Best Kids Water Games for your children

Kids water games are an excellent way of being active and having fun.
Playing in the water helps the child in his development and to gain
confidence in the water. It also introduces new challenges and
sensations. We divided the best water games in two groups.

Water Games that involves Playing
with Water

DUCK DUCK SPLASH !

This is like Duck Duck Goose, but then for outside on a hot day! Kids love it. Have the children sit in a circle and one is the duck. He or she walks on the outside of the circle with a cup of water in the hand. He or she says ;”duck duck” and then he/she choses someone and says:”splash”, while in the meantime tossing the water over the child’s head. That child stands up and tries to catch the Duck, who runs around the circle to take his empty spot. The game continues as above.

FUN FUN FUN

CATCH A FISH

Draw eyes on ping pong balls to make them look like fishes. Fill a
toddler swimming pool with some water and drop the fishes into the
water. Have the children collect them with small strainers or fishing
nets and put them in a container. This is a nice game for preschool kids
that stimulate the eye-hand coordination and motor planning skills.
This is fun to play with more kids so it really develops into a group
project of gathering all the fishes. You can also turn this into a race
“who is catching the most? “. Use your imagination and the kids will
have fun.

WATER PING-PONG

Playing with ping pong balls in the water is a lot of fun for small
children. The balls are easy to hit for the kids, because they move
slowly. Have the children sit in a small toddler swimming pool and they
use their hands to push the ball to the other players. This is a good
and fun practice for eye-hand coordination and concentration.

WATER BALLOON TOSS

Fill balloons with water and have the kids toss the balloons around to
the other kids. The distance between the kids grows after every turn
until inevitably the balloons go splat.
An hilarious water game for children that teaches motor skills and
coordination.

TUG OF WAR

Take a strong rope or water hose and divide the children in two groups
on each end of the rope. Place the rope in the middle over a running
sprinkler and have the kids pull the rope. This is an exciting game when
the children pull the others into the water and then get pulled
themselves into the water. Very funny for hot summer days.

BUCKET RUN

Divide the children into groups and give each group a full bucket of
water, an empty bucket and every child a paper cup.
Then you set up a race so that every child has to scoop water in his cup
and run from the full bucket to the empty bucket with his water. The
team who poured the most water into the empty bucket is the winner. A
good, active and wet kids water game that stimulates team work.

Water Games to be Played
in a Pool or Pond

WATER FOLLOW THE LEADER

This is the classic kids water game where there is a leader and
followers. The leader uses his or her imagination to do movements and
actions and the others have to follow it. This can be things like
jumping into the water, blowing bubbles, somersaulting and more. Of
course this game must be supervised by an adult and care should be taken
for the weakest swimmers of the group. This kids water game is
hilarious, active and full of imagination.

SHARKS AND MINNOWS

This is a water tag game. The shark is in the middle of the swimming
pool and calls the minnows to cross the pool and make it to the other
side of the pool without being tagged by the shark. If a minnow is being
tagged he will be helping the shark in the next round to catch the
crossing minnows. The last surviving minnow is the winner. An exciting
and active game.

MARCO POLO

This water game for children is a combination of Tag and Hide-and-Seek
in the water. Marco is the one who is looking for the others, but he or
she must keep his or her eyes closed at all times. He then calls out:
`Marco` and the others have to respond with a loud: `Polo`.
Then the Marco tries to tag the others tracking them down by the sound
of their shouts. The others are allowed to move around in the pool.

TREASURE HUNT

This kids water game is suitable for strong swimmers only and needs to
be supervised by an adult. It is a good practice for underwater swimming
skills and observation. You throw something small and sinkable, like
coins or marbles, into the water and the children try to retrieve the
treasure as fast as they can. Have the children dive one by one and
measure their time to find it to make it a race.

WATER BASKETBALL

A real team building water game for kids. Throw one round ring that
floats into the water, like an inner tuber or Styrofoam ring. This is
the basket and the children are divided into two teams and are trying to
sink a ball into the hoop. The fun thing is that the hoop floats
around. This childrens water game is especially active for advanced
swimmers who can play in the deep water but also fun for novice swimmers
in the shallow end of the pool.

TUBE POLO

Every child is sitting in an inner tube or inflatable ring and peddles
with his or her hands and feet to move around. There are two defined
areas for the goals on each side of the swimming pool and the kids are
divided into two teams. The players move and throw the ball around to
reach the goal while sitting in their tube or ring. They try to score a
point by hitting the side of the swimming pool in the defined area.
Players are allowed to turn over another player’s tube, but cannot touch
the other player, only the tube.
A real team game and lots of fun.

Enjoyed these Kids Water Games?

See also our other outdoor games:

Ball Games || Playground Games || Race Games || Tag and Chase Games || Sidewalk Games || Hide-and-Seek Games