First tips & ideas for fun water games with children

Water exerts on children a special fascination out: They feel it and put their hands into it, but they can't really hold onto it. No wonder that water play is already particularly popular with toddlers.

You've probably already had one or two garden games with your children played. After all, the little play mice love to spend a lot of time outdoors. In the warm season water play fits perfectly.

With colorful water toys like sprinklers, squirt toys & Co., children of all ages play with them for hours. A water slide also provides loads of fun in the garden. A slope is advantageous here but not strictly necessary.Wasserspielzeug wie Sprinklern, Spritztieren & Co. beschäftigen sich Kinder in jedem Alter stundenlang. Für Riesenspaß im Garten sorgt auch eine Wasserrutsche. Ein Gefälle ist hier zwar von Vorteil, aber nicht unbedingt nötig.

You parents will also definitely have a great time racing down the slide with your kids.

However, for water games you don't always need a huge selection of toys. Household items like buckets, laundry baskets or bowls can be turned into great accessories for water play in no time.

As long as you provide enough water, your little water lovers are happy.

Good to know: For splashy water fun, the tap doesn't have to be running the whole time. Especially toddlers like to splash with little buckets and molds in small puddles or water bowls.Eimerchen und Förmchen in kleinen Pfützen oder Wasserschüsseln.

What makes playing with water so special?

Children love to splash and muck around – especially outdoors. Water play in the garden combines both and is a great activity idea for kids of any age.

If you have concerns about water consumption with some games, you can use the opportunity to educate your children about the importance of water to educate them. At primary school age, children are mature enough to understand topics surrounding the most valuable resource for our animals and plants to understand.

A great side effect of water play is cooling down. On hot summer days, a sprinkler race or a water fight is even more fun. This way you simply provide refreshment at home – and that's often easier to arrange spontaneously than a trip to the public pool.

The right equipment: What you need for refreshing water fun in the garden

When playing with water, a attached garden hose are of course essential. It gets even more fun when your kids have suitable toys like water play tables. Depending on how much space you have, the toys and garden ideas can also be a bit larger and more extensive.

In smaller gardens or on the balcony, however, small water toys such as pull-along and squirting toys, cute paddling pools and water buckets are used.Wassereimer zum Einsatz.

When romping around in the fresh air, make sure your little ones are always protected from UV radiation are. Therefore, sufficient sun protection to the must-haves for water play.

This is what you absolutely need for your water fun:

• Water slide

• Shade sail

• Sunscreen

• water pistols & squirters

• Towels

• Sun hat

• UV clothingUV-Kleidung

• Sprinkler

• water track

• garden hose

• water buckets or tubs

• paddling pool

Now it's getting wet: Great water play ideas

Would you love to start playing right away? HABA has the most fun game ideas collected and explains to you with simple instructions, how to best carry out the water games with your children.

The varied game ideas are also suitable for special occasions such as children's birthdays. As soon as you turn on the tap, you'll be the heroes of your summertime kids. So, let the water flow!

Simple water games in the garden

These game ideas are perfect for sunny days during the summer holidays. You can implement them with little effort with both toddlers and older kids. You probably already have everything you need for these simple water games at home and can get started right away.

Guess the water painting

What you need:

• a smooth surface (e.g., patio floor or wooden table)

• a cord made of natural material

• craft scissors

• bowl of water

Step-by-step instructions:

1. For this simple water game you need a surface where the water will be clearly visible. A wooden surface, tiles, or large stones are suitable, for example. Perhaps your balcony or terrace floor is a good option.

2. Cut from your cord a piece about 20 centimeters long for each player.

3. Fill a bowl with water and soak your cords in it. They should be fully saturated with water.

4. Now start painting: Use the cord to paint a motif of your choice. You may need to dip the cord back into the water from time to time.

5. The other players try to guess the water painting. Whoever guesses correctly first wins! Don't take too long — in sunshine your artworks dry quickly and disappear like magic.

6. Our tip: You can also easily play this game at the outdoor pool. If your kids have long hair, it will quickly turn into brushes. The pool's edge is an excellent canvas.

Sponge toss

What you need:

• six household sponges

• three household rubber bands

• craft scissors

• a long cord or hair elastic

• a bucket of water

Step-by-step instructions:

1. In the first step, make small balls from the household sponges. To do this, cut the sponges along their long sides up to one third with craft scissors.

2. Then place two sponges on top of each other in a cross and secure them with a rubber band. In total you make three small sponge balls this way.

3. Find a suitable spot in your garden for the playing field. Stretch a cord or hair elastic at your kids' chest height and mark the edge of your field with sticks or border stones.

4. Let your sponges soak up in the water bucket. Then you're ready to go!

5. Throw the wet sponges at each other. Players try to catch the balls and throw them back. You score points if a player hits their opponent or if the opponent leaves their playing field while dodging.

6. If the opponent catches the sponge, they throw it back and try to hit the other. Whoever reaches 10 points first wins!

Build a water track

What you need:

• water play track construction kit

• several buckets of water

• small boats (optional)

• sand (optional)

• garden hose (optional)

Step-by-step instructions:

1. Water tracks are always a hit with children. At HABA you'll find many kits for lots of marble fun. Build an exciting water play track together with your kids from the individual parts. Toddlers need help from big hands here. Primary school children can already set up the tracks independently.

2. Fill your assembled track with water. If you chose a model with a water circulation system, connect the included pump.

3. Now it starts: With appropriate water toys like small boats or diggers, you can play wildly. Boat races, water-shoveling contests, or construction-site play are especially fun.

4. If you like, you can also add sand to the play so your little ones can happily squish around. Just be careful with water tracks that have an integrated pump.

Sprinkler fun

What you need:

• garden hose

• a lawn

• plastic bottle (PET bottle)

• sharp knife

• tape

• sprinkler (optional)

Step-by-step instructions:

1. Cooling is guaranteed with this game idea. With a plastic bottle and strong tape, you can build a sprinkler for your garden in no time. Poke a few holes in the bottom of the bottle with a sharp knife. Parents should do this themselves and let the kids watch.

2. Go outside and attach your garden hose to the opening of the plastic bottle. Wrap several layers of tape around it so everything holds well. Place your sprinkler on the lawn.

3. Then it's: Water on! As soon as you turn on the tap, water sprays out of the holes in the bottle. Your kids will have a great time running through the sprinkler.

Mud kitchen

What you need:

• sand or soil

• kitchen utensils

• sand molds

• natural materials like grass, sticks & stones

• water

Step-by-step instructions:

1. This is the classic of water games: mix any amount of mud in your sandbox or a tub. For this you only need sand or soil and some water. Depending on how much water you add, your mud will be more liquid or remain firmer.

2. Give your children utensils for "cooking" with mud. In a small bucket, a soup is stirred up with lots of water and grass, which the little ones then proudly serve. With suitable molds they conjure up dishes like sand cakes and porridge.

3. Toddlers love to muck about for hours. They thrive on role play of this kind — and it's even more fun for them to get dirty in the process.

Boat races

What you need:

• small toy boats

• large tub or paddling pool

• pull-and-squirt toys or water pistols

• stopwatch (optional)

Step-by-step instructions:

1. For your boat race, first fill a large tub or a small paddling pool with water. Decide which edge is the start and where the finish is.

2. Fill your water pistols and place the small boats at the start. All players line up and get ready. Choose which boat belongs to which player. With many players a small marker is useful.

3. Now go: Spray your water pistols at your boats so they move toward the goal.

4. The player whose boat reaches the finish first wins. If your pool is too small for all players, you can run the boat races one after another using a stopwatch.

Water games for children's birthday parties

Water games are a great activity idea when you celebrate your child's birthday at home. Romping together in the garden and cooling off at the same time is great fun for the birthday child and their friends! Below you'll find more great instructions for water games.

water fight

What you need:

• filled water balloons

• a long rope

• small sticks

• several buckets (optional)

Step-by-step instructions:

1. A water fight is a must at any summer child's birthday. Give each player the same number of filled water balloons. Buckets help here to collect the counted water balloons.

2. Use a long rope to mark the middle of the playing field. On both sides of the rope, the teams line up with their water balloons.

3. If you like, you can further delimit the field by staking out a boundary with sticks.

4. Ready, set, go: Throw water balloons at each other and hope they burst and soak your opponents. The team that runs out of water balloons first wins!

Apple bobbing

What you need:

• large tub or paddling pool

• several whole apples

• stopwatch

Step-by-step instructions:

1. This water game is a classic at children's birthday parties. It's super easy to set up and a lot of fun for all kids. First fill a large tub or paddling pool with water.

2. Then put some apples in. They float on the surface. For younger children, apple slices are more suitable.

3. Now play: The player kneels in front of the tub and puts their hands behind their back. Then they lean over the water and try to catch the apples using only their mouth.

4. The referee, preferably a parent, watches the clock. How many apples can the players catch in two minutes?

5. Whoever pulls the most apples out of the water in the given time wins this game.

Shovel race

What you need:

• two large buckets

• sand molds, cups & shovels

• tape

• waterproof marker

• stopwatch

Step-by-step instructions:

1. In the shovel race, it's about transporting as much water as possible from one place to another. Place a filled water bucket at the start and an empty bucket at the finish.

2. All players line up in turn. The first player holds a sand mold or a small shovel in their hand.

3. Then go: They fill their mold with water from the bucket and run to the finish bucket as many times as they can in one minute. Of course as much water as possible should arrive there.

4. After that minute, mark the water level with a piece of tape and write the child's name on it.

5. Continue with the next player. Whoever brings the most water to the finish wins!

Slip 'n' slide races

What you need:

• garden hose

• water slide

• eco-friendly soap (optional)

• stopwatch (optional)

Step-by-step instructions:

1. Bring the sliding fun from the outdoor pool into your own garden. Slip 'n' sliding works best if you have a slight slope in your garden. Lay out your water slide flat on the ground and secure it with the plastic pegs.

2. Attach your garden hose and turn on the tap. The water jets wet the slide along its entire length.

3. Then slide: headfirst, on your back, or sitting — who slides the fastest? If you want, you can use a stopwatch to time exact runs.

4. If you want it even wilder, you can add a few drops of soap to the slide. Make sure it's eco-friendly, because the water will soak into the ground later.

Can knockdown

What you need:

• a small table or a large box

• 10 empty tin cans

• water pistols or garden hose

Step-by-step instructions:

1. Set up a small table or similar surface in your garden. Stack the tin cans on it so they form a pyramid.

2. Measure the distance to the throwing line with five big steps. If you're playing with a garden hose, the distance should be much larger — you can go about ten steps.

3. Now try to knock down as many cans as possible at once. Show your kids how to adjust the water stream more precisely with the garden hose and their thumb. Each player has three shots per round.

4. Whoever manages to knock down all the cans within three rounds wins. If no one does, determine the winner by the number of cans knocked down.

obstacle course

What you need:

• water balloons or balloons

• materials for obstacles (e.g., chairs, balls, tires)

• stopwatch (optional)

Step-by-step instructions:

1. Build an exciting obstacle course in your garden together with your children. Let your creativity run free. Build small seesaws and obstacles to hop over or climb. Make sure the obstacles are safe and not too difficult.

2. Then fill water balloons or balloons with water. The fuller they are, the more challenging the game becomes.

3. All players line up at the start. The first player squeezes the filled balloon between their legs and wobbles off. They try to master the obstacles without the balloon popping.

4. Whoever completes the most obstacles or even reaches the finish is crowned the winner!

Even more play & fun in the garden

garden ideas for kids

Children love playing outdoors. Your garden offers the ideal opportunity to dig in the soil together with your little explorers and experience the nature up close. From the building an insect hotel to the children's garden bed – here you'll find great garden ideas for young and old.

play ideas for the garden

Climbing, romping and exploring nature – your own garden is a real play paradise for children. While water games are very popular in summer, there are many other game ideas and tips for children in the garden. HABA has compiled a collection for you. Get inspired!

Water games without a garden

Your children are fascinated by water, but unfortunately you don't have a garden or balcony for extensive water play? With these tips you can make your kids' eyes light up even without an outdoor oasis.

• Use your bathroom: Your little ones know this place from showering or bathing, but every now and then you can also turn your bathtub into a play area. With fun water toys toddlers especially love splashing. To prevent the whole room from being soaked afterwards, lay towels on the floor.

• Discover water playgrounds: In many towns and municipalities there are now adventurous water playgrounds that even impress water-shy children. Explore where the nearest playground of this kind is in your area. If there's none nearby, a small outing with your children to the park is worthwhile. There are often small fountains here too where your little water rats are allowed to play.

• play fun at the sink: A highlight for toddlers is splashing at the sink in your kitchen. With the help of a learning tower, they are finally tall enough to look over the worktop. Let the tap drip slightly and put a few molds or small bowls in the sink. You'll see, the simplest games are often the most exciting.

What to watch out for when playing water games with children

Playing with water can often be turbulent, especially when several children splash together. Therefore it is important that you keep a close eye on your little play mice during this kind of garden games.

For older children who like to run around wildly and throw water balloons or water bombs at each other, set some basic rules in place. This is especially recommended for water games at children's birthday parties.

In addition, wet grass becomes slippery quickly and slip hazard exists. Children are often not aware of this — so remind them from time to time so there are no tears.

Also bear in mind that children can get chilled quickly. Even if temperatures are high in summer and cooling off is desired, cold water can quickly lead to hypothermia. If the water comes directly from the garden hose, it's usually no more than 18 degrees — so be careful here.

As always, the same applies to sun protection: Apply sunscreen to your kids regularly and preferably dress them in UV clothing. The textile UV protection works perfectly even when wet — so ideal for playing with water. A sun umbrella or sail provides shade and additionally prevents sunburn.

Image credits

Boy cooling off with a garden hose © Kzenon - stock.adobe.com

Children playing with a garden sprinkler © Алексей Синельников - stock.adobe.com

Child playing with a garden hose © atvorniknik - stock.adobe.com