For those super-hot days when simply breathing makes you break a sweat, the task of keeping kids entertained might feel particularly daunting. The best way to have fun and keep cool during summer is to play in the water, and you don’t have to pay to put in a pool or buy tickets to a waterpark to beat the heat. There are tons of creative ways to set your kids up with fun water-based activities on a budget.
Water Balloon Piñatas
Water balloon fights are fun, but they’re often over too quickly. If you want to mix things up and draw out the fun a bit longer, tie a bunch of balloons together and use some string to hang them from a tree. Blindfold the kiddos and have them take turns using a stick to try and pop the balloons.
Backyard Water Olympics
Think relay races with water-soaked sponges, a water balloon toss, a water limbo competition, etc. Set up a variety of water-themed games and obstacles in your yard and put on your own kid-friendly water olympics.
Homemade Slip & Slide
Grab a tarp (the bigger the better), roll it out on an incline, and use a garden hose to run water onto it. Add some dish soap to make things extra slippery, but remind the kids to be careful!
Water Gun Painting
Fill up some squirt guns with watered-down paint and grab some canvases from the dollar store. Set them up and let the kids play Picasso (or maybe it’s more like Jackson Pollock?).
Water-Themed Scavenger Hunt
Set up a scavenger hunt for the kids and include tasks that focus on water. Some ideas? Find a puddle to jump in, find the most unique rock on the riverbank, collect seashells at the beach …
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Kiddie Car Wash
Fill buckets with soapy water, grab a bunch of towels and brushes, and line your kiddos’ Cozy Coupes, tricylces, and scooters up so they can run their own kiddie carwash. They’ll have a blast and all of the ride-on toys will be squeaky clean when they’re finished.
