Best Water Games for Kids and Adults

Whether you’re looking for water games for children or water games for adults, this list has something to keep you cool throughout the summer.

It’s all here, from water balloon games to sprinkler-related games and even one of the most challenging water bottle flips you’ll ever attempt. For sure, cool down fun. Try one or ten of these interesting water games on a hot summer day!

Fun Water Games For Kids & Adults

Isn’t it wonderful to play water games on a hot summer’s day? I’m not talking about just playing water games with kids – I’m a huge adult fan of water games as well!

Water games should be on everyone’s list of activities to do this summer! We played all of these interesting water games with my son, my friend’s kids, and my family and had a great time – both children and adults.

These would look fantastic with any of these outdoor camping games on summer vacation! Or perhaps used as field day activities for kids at school.

After a water game, why not serve up a delicious dessert like these blue lemonade popsicles or this Strawberry Poke Cake?

I’ve outlined each game on this list like they’re kids’ water games, yet I’ve included a note about how you may easily adapt each of them to adult water games. Or just play all together!

Do you want to try some new activities to cool down? Continue playing these pool games!

Check out how fun these games are here!

Supplies For These Water Games

Fortunately, the principal source of fun water games is just water. But these water sports involve a little more than that but not much more! Here’s a list of everything you’ll need for all of the games, whether you want to play them or participate in them!

• Water guns
• Water balloons (get these ones that autofill, they are so amazing!)
• Plastic buckets
• Large sponges (these ones are perfect!)
• Tarp
• Hose
• Empty water bottles
• The sprinkler of some kind
• Plastic cups that fit in your bucket for filling Volleyball Net
• Dixie cups or use the same plastic cups
• Table
• Beach Towels
• Duct Tape
• Kiddie Pool
• Plastic Diving Rings

Outdoor Water Games

I have mentioned as much information as I know about each of these games, but if you have any more questions, please leave a comment, and I’ll try to respond! If you don’t want to play water games, these fantastic outdoor games are a great alternative!

Water Racing Games

These are water sports where the team is running to do something, whether filling a bucket with water or catching a diving ring with their toes!

1. Cup To Cup

Supplies:

Two buckets and plastic cups

Prep:

1. Pour a whole bucket of water into the grass and have a player sit just behind the bucket.
2. The rest of the team should sit in a straight line behind the first player.
3. Turn the last person in line around to face the other way, resulting in two players back-to-back rather than one after another.
4. Place another small bucket or a bucket with a marked half-line in front of the last player.

Play:

1. Give the first player an empty cup. They should dip the cup into the full bucket of water and pass it over their head to the next child.
2. The second child must pass it to the third, and so on until the last child on the team pours water from the cup into the empty bucket.
3. Then turn the empty cup of water back to the front.

Win:

The first team to fill the bucket is the winner.

Adult Version:

Blindfold everyone in the line.

2. Sponge Toss

Supplies:

Large sponges, two plastic buckets

Prep:

1. Place a full bucket of water on one side of the yard and an empty bucket on the other.
2. Teams may put their players anywhere between the two buckets, but they’re frozen in position and can’t be moved once they’ve been lined up.
3. One player should be positioned next to the full bucket and another next to the empty bucket on each team.

Play:

1. The first player must submerge the sponge in a full bucket of water, attempting to soak up as much water as possible.
2. The sponge must be passed from player to player until it reaches the final player standing near the empty bucket.
3. That player takes out the sponge and passes the empty sponge back down the line.

Win:

The first team to fill their bucket in the marked line wins.

Adult Version:

The buckets should be set further apart, requiring the sponge to be hurled with more force and length to reach the next player.

3. Sponge Run

Supplies:

Two plastic buckets, large sponges

Prep:

1. Fill a kiddie pool or a bucket with water (or place an empty bucket) on one side of the yard and an empty bucket on the other.
2. Give each kid a sponge and have them wait by the entire bucket of water (or kiddie pool).

Play:

1. Players must submerge the sponge in the water, absorbing as much water as possible.
2. Then they have to put the sponge on their head and hold it there as they run to the empty bucket, attempting to retain as much water out of the sponge as possible.
3. Continue until someone reaches the mark on the empty bucket, wringing out the sponge in the bucket before returning.

Win:

The first person to fill his bucket in the marked line wins.

Adult Version:

To get to the bucket, they must keep their sponge on their head as they walk. They must balance the sponge on their head without holding it, just as they would while walking. They must return to the filling station if their sponge drops.

4. Water Bottle Toss

Supplies:

Empty plastic bucket and kiddie pool (or hose)

Prep:

1. Fill the plastic kiddie pool with water and place an empty water bottle (or several) in the pool.
2. Place an empty bucket on another side of the yard.

Play:

1. This game is similar to the sponge toss above, except instead of filled water bottles, you’ll be tossing open water bottles. To fill an empty bucket, a player must fill a water bottle with water either from a kiddie pool or a hose and throw it over the line of their teammates.
2. Please make sure that teammates are standing far enough apart in this one, so they’ll have to throw the water bottle harder and make it spin, getting them wet.

Win:

The first team to fill their bucket is the winner.

Adult Version:

Instead, use 2-liter soda bottles.

5. Kiddie Pool and Toe Diving

Supplies:

Diving rings (or other pool toys), Kiddie Pool

Prep:

1. Set up a complete kiddie pool with all kinds of fun toys, rings, and other items.

Play:

1. When you say go, children must use only their toes to try to gather as many objects from the kiddie pool as possible.

Win:

The winner is the person who can get something out first or the one with the most things removed.

Adult Version:

Players were blindfolded for the game.

Water Balloon Games

This section is all about the most enjoyable water games you can perform with water balloons! Water balloon fights and games have become much easier to organize since these auto-fill water balloons became a reality!

You can always have a normal water balloon fight, but these games are far more entertaining! Have a water balloon fight with the rest of the water balloons once you’ve played any of these games!

Finally, don’t forget that you may play a water balloon collecting game with your kids. Simply see who can collect the most pieces in a set amount of time and award the winner with something like a water gun. If you’re playing with kids, there’s no need to worry about safety when it comes to this. You win if you pick up X amount of water balloon pieces and put them in the trash!

6. Water Balloon Dodgeball

Supplies:

A large bucket, tape or plastic cones (for faster filling), and a water balloon are required.

Prep:

1. Fill up a whole lot of water balloons and place them in the middle of your yard. Water balloons that are a little larger, so they break easily (but not so simple that they snap when you throw them) are ideal for this game.
2. Make a line between your yard’s two halves with the bucket in the middle of that line by using tape or cones.
3. One team went on each side of the line and divided the player into two groups.

Play:

Water balloon dodgeball is similar to regular dodgeball. Here are the regulations.

• Players must compete for a water balloon from the bucket in the middle of the yard when you say go, then shoot water balloons at each other from their own side of the yard.
• If someone hits a water balloon (not just water if it falls on the group) and the water balloon really breaks, they are out and have to sit on the sidelines.
• If a water balloon hits them, and it merely bounces off them, they can pick up the balloon and continue playing. You can say they’re out If it connects.
• A water balloon that is thrown at someone may be caught; thus, the person who launched it is out, and the individual who catches the water balloon can bring someone back in from the sidelines who was previously out.
• If the water balloon breaks while trying to catch it, the person trying to catch the balloon is out.

Win:

The team with the final remaining member wins.

Adult Version:

Balloons must truly break on the players and cannot simply be thrown at them.

7. Water Balloon Toss

Supplies:

Water balloons use this auto-fill one for faster filling

Prep:

1. Everyone should pick a partner and stand in two straight lines, facing one another.
2. Give each team a sponge or a water balloon if you’re playing with small children.

Play:

1. Ask someone to count to three, and at three, everyone should toss a water balloon to their partner.
2. If they catch the water balloon or drop the water balloon and it does not break, a team member takes a step back (keep everyone in line).
3. They’re out if the water balloon hits the ground and bursts, or they miss it while trying to catch it.
4. Continue tossing the water balloons and taking all steps back simultaneously until there is only one team left.

Win:

The person who drops their water balloon first wins.

Adult Version:

Teams must not drop the balloon but instead catch it (even if it doesn’t break).

8. Water Balloon Volleyball

Supplies:

Outdoor volleyball net, water balloons, beach towels

Prep:

1. Set up your volleyball net, divide your group into two teams, and place one team on either side of the volleyball net. Teams should have an even number of players.
2. Give each and every pair of players a beach towel, and one person holds one side of the towel while another holds the other.

Play:

1. Give one team a water balloon to begin.
2. The team must place the water balloon in their beach towel (being held by a player) and throw it using only their towel (and the arms to hold the towel over the net).
3. The opposing team should attempt to catch the water balloon in one of their towels.
4. Keep moving the water balloon back and forth over the net until one team drops it.
5. The team that serves gets two points for each ace (the opposing team drops or breaks it on the serve).

Win:

The team which has the majority of points after ten minutes is the winner.

Adult Version:

Instead of water balloons, use full-size balloons.

9. Water Balloon Hot Potato

Supplies:

Water balloons and a way to entertain oneself with music

Prep:

1. Fill the balloons with water and have everyone sit in a circle in the yard.
2. Give a water balloon to one person in the circle.

Play:

1. Around the circle, players must pass a water balloon while the music plays.
2. Stop the music at any time (without looking at the circle, so you don’t know who has it), and the person who has the balloon when the music stops must pop it above their head and is out.
3. When the music stops, if there is doubt about who “has” the water balloon (e.g., two persons are holding it or someone hurled it after the music stopped), make a decision using rock paper scissors.
4. Play till then; there is only one player remaining.

Win:

The last person remaining in the circle wins.

Adult Version:

The balloon may be moved out to create a gap of several feet between the people and have them throw the balloon from one person to the next.

If it’s a bad pass to the next person, that person is out. If the throw is excellent, but the receiver drops it, the person who dropped the balloon is out.

Sprinkler Water Games

These are variations of some of the best kid’s games you can play with sprinkler running! The sprinkler adding a new element of wetness makes these some of the most enjoyable water games that we played all day!

10. Sprinkler Red Light Green Light

Play:

This is just a standard red light and green light game with a sprinkler for added fun. Here are the rules!

Have one kid stand at the far side of the yard as the caller and have the other kids line up at the opposite side of the yard. Set and turn on the sprinkler in the middle of the yard.

The caller says green light while will turn their back to the other kid. Once the caller says green light, the rest of the children will attempt to cross the yard to reach the caller. When the caller turned around and said, “red light,” the kids had to freeze where they were. If they don’t freeze, all finished teams will be returned to the start line if they don’t freeze.

The first person to call the recipient is the winner. You either offer fun prizes, or that person becomes the next caller.

Sprinklers in the middle of the yard add a charming aspect because they never know when the collar will turn, and they can be right next to it, drenched in full red light.

There is no one winner in this game; it’s all about having fun!

11. Sprinkler Sharks And Minnows

Play:

This is a typical kid’s game with the added enjoyment of utilizing a sprinkler, just like the red light and green light above.

Children should be arranged on one side of the yard (the minnows), and one youngster (the shark) should stand in the middle of the yard. Set up a sprinkler in the yard that will get most people wet.

When the shark says to swim across, all of the minnows must run across the yard to the other side before the shark tags them. If the shark tags them, they become a shark and try to tag minnows in the next round.

A sprinkler is also a shark, so if the sprinkler hits them, they become a shark as well.

The last remaining minnow becomes the next shark after the game is finished.

Water Games Just To Get Wet

Finally, a few water games and exercises are created just to get kids wet. These are some of the most entertaining activities to execute when the weather is hot. You may either accomplish these activities on your own or play one of the games listed below and finish with super soakers!

12. Water Wars

That’s what it sounds like when you hear it.

Get out of the way hoses, water guns, water balloons, cups, buckets, and anything else you might use to hold water.

Divide into two teams and do whatever you can to soak up each other. There are no winners in this game; everyone ends up drenched!

13. Slip N Slide

Purchase a large and wide piece of tarp from a local home improvement shop.

Tape it under the grass on a hill. Get the tarp nice and wet, and then place the hose on top of the slide to keep it wet while the kids play. Kids may slide down the tarp to the bottom of the hill after running and jumping on it.

It’s even better if you add a little amount of dish soap to make it extra slippery!

If you don’t want to buy a tarp, this store-bought Slip ‘N’ Slide is a great alternative!

14. Cup Of Chance

Supplies:

Table and a Dixie cups

Prep:

1. Place a row of cups on a table.

Fill half of the cups with water and leave the other half empty.

Play:

1. Take turns choosing a cup without looking (blindfolding or covering their eyes), one at a time.
2. Once they have selected the cup, they have to throw it over their head.
3. If there is water in the cup, they are drenched and ejected.
4. They keep going to the following round if there isn’t any water.

Win:

The winner is the last dry kid standing.

Adult Version:

Alternatively, try using larger cups or having someone else dump the cups on people’s heads so they don’t know what’s coming (as you can tell if a cup is empty or full).

15. Water Olympics

Select a few of the games listed above and organize a water Olympics, in which competitors participate in a series of water games. Give winners medals made of tin foil and poker chips.

You could combine it with these Olympic party games for a complete Olympic extravaganza!

Prizes For Water Games

You made these games even more exciting by offering small prizes to the winners. Keep things simple and make sure everyone receives something, whether it be a prize or a snow cone. The following are some simple prize suggestions:

• little water guns
• bubbles
• rubber duckies
• pool toys
• small water bottles with fun labels
• sandcastle buckets
• packs of Goldfish
• gummy sharks
• Swedish fish