When a player is tagged, they become the new Marco.

25. Treasure Dive

Supplies: Diving toys or coins

1. Scatter the pool toys or coins throughout the pool based on the swimming ability of the kids playing.
2. Players take turns diving into the pool to retrieve one treasure at a time.
3. Points can be awarded for how many objects are brought back per person. Or if coins are used, players can keep their treasure!

26. Diving Olympics Water Games

*No supplies needed

Kids will love trying to perform the best dive or pool jump. Rate kids based on each round for creativity, best dive, most/least splash, etc…

27. Airball

Supplies: Pool ball or beach ball

1. The goal of this game is to keep the ball from touching the water. You can pass it to other players or go around in a circle.
2. Count out loud how many times the ball is caught.
3. When the ball touches the water, the round is over and you can try again to beat your score.

28. Duck Swim

Supplies: Rubber ducks

1. Each player has a rubber ducky.
2. At “GO!” players race to push their ducky to the other side of the pool first. They can push with their noses, blow on it, and make waves. But they cannot touch it with their hands or body!
3. The winner is the player who gets his ducky to touch the opposite wall first.

29. Soaked Tee Relay

*Great for older kids and strong swimmers

This is ideal after the Frozen T-Shirt Race (See #10 above)!

1. Players line up on one side of the pool.
2. They put on an oversized soaking wet T-shirt and swim to the other side of the pool and back.
3. They then remove the shirt and hand it to the next player, who must put it on and swim. (This is a LOT harder than it sounds).
4. Keep the relay going until one team wins.

30. It!

*No supplies needed!

1. The person who is “It” sits on the edge with his/her back to the pool while the others gather at the opposite end of the water.
2. When “it” calls out a category, each player silently thinks up an answer. (For example, flavors of ice cream).
3. “It” will slowly shout out answers.
4. When a player’s answer is shouted, he/she must swim to “Its” side and try to touch the wall without being detected.
5. If “it” hears swimming, he/she can turn around and dive into the pool to tag a player. However, if he/she turns around and everyone still has a hand on the side, then “it” must take a step further from the edge and start again.
6. A swimmer who gets caught becomes “it.”

Also, check out more Easy and Fun Minute To Win It Games>>

Related:

• Fun Family Challenges
• Play The Best Family Feud Game

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