Count on these water balloon games to provide cool summer fun for all ages.
Ready to have some fun and beat the heat this summer?
These water balloon games are fun for the whole family and great for parties and summer bar-b-ques.
We usually like to use sponge balls for water games, but some of these games require actual water balloons to play.
Here are nine games you can play with water balloons:
1. Water Balloon Stomp Battle
What you’ll need: Filled water balloons and string for each team member
How to Play:
- Create two teams
- Tie a filled water balloon onto everyone’s ankles
- When the game starts, players try to pop the balloons of the opposing team
- Players are “out” when their balloons are all popped
- The team with the last balloons wins
2. Water Balloon Dodge Ball
What you’ll need: Filled water balloons
How to Play:
- Create two teams
- Create a playing area with a center line
- Place a big bucket of filled water balloons at the back of each team’s playing area
- Players try to knock off members of the opposing team by hitting them with a water balloon
- If a player is hit and the balloon pops, that player is out
- If a player is hit and the balloon doesn’t pop, the player is still in
- The last team with players left wins
3. Water Balloon Spoon Race
What you’ll need: Filled ater balloons and spoons.
How to Play:
- Create a start and finish line
- Players have a filled water balloon and a spoon at the start end of the race
- When the race starts, the players must get from the start to the finish while keeping their balloons on their spoons without using their other hand
- If you balloon falls and doesn’t burst, you must pick it up and go back to the start
- If your balloon falls and bursts, you’re out
- Can be played as a relay-race
4. Fill the Bucket Water Balloon Relay
What you’ll need: Filled water balloons, tape (or marker) and buckets.
How to Play:
- Have an empty bucket at the one side of the yard and a bucket of filled water balloons at the other side
- Put a line of masking tape near the top of the bucket as the “fill line”
- Players line up behind the empty bucket, run to the bucket of filled water balloons, grab 1 balloon, then run back
- The runner then tries to pop the water balloon into the bucket
- The next team member in line then repeats the process
- The first team to fill their bucket wins
5. Water Balloon Pinatas
What you’ll need: Filled water balloons, rope, and sticks.
How to Play:
- Players take turns trying to burst the water balloons with their sticks
We love this game from Hello, Wonderful and it is definitely a soaker! Make sure you check out the full details on this fun water balloon pinata game here.
6. Milk Jug Water Balloon Toss
What you’ll need: Empty milk jugs for all players, scissors, tape, filled water balloons
How to Play:
- Cut the bottoms off of all of the milk jugs
- Cover the cut edge with masking or duct tape so it isn’t as sharp
- Players start by standing close together
- Use the milk jug to toss and catch the water balloon from player to player
- Players slowly take steps back to increase the distance between themselves and make the game more challenging
7. Water Balloon Volley Ball
What you’ll need: filled water balloons, towels, game net
How to play: Players on each team work together to use the towel to catch the water balloon and lob it back over the net
This is such a fun game that I learned about from It’s Always Autumn. Make sure you check out the full details on this fun water balloon volleyball game here.
8. Back-to-Back Balloon Race
What you’ll need: filled water balloons
How to play:
- create two or more teams
- mark a start and finish line
- players stand back-to-back and lock arms while someone else puts a filled water balloon between their backs
- players must race to the finish line without popping or dropping their water balloons
9. Water Balloon Tag
What you’ll need: filled water balloons
How to play:
- one player is “it” and has a filled water balloon
- the player who is it uses the water balloon to tag the other players
- another player becomes it when a water balloon hits them and bursts
- if a player is hit with a balloon but it doesn’t burst, they are not it and the play continues
Safety Tips For Water Balloon Games
We all know how quickly fun games can go wrong when someone gets hurt. Remind kids to keep water balloons away from faces and try to throw them below the shoulders.
Also, one of the big drawbacks to using water balloons is the mess they sometimes leave behind. It’s so important to make sure any small pieces are picked up and discarded so small animals don’t ingest them.
More Summer Fun
If you love spending time and having fun with your family outdoors, make sure you check out these other ideas that I know you’ll love!
- 13 Best Fun Yard Games for Families
- 25 DIY Backyard Party Games
- 15 Fun and Creative Pool Party Games
- Homemade Strawberry-Lemon Popsicle Recipe