20 Exciting Water Balloon Games to Keep Kids Entertained

A battlefield full of splashes, squeezes, sparkling eyes, hands clutching colored water balloons, and endless giggles; what a sight! Gather your little warriors and prepare the ground for some aquatic adventures in your backyard. The secret for a perfect summer splash is just a bunch of water balloons and some creative activities and unexpected twists, which everyone will love.

In this blog, we will help you infuse joy into regular afternoons to entertain your little ones. Be generous while playing as kids get competitive with scoring. Adult supervision is mandatory to avoid hurting each other while throwing water balloons.

Take those lil swimsuits out and grab those water balloons for a fun-filled gathering.

1. Water Balloon Piñata

It is a very fun and refreshing game; kids find it both challenging and entertaining. All you need is a string, water balloons, and a plastic stick or bat.

• Fill the water balloons half with water; to make it more festive, use colored balloons.
• Set the piñata by suspending the water balloon with the string from a pole or a tree in the garden. Make sure it is sturdy enough and at an appropriate height based on the age of the kids.
• If you are playing this with older kids, you can use a blindfold or let another participant adjust the height of the piñata.
• If you are playing with young kids, let the water balloon oscillate and encourage the participants to hit it.

2. Water Balloon Toss

This is a great game for kids who do not enjoy running around and is also a super easy game for kids of all age groups. All you need is a toss board, water balloons, and a scorecard.

• To prepare a toss board, make holes of 3 to 4 sizes, big enough for the water balloon to pass through. Assign scores to each hole; this helps you maintain the scores of the participants.
• Fill the water balloon of different sizes to make it more bring balloons of different shapes and colors.
• Make the participants stand in front of the toss board at a reasonable distance based on their age and height.
• To make this game interesting for older kids, blind, fold, and keep score of the throws.

3. Back-to-back Water Balloon Race

This is a great activity for kids to play as a duo; it requires partners to work towards a common goal. All you need is a good space free of rocks or stones and water balloons.

• Set up a course as simple as a straight line or zigzag pathway, or you can make it complicated for older kids by introducing cones, obstacles, etc.
• Have two teams stand at the start point and try to hold the water balloon between their backs and reach the finish point without popping it.
• The first team that reaches the finish point without popping the balloon wins; if the balloon pops, the team should start again from the starting point.
• To make it more interesting, set a timer and keep track of the number of balloons reaching the finish point in a minute.

4. Water Balloon Dodgeball

Dodgeball is fun! But dodgeball with water balloons is extra fun; kids love to play this game as it is easy to play and easy to learn. You might need at least 100 water balloons for this game to make the most of this game.

• Divide the participants into two teams and make the area into two parts. Keep a bucket full of water balloons in the central zone.
• A member from the initiating team should come to the central zone and pick up two water balloons and go back to the return line before throwing the water balloons.
• The opposite team members should dodge and try to escape the balloon thrown by the other team.
• Participants that get hit by the balloon. Depending on the balloon type, you can decide whether or not the balloon should break on the team member to consider as out.

5. Water Balloon Baseball

A ball game with water balloons is just the right game for kids of all ages. All you need is a baseball bat. If not, a plastic bat works, too, plenty of water balloons.

• Divide the participants into two teams; one team will throw the water balloons, and the other team for batting. Switch the roles of the teams once the whole team is out.
• The opposite team should hit the water balloon coming towards them; if the team misses the water balloon, then he/she is out.

6.Water Balloon Hot Potato

Who doesn’t love musical chairs? It is even more fun with water balloons. This is a great game to start a party and also helps kids mingle with their friends.

• Make the kids sit in a circle at an equal distance; if you are planning it for older kids, make them sit a little far from each other.
• Start playing the music and have them pass the water balloon pass till the music stops, and the one left with the water balloon by the time music stops is out.
• Pop the water balloon over the participant’s head and continue the game. The last one to sustain wins the game.

7. Fill the Bucket

This is a very simple time management game for kids to enjoy. All you need is buckets, plenty of water balloons, a stopwatch, and a device to measure the water in the buckets.

• Arrange the field and divide the zone into two parts and place two buckets; one at the start line filled with water balloons and an empty bucket at the finish line. Under adult supervision, arrange small sharp objects like a safety pin or a nail to help kids pop the balloon.
• Start the timer and let the participants grab the water balloon and run towards the finish point, and they should pop the balloon into the bucket to fill it with water.
• By the end of 2 minutes, the participant who accumulates more water in the bucket wins.

8. Water Balloon Target

Find out how good your kid can aim through this target game, and make it even more fun by playing it with water balloons.

• To prepare a target, you can choose an object like a tree trunk, hanging cans, or a pole, or you can even mark something on the ground.
• Have the kids hit the object with water balloons; every correct hit gets the point. If the balloon did not burst, reuse the balloons for the next round.
• You can even make it a competition by setting up a timer or by counting the right hits.
• You can even mark numbers on the ground and ask kids to identify and target a particular number, which is a great learning experience for preschoolers.

9. Water Balloon Fight

A simple water balloon fight for kids who love to run around and get wet. No one wins, no one is out, and everyone gets to play and enjoy for a while. All you need is plenty of water balloons.

• Fill the water balloons with kid-friendly colored water of different colors.
• Divide the kids into 2 teams and assign a color to each team and have them throw the water balloons at each other.
• If the balloons do not pop, they can reuse

10. Water Balloon Basketball

What a dunk! Kids love ball games, and basketball is one of their favorites. But basketball with water balloons is really fun. You can either set up a small basketball hoop, or you can use buckets and cardboard boxes on a chair as a hoop.

• For a hoop, take a bucket and set it up at a height based on the kid’s height and age. If you use a container, it helps with reusing the water balloons.
• Have the kids throw the water balloons through the hoop from different heights or distances.
• To make it more interesting for older kids, you can blindfold them. The one who misses the basket is out.

11. Water Balloon Stomp

This is a very fun, challenging, and mentally stimulating activity for kids. All they have to do is stomp on other participants’ balloons and defend their balloons from popping out.

• Fill the balloons with water and tie it to the participants’ ankles. When the game starts, participants try to burst into others’ balloons by stomping them while defending theirs.
• Kids get to run around while trying to protect and stomp the balloons. The first to lose both balloons are out, and the one left out with at least one balloon by the end wins.
• If you find tying the balloon’s ankles difficult, just hand out different colored balloons for them to protect; the only rule is not to hide the balloons.

12. Water Balloon Footrace

This game is similar to football and is super easy to play. All age groups enjoy this game, and all you need is water balloons and some space.

• Fill the water balloons and prepare the area. Make marks for the start line and finish line.
• Divide the kids into 2 teams, two participants from each team will come forward and toss the water balloon with their feet.
• The first one to reach the finish line without popping out the balloon wins the race. If the balloon bursts, the participant is out.

To make it interesting for older kids, allow opposite team members to deviate from them while racing. Make sure to keep an eye on the participants, as there are chances of kids getting competitive and aggressive.

13. Water Balloon Obstacle Course

This is a very challenging yet fun game that helps kids develop attention skills. The goal is as simple as reaching the other end without stepping on or breaking any balloons.

• Set up an obstacle course in the designated area; it can be as simple as a zigzag course, hoops, tunnel, or a pool noodle with balloons attached all over the course.
• Hand out a water balloon to each participant at the start of the course and have them reach the finish point at the designated time without breaking any balloons.
• It can also be a one-on-one race if you have enough space. Do not make it too simple or too complex for the kids, as the ultimate goal is just to have fun.

If you are playing with younger kids, keep the obstacles very simple and a realistic goal. You can make it complex for older kids by adding some tricky obstacles in the pathway.

14. Water Balloon Squat Race

Kids enjoy squat races as they love jumping and running around while getting wet. Squat race with water balloons is an absolutely fun game to play at any age. If you have water balloons and space in the backyard, you are good to go.

• Set up a course like a straight line or a pattern of your choice, and place water balloons accordingly.
• Divide the kids into teams if there are many; if not, they can go one by one. Participants start at the start point and reach the endpoint by popping out all the balloons by squatting or sitting on each balloon.
• The participant who reaches the endpoint first wins.

15. Kiddie Pool with Water Balloons

Kids love playing in a pool; make it more fun through this water balloon game. You can rent a foldable pool for a day, or you can purchase one online.

• Set up a foldable pool in the backyard and fill it with water and add two colored water balloons. Place an empty bucket at the finish point.
• Divide the participants into a group of two. Assign a color to each team and let them collect the water balloons from the pool.
• One participant collects the assigned colored water balloons from the pool and hands them over to the teammate. The team runs towards the finish point to drop it in the bucket. The team that collects more water balloons in the designated time wins.

16. Water Balloon Pass Game

This is a great team-building activity for younger kids and helps develop motor skills. If you are looking for some activities for your kids to bond with their siblings and other members of the family is the go-to game.

• Fill in water balloons, and make the kids stand in a circle.
• Have them pass the water balloon to the participant next to them in a clockwise direction. Each time they pass a balloon, they should take a step back.
• When they move farther from each other, they are most likely to drop the water balloon. Whoever loses the balloon is out, and the one left till the end of the game.

17. Duck, Duck, Splash

We all love Duck, Duck, and Goose. Duck, Duck, Splash is similar, but with a twist of a water balloon. All you need is plenty of water balloons and some space. Witness the fun of water splattering!

• Make the kids sit in a circle. Pick a kid to be “it” and hand over a water balloon, “it” runs in a circle tapping each participant and saying Duck.
• Instead of saying Goose, they have to pop the water balloon on their head. The person who got soaked will chase the “it” and try to hit “it” with a water balloon.
• If they miss the hit, they become “it,” and the chosen “it” will take the empty place.

18. Water Balloon Math

This game is a great learning experience for kids, especially preschoolers who just started learning math. You can make them play this at school or at home.

• Fill in water balloons and write numbers or simple math equations with permanent markers.
• Divide the kids into 2 teams if you have more kids. Place the bucket filled with water balloons in front of the kids. Now ask questions for which answers are available on the water balloons in the bucket.
• Have the kids pick the answers and splash them on the ground. To make it rewarding, hide small figurines in the water balloons.

19. Water Balloon Towel Toss

Towel toss is a fun game to play with older kids; younger kids also love to be part of this game. You can assign them to throw water balloons in the air. All you need is water balloons, two towels, and enough space.

• Divide the kids into two teams; each team will hold a towel in the air by the edges.
• Throw a water balloon into the air and let the teams toss the water balloons using the towel.
• The first team to drop the balloon is out.

20. Water Balloon Cleanup Race

After an interesting water balloon game, this cleanup race will help you clean the backyard. Make this a game for kids to enjoy while cleaning.

• Divide kids into teams and assign colors to each team/individual.
• Place an empty bucket and have the kids run around and pick up the remaining pieces.
• You can make this competitive by setting a timer or by counting the number of pieces collected. Do not forget to reward them at the end of the cleanup race.

Conclusion

Children’s faces will light up with glee, and their laughter echoes which remind us of the happiness and the pure magic of embracing small things. From the famous duck, duck, splash to the suspenseful water balloon piñata, these games are a dose of excitement and are all about cherishing the moments. We hope this blog helps you create some valuable memories with your kids and spend some quality time during summer breaks.

These fun water balloons don’t need a lot of effort. All you need is water balloons to unleash a world of creativity. These games are not just about all smiles but also teach valuable lessons like teamwork, sportsmanship, along with some physical activity.

Happy splashing!