As the mercury rises and the days get longer, there’s no better way to beat the summer heat than with some fun kids water activities. Transform your own backyard into a refreshing escape from the sizzling sun, or take the party to your local park for a great day out.
You don’t need a swimming pool to have some water fun this season. With simple materials like water balloons, pool noodles, spray bottles, and a garden hose, you can create a spectacular water park at home that’ll keep the kids of all ages entertained and cool on a hot summer day.
Outdoor Water Activities and Games
These outdoor activities are perfect for the backyard, for keeping kids active and using up energy. Outdoor water play is perfect for summer fun on hot days.
- Water Balloon Baseball: What’s a fun summer water activity without a good old-fashioned water balloon fight? But how about a fun twist? Water balloon baseball is a fun take on the classic game. Fill up water balloons, grab a plastic bat, and let the games begin. It’s a great way to work on those fine motor skills while cooling off. Remember to have buckets of water at the starting line filled with water balloons for uninterrupted fun.
- Kiddie Car Wash: Transform your kiddie pool and PVC pipe into a kiddie car wash for both older and younger kids. Attach a garden hose and let the kids ride their plastic cars through. Add sponges and spray bottles for a full-service car wash.
- Sensory Bin Water Table: Fill a plastic tub with water, and add plastic cups, bottles, rubber bands, hula hoops, food coloring, and ice cubes for a sensory play experience. This water table serves as a great way to develop fine motor skills while staying cool. Combing the water table with sand is also a whole lot of fun, just like the beach.
- Water Balloon Toss: Pair the kids up and give each pair a water balloon. Have them toss the balloon back and forth, taking a step back after each successful toss. The last pair with their balloon intact wins. It’s a great way to keep cool and have some fun competition.
- Washing Toys: Who said cleaning can’t be fun? Fill a tub of water, add a little mild soap and give the kids some of their waterproof toys to wash. You can even give them an old toothbrush to scrub the toys clean. This activity is perfect for younger kids and can keep a busy toddler engaged for hours. It’s a great way to cool off while also getting some of those toys clean!
- Water Painting: This is one of the simplest yet most engaging activities for younger kids, and it’s practically mess-free. All you need is a bucket of water and some paintbrushes. Let the kids dip their brushes in water and “paint” the sidewalk, driveway, fence, or even the walls of the house. As the water evaporates, their canvas is automatically cleaned! This is not just a creative activity, but also a great way for kids to learn about evaporation in a fun way. For an added challenge, you can ask them to draw specific shapes or objects, or play a game of tic-tac-toe. Remember, the possibilities are as endless as your imagination!
- DIY Water Wall: This is an interactive and entertaining activity that encourages learning through play. You’ll need a few plastic water bottles, a sturdy piece of wood or a fence, and some duct tape or cable ties. Cut the bottoms off the plastic bottles and attach them to the wood in a zigzag pattern, ensuring that the mouth of one bottle leads to the opening of the one below. Once your wall is set up, give the kids a bucket of water and some cups. They can pour water into the topmost bottle and watch it flow down through the makeshift water wall. This is not just a great way to cool off, but it also helps kids understand gravity and the properties of water.
- Water the Plants: Even in a small outdoor space, give the kids some watering cans and put them to work watering all of the plants and they will have a lot of fun.
The beauty of these activities is that they require very few materials, most of which are readily available at home or can be purchased at a local dollar store.
What’s more, they encourage kids to explore different ways of having fun with water, thereby keeping them active and engaged all summer long.
And here are a few more summer fun water activities from our blogger friends…
Fun Water Play Activities For Kids Summer Fun
Looking for ways to keep the kids cool and entertained this summer? Dive into our water play activities list filled with fun, creative, and easy-to-set-up water activities. From DIY water splash pads to water experiments, we've got your summer sorted!
Using a heavy-duty plastic sheet, duct tape, and a garden hose, you can create mini water blobs for kids to jump and lay on. This is a great way to beat the summer heat, and have a whole lot of fun.
Make your own splash pad for those hot days, in just 30 minutes. This one is great for toddlers and younger kids as the water is shallow.
All you need for this fun water game is a giant plastic mat (a tarp works great too), a water hose, and some good old duct tape. It's a great alternative to pricey water park trips and it's sure to provide hours of fun. Add a little bit of mild soap for extra slide.
Build fine motor skills and have fun experimenting with water in this simple water play activity for toddlers and preschoolers that can be done indoors or outdoors
Make your own sailboats and have lots of fun racing them once you're done building.
Water play is not only fun, but can be just as educational! This simple activity is an easy way to boost your child's learning of sight words over the summer.
A fun take on the traditional Duck Duck Goose game. The child who is "it" carries a cup of water and splashes the chosen person before running to avoid getting doused themselves.
Set up a fun water obstacle course with pool noodles, hula hoops, buckets of water, and finish with a water balloon toss. The kids will love racing to the finish line, getting soaked along the way.
Convert a pool noodle into a fun water slide for your marbles. This simple diy water marble run gives hours of fun for kids of all ages.
Combine water and paint for some splashing and artistic fun in this classic summer art activity.
Make a collection of pool noodle boats, then race them in the paddling pool or in a tub of water.
All you need to make your own sprinkler is a plastic water bottle, a hose and a knife to cut some holes. Tonnes of summer water play fun on a budget
Have sensory science and water fun with this fizzy ice cubes experiment this summer
This is not just a fun activity but also a great way to introduce kids to the concept of absorption and color blending.
For this, you'll need some plastic cups, food coloring, water, and paper towels. Fill the cups with water and add different food coloring to each. Arrange them in a circle and place folded paper towels from one cup to the next.
Watch the water "walk" from one cup to another and create new colors in the process.
For a unique sensory experience, try ice cube painting. Fill an ice cube tray with water, add a drop of food coloring to each section, and insert a popsicle stick or a plastic spoon.
Once frozen, these ice paints can be used to create vibrant, melting art on a hot day. Plus, it’s a great way to cool off. Just make sure to do this activity outside or place a mat for easy clean-up!
Water sensory bins are perfect for summer, making outdoor water play fun and engaging. You can tailor the theme to your child's interests and this one is perfect for LEGO lovers.
Make music with colorful water with this classic water experiment.
Use salad tongs for little hands to pick up cubes of ice and transfer from one container to another. You would be suprised how long this can keep little minds occupied and entertained, all the while building up valuable developmental skills for the future
Make your own water bombs from sponges, for a sustainable and re-usable alternative that can be used for a fun sponge toss game.
Have fun racing each other with this clever idea that involves shooting paper cups with your water gun to push them along the line towards the finish.
Hang water balloons from a tree or a sturdy structure and have kids whack them like a piñata. It's a fun way to enjoy water balloons, especially for younger kids who might not enjoy the roughness of a water balloon fight.
Happy water playing!
Recommended Water Play Toys
No summer is complete without engaging water play, and the right toys can make these activities even more enjoyable. Whether you’re planning a water balloon fight, setting up a homemade water slide, or organizing a refreshing water obstacle course, certain toys are sure to elevate the fun.
Here are some recommended water play toys that are not only safe and durable but also promise to add an extra splash of excitement to your summer water adventures. These toys can turn any hot day into a refreshing, fun-filled fiesta for kids of all ages.
Please note that this blog post contains affiliate links. These are items that I personally recommend, and if you purchase through these links, I may earn a small commission at no additional cost to you.
Re-usable Water Balloons
These reusable water balloons are a great idea, super easy for kids to fill and refill by themselves, it avoids plastic waste all over the garden like traditional water balloons or water bombs, and you can just keep using them over and over again all summer.
We have a bunch of these and would definitely recommend.
Water pistols
Some kind of water pistols or water gun is a must for us each summer. These smaller types are easy for even young kids to hold and manage, as larger powerful water blasters can be heavy for the little ones – although my older boys love them.
These basic water pistols are great for any of the activities above like water gun painting and so on.
Water play table
Although you can make your own water sensory bin too, if you have a young toddler this summer then a water play table is an investment that is definitely going to pay off in play value. You can get a few summers out of it, and toddlers love them.
Going for a good quality brand like Little Tikes would be our recommendation to make sure it lasts.
Pool noodles
Pool noodles are another inexpensive and versatile water play toy that’s worth adding to your tool kit this summer.
You can use them to float in the pool, or to make boats, and so much more.
Remember to always supervise water play to ensure safety, and most importantly, have fun! These activities provide opportunities for learning, sensory play, and plenty of fun. From the first person who tosses a water balloon to the next person ready to jump in the kiddie pool, these summer activities will ensure that the end of the line for fun will never be in sight.
This summer, forget the sweltering trips to a crowded water park. These creative ways to use water balloons, water guns, pool noodles, and even your garden hose promise a whole lot of laughs, squeals, and memories.
Keep the kids busy and cool this summer with these fun water games and activities. Don’t forget to add beach balls, water blobs, or a splash pad for extra fun.
So grab that sunblock, bring out the water play ideas, and prepare for a day of wet and wild fun in your own backyard.
These water activities are the perfect way to spend a hot day, keeping the kids entertained while providing a fun and refreshing way to beat the summer heat.
More Summer Fun
- Shadow Names Outdoor Summer Activity
- Exploring Sunography: Making Sun Prints
- Free Printable Popsicle Template For Kids Crafts
- 25 Cheerful Sun Crafts for Toddlers
- Egg Carton Ice Cream Cones
- Decorate the Ice Cream Play Dough Mats
- 20 Fun and Frugal ideas to create the Best Backyard Playground for your Kids this Summer
- 10 Amazing Playhouses and Tree Houses You’ll Love
Happy Splashing!
These water activities are fantastic for keeping kids entertained and cool during the summer months. From water balloon baseball to DIY splash pads, there are so many creative and engaging ideas. I especially love the sensory bin water table and the water painting activity. Thank you for sharing these fun and refreshing ideas for outdoor play!