Cool down during the summer with 25 water balloon games for you and your kids! Spend the season doing fun games with water balloons in your backyard or at the park.
25 Water Balloon Games
Do you need help with what you can do with water balloons aside from tossing them? We rounded up the 25 best water balloon games for kids and water balloon games for adults!
Stock up on plenty of water balloons because your kids will want to play with them every day. You might also like these Summer Games for Kids and Family Games for Outdoors.
1. Basketball Game
Let the kids achieve their basketball player dreams with this easy game. You don’t need an official hoop because you can use your bucket for an easy water balloon game idea.
Learning Numbers with Water Balloon Basketball
Learning numbers is super fun with this water balloon basketball game! This move and learn math activity is an excellent way to teach number recognition!
Learning Numbers with Water Balloon Basketball
2. Target Game
Add a twist to water balloon playtime by making kids toss them toward a target! You can make the target with chalk paint to make it fun and colorful. The one who shoots at the center targets the most wins the game.
Water Balloon Target Practice
We love to play with water balloons. The traditional tossing it back-and-forth is a favorite….as well as throwing them at each other! This is another simple idea for a water balloon activity for kids.
Water Balloon Target Practice
3. Angry Birds Water Balloon Game
Let your kids play real life angry birds with water balloons through this summer game. Draw pigs on the ground with chalk so your kid has a target.
ANGRY BIRDS INSPIRED WATER BALLOON GAME
Blast those darn piggies with water balloon Angry Birds! Inspired by the mega popular video game Angry Birds this takes the game outside into the sun for fun all summer long.Earlier this year we featured a post by contributing writer Kim about playing Real Life Angry Birds. Well because of that post I finally downloaded the game and have been not so shamefully in love with the game ever since
ANGRY BIRDS INSPIRED WATER BALLOON GAME
4. Hot Potato Game
When the music stops on you, and you’re still holding the water balloon, you’re out! This game follows the traditional hot potato rules, except the kids use water balloons. Players take turns tossing the balloon to another player.
Water Balloon Games: Hot Potato
Water balloon games are good, clean, fun with just a hint of treachery. Water Balloon Hot Potato cranks up the suspense as players pass a water balloon from hand-to-hand until the music stops. What happens next is up to the person holding the bag – of water.
Water Balloon Games: Hot Potato
5. Tic Tac Toe Game
Replace the letters on Tic Tac Toe with water balloons the next time you play! This can be played by team members or solo, as long as you have enough balloons.
Water Balloon Tic-Tac-Toe
Make a huge tic-tac-toe grid outdoors using thick rope (or chalk if on pavement). Divide your group into two teams and place them in single file lines at least 25 feet from the grid. Each team takes a turn trying to get three in a row by landing a water balloon in an empty space.
Water Balloon Tic-Tac-Toe
6. Fight Game
A fun way for kids to cool down is by having a water balloon fight. Kids love a good battle, so why not hit two birds with one stone? Set your own rules, like no one throws the water balloons at anyone’s face.
Hot Summer Fun Time – Water Balloon Fight Playing Rules
Although going to the beach for a fun day in the sun is appealing, it is not always practical. As a result, a summer balloon battle is one of the best ways to cool off during the summer sun.
Hot Summer Fun Time – Water Balloon Fight Playing Rules
7. Painting Game
Let your kids have fun while learning with this easy painting game for summer fun! You can fill the balloons with water and add a drop of food dye to each. Let the kids toss them on the target to create a masterpiece.
Water Balloon Painting
With summer here I have seen (and received) a lot of questions from parents who are worried about their children regressing over the three months of no school.
Water Balloon Painting
8. Classic Water Balloon Toss Game
Each player must catch the balloon thrown at them in teams of two. This toss activity is similar to Catch the Ball, but you toss water balloons instead! Remind the kids they’re out if the water balloon pops.
WATER BALLOON TOSS
Split players into teams of two. Form two straight lines, with teammates facing each other. Then have each player take a big step back from their teammate and toss the balloon to them. The opposite player must catch the balloon without popping it. If a balloon pops, that team is out. Have the remaining teams take a big step backward after each successful toss until every team has popped their balloon. The last team with an intact balloon wins!
WATER BALLOON TOSS
9. Yoyo Game
Bounce a couple of water balloons around by making them into yoyos. Fill up the water balloon and tightly tie a rubber band to it! Make extra water balloons so the kids have a backup in case they pop.
Simple Water Balloon Yoyos
These water balloon yoyos are easy to make and fun to play with! Your kids will love bouncing these water balloon yoyos up and down and spinning them around!
Simple Water Balloon Yoyos
10. Jousting Game
Make the kids pop the water balloons by jousting them with a fork! Attach the water balloons to a foam kickboard with duct tape for this activity.
Water Balloon Jousting Game
During the warm summer months, the most popular outdoor activities all seem to revolve around water. Bring water into the mix and the kids are all ready to join in the fun. We designed a fun new water balloon game that the kids had a ball testing out this week. We’re sure your kids will be all for this outdoor family fun too.
Water Balloon Jousting Game
11. Duck Duck Splash Game
Add a twist to duck, duck, goose by using water balloons! In duck, duck, splash, you toss a balloon on the person you want to tag. This is perfect if your kids want to cool down on a hot summer day.
DUCK DUCK SPLASH
Here’s a new summer water twist for you on a fun classic game. It’s been really hot here the last week or so, and my son (like most kids) loves to cool off by getting wet. He went to a fun day camp that was all about water. There were plenty of Summer water games for kids, and they played a really fun water version of Duck Duck Goose.
DUCK DUCK SPLASH
12. Water Balloon Dodge Ball
Did you know this classic activity can also be played with water balloons? Beat the summer heat with your kids by playing water balloon dodgeball!
Play water dodgeball
Get outdoors and play this watery version of a classic team game. Can you cause a splash without getting hit?
Play water dodgeball
13. Baseball Game
Enjoy playing baseball during the summer with water balloons. Like in the original game, you need a baseball bat and marks for each base. Stock up on water balloons for this activity because you will need a lot!
Water Balloon Baseball
Water balloon baseball is very easy to set up and keeps the family entertained for hours. I want to share what we found works best and some variations on how to play water balloon baseball.
Water Balloon Baseball
14. Water Balloon Obstacle Course Game
Arrange a fun and refreshing summer activity with this water balloon obstacle course with a start and finish line. Compile water balloon games and create an entire routine for the game in your backyard.
WATER OBSTACLE COURSE
Summer means sun, and what better way to cool yourself down than water games? I came up with a fun water obstacle course for my kids to do on one of our hot summer days.
WATER OBSTACLE COURSE
15. Water Balloon Relay Race Game
The kids will love this challenging yet fun water balloon game. They must get the balloon to the end of the line without using their hands! You can make them compete against each other or make them fill a bucket.
Back to Back Water Balloon Dash A Fun Summer Water Balloon Game to Play
This Water Balloon Dash is an Easy and Fun Water Balloon Game to Play with kids, youth, and even adults. It’s such a Simple Relay Race to set up and a fun summer game to play as a group! Come on in and I’ll show you how to set up and play this fun water balloon game…
Back to Back Water Balloon Dash A Fun Summer Water Balloon Game to Play
16. Guessing Game
This easy guessing game makes your kids guess what’s inside the balloon. Aside from water, you can add other stuff inside the ball that they can imagine! This is a fun sensory activity where kids of all ages can play.
Mystery Sensory Balloons
A fun party game for kids, tweens and teens! An easy party game for kids, tweens, teens and even adults that can be played inside or outdoors with no mess to clean up!
Mystery Sensory Balloons
17. Wacky Water Balloon Tag Game
Add a twist to this traditional playground game by adding water balloons. For someone to be a chaser, they must be tagged with a water balloon! Once you’ve been tagged, you’re safe from chasing everyone around until everyone’s been tagged.
How to Play Wacky Water Balloon Tag
Cool off quickly on hot, sunny days when you add water balloon wackiness to a regular game of backyard tag. It’s a simple, silly game that gets the wiggles—not to mention the giggles—out. So, go get your bathing suits on!
How to Play Wacky Water Balloon Tag
18. Water Balloon Spoon Race Game
Mix up the spoon race game rules by replacing the eggs with water balloons. The kids must get to the finish line with the balloon still on the wooden spoon. The first one who gets to the end wins the game!
20. Water Balloon Volleyball Game
The rules for water balloon volleyball are the same as those for the toss game! But instead of using their hands, the kids must use a beach towel. The pointing system of volleyball will let the teams acquire points.
21. Water Balloon Piñatas Game
Energize your kids this summer vacation by playing with water balloon piñatas. To add more fun to the game, they can play it blindfolded for the excitement! Make sure to use a sturdy rope to hang the piñatas on.
22. Capture the Flag Game
Capture the Flag should have four or more players to make it fun and challenging. Divide them into teams wherein they must get the flag of each section to win. A water balloon can be thrown at the player to tag or capture them.
Capture the Flag
Capture the flag is one of the most popular wide games ever and is great to play on a youth camp in a location with plenty of running space.
Capture the Flag
23. Water Balloon Scavenger Hunt Game
This game is the summer version of easter egg hunting, so you can stay refreshed! Hide water balloons everywhere in your backyard and let the kids find them. The kid who finds the most balloons wins the scavenger hunt.
Water Balloon Scavenger Hunt
There are so many games you can play with water balloons. Good old fashioned games like catching with a partner and then…
Water Balloon Scavenger Hunt
24. Colander Catch Game
This colander catch adds a twist to the classic toss game. The kid must be able to toss the water balloon into the next player’s colander. The challenge is the balloons must not be popped when it gets tossed.`
Water Balloon Challenge – Youth Group Games
This week we have another water game for youth groups – one that’s designed to make a big splash! Here’s how to play this water balloon challenge:
Water Balloon Challenge – Youth Group Games
25. Tennis Game
Let your kids play water balloon tennis if they want to get soaked during summer! Prepare a lot of balloons for this game because they will pop open a lot. Tip, you can turn on the sprinklers to make it more fun.
Water-Balloon Tennis!
This summer has been unusually hot on the east coast, so to beat the heat I and my family, created a new game/sport to cool down. Introducing- Water-Balloon Tennis!! Perfect when you aren't quite in the mood for a water-balloon fight, and it's too hot to play real tennis.
Water-Balloon Tennis!
