Add to favoritesSummer is here; it’s hot and the kids are home from school – two things that need to be dealt with. How do you keep the kids cool and busy on hot summer days?
A trip to a water park is a great family activity, but not for everyday, of course. You can, however create a similar experience at home for a fraction of the cost with some backyard water play! I hope no one misunderstands me and thinks that I’m saying that water play in your own backyard is just as exciting as a water park with all the bells and whistles. It’s not, but it can still be a lot of fun. And it gives kids the opportunity to be creative and imaginative, which is worth a lot, too.
There are lots of fun water games you can organize, but it’s also fun to stick to the basics like regular water guns and good old fashioned water fights. Buy water guns and buckets at the dollar store and let everyone just squirt and splash freestyle, or organize games with rules, like Tag or Hide & Seek where whoever is “It” gets everyone wet. And don’t forget those water balloons! Just be careful not to give little kids balloons before you inflate them, since they can be a choking hazard.
Try playing Catch with a water balloon on a hot day! Or almost any other game you’d play with a regular ball. It’s fun because – duh – water play is fun, and because throwing and catching a ball filled with water is funny! How about a game of Limbo where the water sprayed from a hose is the limbo bar? Or a water snake game where someone wiggles a hose and everyone else has to jump over the water as it moves? Fun! Make your own Slip N Slide with a plastic tablecloth tacked to the ground and a hose running over it. A water piñata is another great idea that I saw. Is getting showered with water on a hot day as much fun as getting showered with candy? Maybe! And here’s one more idea that’s also a project: Buy some spray bottles from the dollar store and let the kids decorate and personalize them with Sharpie markers. Then let them fill them up and have some cool fun!
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