15 Outdoor Water Games – Get Outside & Have Fun

One of the never-ending tasks for summer is looking for fun activities to do with our kids. One thing that is fun for EVERYONE is outdoor water games!

My friend, Amber, from Simple & Practical Life, has done this awesome guest post for me with tons of ideas for outdoor water games.

Amber’s blog is a treasure trove of kid activity ideas and freebies (I love her Dramatic Play printables – such a novel idea!). She’s a stay at home mom with 2 little ones to keep amused and previous she was a daycare and summer camp director, so she has lots of experience planning fun activities for kids of all ages.

Want more Summer Activity ideas? Check out my post with 68+ Awesome Summer Activities.

Including: Outdoor – Indoor – Quiet – Messy – Crafts – Educational and more!


15 Outdoor Water Games

Summer has finally arrived! Which means more open schedules, cookouts, ice cream & of course play, play, & play. Beat the heat & keep your kiddos busy with outdoor water games.

Water games are not only a great way to keep your kiddos splashing all day long, it’s also a perfect way to sneak in building up fine & gross motor skills.

I absolutely love outdoor water games. Especially how they get everyone involved. Most of these activities use things that you already have at home & take less than 10 minutes to set up.

Let’s dive in.

Sponges

Sponges are a great way to play with water outdoors. You have so many options. Using chalk, draw a bulls-eye on the ground & then throw wet sponges onto it. Play tag using wet sponges instead of your hand. Or instead of Duck Duck Goose, you could play Duck Duck Splat.

Water Balloon Towel Toss

This is always a hit for play dates & cookouts. You will need lots of water balloons & 2 towels. This outdoor water game works best with 4 people because you need 2 people for each towel. Feel free to add more towels to the mix! To play all you have to do is place 1-2 water balloons on 1 towel & only using the towel try to toss it into the other towel. You will get soaked every time!

Paint With Water

This a great activity for the sidewalk or driveway. Grab sponges, paintbrushes, & some buckets of water. Let your kiddos “paint”. It’s the cleanest art they’ll ever make.

Toy Bath

Kiddos love to clean things (if only it lasted), so embrace the fun. Fill a bin or bucket with water & another with soapy water. Give them a sponge or a rag & let them clean all their toys. Animals, trucks, blocks, you name it they can clean it.

Make Soup

This was a favorite of mine as a kid and now my kiddos love too. Bring a pot along with a couple spoons outside & fill the pot with water. Using things you find outside or even in the house, let your kids get creative by making soup! In our house, the soup is typically made of rocks, sticks, pepper, & “spinach” which is actually just leaves.

Practice Pouring

Pouring is a great way to practice motor skills. Set up a pouring station by using various sizes of cups, pitchers, containers, bowls, & spoons. Then let them explore. For added fun, you can turn it into a science experiment by adding food coloring to the water. The different colors of water let your kiddos experiment coloring mixing.

DIY Water Sprinklers

Don’t have a sprinkler? Not a problem, you can easily make one. Use a 2-liter bottle & connect it to your water hose with waterproof tape. Then poke holes all around it. You can do that same thing with a pool noodle!

Playing In The Rain

Hands down my favorite outdoor water game every summer! For every summer storm (unless it’s too intense or dangerous) simply run out in the rain! Instead of just splashing in the rain try playing soccer, if you don’t have a soccer ball then grab an empty can or bottle to kick.

Chalk

Chalk and water are one of the easiest water games you’ll do. Soak some sidewalk chalk in water for at least an hour (the longer the better). When you’re ready, wet your sidewalk or driveway with water then break out the chalk. Your kiddos will love the painted look that this combo will make.

Slip & Slide

To make a DIY slip & slide all you need is a water hose & a tarp. Lay the tarp down on the ground & let the hose run across it. Spice up the fun by adding water balloons, or even foam to the tarp.

Water Balloon Catch

Prepare to get soaked with this outdoor water game! All you will need is a large bowl & lots of water balloons. To play have 1 person hold the bowl on their head. Someone else will then try to throw the water balloons into the bowl.

Sensory Bin

Sensory bins are always great because you can add just about anything. For outdoor water play, I like to fill a bin with water & then add something different. Try an ocean themed bin filled with seashells, water beads (absolute favorite), ice, or even lemons.

Pass The Water Challenge

This game is sure to get everyone wet. The best part? You only need 2 items! Water & a cup for each player. Each player will need to line up behind each other with their own empty cup. The first player will have a full cup of water. Reaching over their head they must pour their water into the next person’s cup. Keep going until all the water is gone.

Fishing

This one is a huge hit in my house. My daughter thinks it’s hilarious to fish things that aren’t fish. All you have to do is fill a bin, bucket, or plastic pool with water. Add whatever item that you want them to “fish”. Foam letters, Lego bricks, sponges, water balloons, toy animals, bottle tops, you can really just use anything that you have on hand. You can also use anything that you already have for the fishing net as well; a mesh net, a large spoon, or even a sand shovel.

Float or Sink Experiment

Here’s an easy way to sneak science into the fun. Find a bunch of random objects (cups, sponges, magnets, wood blocks, rocks, grass, Lego bricks… you get the point). Before you start, explain to your kiddos the difference between floating & sinking. Then have them guess if each item will float or sink. Test their theory by dropping them into an empty bin filled with water.

All of these outdoor water games make for the perfect boredom busters. Don’t let the summer pass you by without trying them! It’s easier than you think to engage your kiddos in activities.

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