Tips for Creating a Backyard Water Park Birthday Party

The hot, sultry days of summer are perfect for a Water Park birthday party. Kids naturally love water, and instead of planning the same old games and activities, treat your kids to a water park birthday party right in your own back yard! The cool water will keep kids comfortable, happy, and entertained and you won't even need to have an agenda, just let them run free and have fun!

Create your own water park for a cool, refreshing summer birthday party by hooking up a couple garden hoses and running them into the back yard. There are a lot of water features you can create so the kids are spread out in the yard and have ample opportunities to play.

Splash pools are always popular with young children and toddlers. Fill a shallow wading pool with a few inches of water, and add some rubber ducks or toy boats. Be sure to put the pool in a partially-shaded area so the water doesn't get too hot. Have an adult constantly supervising the splash pool at your birthday party; very young children can drown in only an inch or two of water.

Create your own water slide by fastening a water hose to the top edge of the swingset slide and letting run down the sliding surface. Turn on the water and let the kids slide away! Put a small wading pool at the bottom edge of the slide for a splashy exit.

In another section of the yard, hook up a lawn sprinkler to spray the children with water. If you've only got one outside hose connection, put the sprinkler near the slide so the spray keeps the slide wet.

To truly recreate the beach experience, have a sandbox for the children to play in. Dampen the sand slightly and provide the kids with small buckets or sand mold to create a fantastic sand castle. You could also bury small party favors, like plastic insects, in the sand and let them dig until they find one to take home.

Slip-n-slides are always popular with children, but if your kids are like my grandkids, they can also be a bit risky. The plastic slip-n-slides are very slick when wet, and my grandkids think they all have to go at the same time. Have an adult supervise the birthday party fun to make sure the kids take turns so you don't have any one getting accidentally kicked or injured!

And nothing beats a good ol' spraying with the water hose! This is one of my grandkid's favorite water activities; they'd rather chase each other around the yard with the hose than anything else. We have house rules that don't allow spraying directly into the face, and the kids are not allowed to spray those who don't want sprayed.

For a birthday pary game you can hold a water balloon tossing contest. Line the children up in two rows facing each other. Give each child in one row a water balloon. The child must toss it to their partner in the opposite row, and the partner must catch the balloon without breaking it. The partners then toss the balloon back and forth (the children all toss at the same time) until there is only one balloon left. The partners are the winners of the game, and may each receive a small prize of a beach ball or sand bucket.

There are also huge, inflatable water slides and other water toys, if your budget allows, but if not the kids will still have a great time in your back yard water park. And don't forget that no birthday party is complete without cake and ice cream, and some cool, refreshing drinks like fruit punch or lemonade. You may want to let the children play for a while, then take a break for refreshments. Once refreshments are served, the children may want to get back to playing in the water, or they may be tuckered out and choose to rest while they dry out! Provide some beach towels or blankets to sit or lay on.

Yes, this party will run up your water bill if you have one, but an outing to Chuck E Cheese isn't cheap either! And you'll have saved on gas by celebrating at home. Send each child home with a small sand bucket or other beach toy as a party favor. I'll bet your child will beg for a water park birthday party again next year!