I might be blah-blah years old, but I still get insanely stupid excited about the prospect of getting soaked with water balloons! Every summer, without fail, I’m right out in the backyard lobbing water balloons with (or at) the kids. Not once or twice, but dozens of times, and I’m not ashamed to admit it!
But, sometimes randomly blasting people with water balloons all afternoon can get a little boring. Not to mention you end up blowing through a whole bag of water balloons in no time at all. Full on water balloon wars are fun, don’t get me wrong. But, sometimes slightly more structured water balloon games are more fun!
Water balloon games are great for keeping your own kids entertained for a couple hours. They’re also perfect for entertaining large groups of little rugrats, so if you have an upcoming birthday party or backyard barbecue!
Catch
Water balloon games don’t have to be complicated with tons of rules to be fun. A simple game of catch with water balloons is a blast!
- Two people stand a couple feet apart and start tossing a water balloon back and forth.
- Every time someone catches a water balloon successfully without it breaking, take a step back.
- A new round starts when the water balloon breaks.
Hot Potato
If you have a few more people to entertain, water balloon games like hot potato might be the answer.
- Players stand in a circle and toss a water balloon to each other.
- When a water balloon breaks, that person is out and play continues with a new water balloon.
- The person left standing at the end is the winner.
- Make things a little more interesting by tossing two or three water balloons at a time.
Tag
Classic summer games like tag can also be tweaked to become water balloon games.
- Start a regular game of tag.
- Instead of tagging people by hand, the person who’s “it” tags people with water balloons.
Baseball
Take me out to the ball game…a water balloon baseball game, that is!
- Use plastic bats and water balloons to play water balloon baseball. Big plastic bats work best for this, since water balloons are small.
- A player can run the bases when they splat a water balloon.
- Buckets of water balloons are kept at home plate, the pitcher’s mound, and the bases to throw at players to get them out.
Duck, Duck, Goose
Remember playing Duck, Duck, Goose when you were a kid? This is a slightly wetter version!
- Everyone sits in a circle, and the person who’s it (the fox) circles the group.
- Instead of simply patting the other players’ heads, the fox taps them on the head with a water balloon.
- The “goose” gets a water balloon splatted on their head, and they must catch the fox before he circles the group and sits in the goose’s spot.
Water Balloon Piñata
Here’s a wetter version of a fun birthday party game. Instead of buying or making a piñata, fill some water balloons instead!
- Hang water balloons in the air. Use monkey bars or even a piece of rope strung between two solid objects, like two trees.
- Players take turns whacking at the water balloons with pool noodles.
Relay Race
Relay races are fun, but they’re so much better when you throw some water balloons into the mix!
- Designate a start and finish for your race, and place players between these two points.
- Players carry a water balloon under their chins and run to the next player on their team.
- The water balloon must be passed to the other player without using hands.
- If a water balloon falls and breaks, the team must start over from the beginning.
