Simple Water Games for Kids: No Pool Required

When the temperature rises this summer, your kids will need plenty of wet games to keep them cool. All that these water games require are a bucket of cool water and a variety of sponges (kids especially like the oversized car wash sponges) and/or a bag of water balloons and a garden hose. These games are especially good for towns and neighborhoods that have restrictions on daytime sprinkler use in the summer months. You can make water balloons extra slippery for any of these games by dunking them in soapy water before playing.

Have an over-under relay with a soaked sponge or water balloon. Line up all the kids in a single file line and give the first child a sponge or water balloon. The child passes the balloon over his head to the next child then runs to the back of the line. The next child passes the balloon through her legs and runs to the back of the line. The relay continues until the end of the yard is reached. Use a timer to time the total length of the relay and try to set a new record next time.

Kids can play "splash tag." One child is "it" and uses a soaked sponges to tag other children by tossing the sponge at their backs.

Get out the sponges and buckets of sudsy water and let your kids have a "bike wash." Let them clean up their bikes, scooters, cars, wagons, and other outdoor toys before rinsing them off with a bucket of clean water or a hose.

Use water balloons or water-logged sponges to play "hot potato".

Play dodgeball with a wet sponge. Keep a few of buckets of water around the perimeter so the kids can "load up" the sponges before tossing them and the competitors inside.

Play musical water balloon just like musical chairs, but with a water balloon instead of a chair. Let the kids pass the water balloon around while music plays. When the music stops, the individual holding the balloon is out.

Use sponges to have a bucket brigade. Have a large bucket of water on one end of the line and a smaller bucket at the other. The children need to soak a sponge with water in the large bucket then pass it along the line to the other end where they empty the sponge into the smaller bucket.

Let pairs of kids have a water balloon toss. See how many times they can toss the balloon back and forth without it bursting.