Better Games Involving Water Because of the Heat

ALWAYS ENCOURAGE THEM TO DRINK WATER

BETTER GAMES INVOLVING WATER BECAUSE OF THE HEAT

Mess Fest Obstacle Course
This should definitely be an outdoor party game. I have listed a couple of fun obstacles that can be included in your obstacle course. The great thing about an obstacle course is that you can create them however you like. Have the participants run through it just for fun, or race to see who can make the best time /
Bowl of CerealFill a kiddie pool full of water, powdered milk, and generic frosted flakes. Have the children crawl through it on their hands and knees without spilling a drop.
Feet of SteelFill six buckets with water and ice and set them up in two rows of three. To pass through this obstacle the children must race through the buckets by placing one foot into each bucket as they pass it.
Shave the BalloonTo pass this obstacle the children must slather shaving cream onto a balloon and make three swipes with the razor - without popping it. Draw a face on the balloons before hand to add a little extra fun.
Balloon PopIn this obstacle course challenge the goal is to bust the water balloon by sitting on it.
Spaghetti PoolFill a kiddie pool with cooked spaghetti noodles and oil. To pass this obstacle course challenge the child must find at least one meatball (bouncy ball) hidden underneath the spaghetti to move on.
Pudding SlideTo finish the player must pull themselves across a tarp on their bellies. The catch is The tarp is covered with CHOCOLATE PUDDING
Jelly Bean Mountain
This is an indoor party game. To play you will create a mound of flour to look like a mountain of flour. This is best done on a cookie sheet or wax paper to make clean up easier. Flatten the peak of the mountain a little, or create a small pocket indent on the mountain tip to place a jelly bean or jelly belly in.
TO PLAY: Players pass around a spoon and take turns removing a spoonful of flour from the mountain. The player that eventually makes the jelly bean fall must dive into the flour and find and eat the jelly bean using only their mouths! After throw away the flour, create a new flour mountain and play again. /
Bobbing for Donuts
For every participant you will need one donut. Hang each donut from the ceiling or a tree branch using string or ribbon. Make sure each donut is hanging low enough that each child can touch it with their mouth. To Play: Each participant takes their place in front of a hanging donut and places their hands behind their back. On the start of go they each try and eat their donut (without touching it with their hands) as fast as they can without dropping it. First one who finishes wins! /
Melt the Ice!
In this messy game children are divided into pairs and presented an ice cube on a paper plate. The ice cube has been colored with food coloring and in the middle of it is a penny. The object of the game is to be the first pair to retrieve the penny by melting (not breaking) their ice cube the fastest. This game gives the children a chance to be creative and come up with a strategy together. You do not have to color the ice cubes, this is done to make the game more visually fun.
Gummy Bear Pie
/
Make sure you have your camera ready for this hilarious and messy party game. All participants site at the table with their hands behind their back. Whipped cream pies are placed in front of each contestant and the fun begins on the start of go. Everyone dives head first into their pie to retrieve the gummy bears buried underneath all the whipped cream. The first one to pull out and eat all 10 gummies WIN! TO PREPARE: You’ll need enoughpie tinsso that each participant has one (you can also just use paper plates). You’ll also need tengummy bearsfor each pie, and enoughwhipped creamto fill each pie tin.
Color War
Have each child wear a white t-shirt that is ok to be colored. Divide all the kids into two to three teams. Each team is given a color and a water gun for each player. The water guns will be filled with water that has been dyed with food coloring to represent that teams color. The object of the game is that of a paintball game, each player must try and tag other players with their color to make them “out”. For water shots to get another player out it must hit on the back, chest, or stomach. Arms and leg shots will not make another player out, and head shots are not allowed. The last player left in the game represents the winning team.
Ice Cube Painting
Children will get creative, cool and sticky all at once with a tasty, colorful, ice cube painting activity. Fill ice cube trays with various colors of Kool-Aid and cover with cling wrap. Insert Popsicle sticks through the cling wrap to ensure they'll stay upright. Once the trays are frozen, pop out the colorful Popsicles and let kids "paint" Kool-Aid pictures on watercolor paper between tasty licks. To avoid the stickiness of the sugar in Kool-Aid, make the ice cube "paint" Popsicles with water tinted with food coloring instead.
TOY WASH
Required:
Children in swim suits
Washable toys, water
Small buckets
Sponge and bubbles
Instead of a car wash…have a toy wash!
On a hot day ---take all washable toys outside and let children have fun washing them.
Children cool off...and YOU get clean toys!!!
Great for end of the year or Summer Camp!!!
Sprinkler Freeze Tag
Set up several sprinklers in a large play area such as a field. Use a variety of sprinklers if possible, then arrange them in a way that the sprayed water will cover most of the play area. Have kids play a traditional game of freeze tag, in which one kid (or more) designated as "it" tries to tap other kids who are not "it." Those tagged have to freeze or stand as still as possible, until tagged by another player who is not "it." Those who are frozen will be getting hit with water from the sprinklers as they stand still, unable to move away.
Water Balloon Toss
The traditional water balloon toss involves pairs of kids throwing water balloons back and forth. They begin by standing close, about a yard apart, facing one another. After every successful catch, each takes a step back, so that they have to throw the balloon further each time. Ideally, balloons should be small and tightly filled so that they break fairly easily when dropped or caught too roughly. To make the game more challenging, older kids may want to run while throwing, football-style.
Red Light, Green Light:
With enough room, this game can easily be played inside. One person is the traffic light at one end, and the other players are at the other end. When the traffic light faces the group, he or she says, “Red light!” and everyone must freeze. The traffic light then turns his or her back and says, “Green light!” while the group tries to get as close to the traffic light as possible. The traffic light turns around quickly, again saying, “Red light!”, and if anyone is spotted moving, they have to go back to the starting place. The first person to tag the traffic light wins and gets to be the next traffic light.
Number of Players: A small group.
Equipment: None.
Simon Says: This game can be played anywhere, even in a car or other small space. One person is Simon and starts by saying, “Simon says, ‘<insert action here>.’” Everyone must then do the action. However, if Simon makes an action request without saying, “Simon says” to begin the request, anyone who does that action is out. The last person still playing in the end will be Simon for the next round.
Number of Players: A small group. Equipment: None.
THE BIG CHILL (Brecht/Child Care K)
Split group into 3 equal teams. Each team will have a large jump rope and each student will have a cup filled with water. The object is to jump rope 3 times and see who has the most water left in their cup at the end.
HOLE IN THE BUCKET
Fill up a large trashcan with water and place two empty trashcans about 40 feet away. Split kids into two teams and give each team an empty milk carton with 10 to 12 holes in the bottom. When you say "go," the first player from each team fills her carton with water, then places it on her head while she walks or runs to her team's empty trashcan. She empties the remaining water into the trashcan, then runs back, passing the carton to the next player. The first team to fill its trashcan with water wins the game.
STICKS & STONES
If you have a sizable group of kids, playing sticks and stones will make them laugh while also tiring them out. Split the kids into two teams -- the sticks and the stones. Line them up facing one another. Designate an area roughly 30 feet behind each team as that teams' safe zone. To start the game, yell out "sticks" or "stones." The team you call on must begin chasing the opposing team, which begins racing toward its safe zone. Any tagged players must switch teams, and the two new teams line up to play again. The team to bring all the players to its side wins the game.
SHOEBOX RELAYS
Split the kids into two teams. Each team gets two shoeboxes. Tape the lids onto the shoe boxes and cut an "I" shape into the top of the box, with a four-inch slit and two one-inch slits. Have the first player from each team slip her feet into the shoeboxes. When you say "go" the players wearing the shoeboxes have to run from the starting line to a designated spot, then back again. Players pass the shoeboxes to their waiting teammates, and the relay continues until all the players have participated and a winning team is crowned.
Shark (or dinosaurs, or hawks and mice)
This game is simple and gets kids moving, which is important, yes even if you have a Wii. One child is the Shark, the other kids are fish. They’re “safe” while on beach towel or hula hoop “dens”. But when the Shark calls out, “Fishie, fishie, cross my ocean”, all the fish have to make it to another den without getting tagged. If you’re tagged you’re a shark too. The game’s over when there are no fish left.
COLD POTATO
Using a pin, poke a hole in a balloon. Then fill it with water, so that it becomes a time bomb with a slow leak. Players stand in a circle and toss the balloon around. The idea is not to be the one holding the balloon when it runs out of water. Make groups of 3 or 4.
Game: Giants, Wizards, and Elves
Number of kids: at least 4, but best for larger groups.
How the game is played: This is a whole-body game based on Rock, Paper, Scissors. Before you begin, explain these rules to the players:
Giants conquer wizards. To be a giant, raise your arms high above your head.
Wizards conquer elves. To be a wizard, make a triangle with your arms over your head (like a wizard hat).
Elves conquer giants. To be an elf, place your hands alongside your ears with index fingers extended.
Divide the kids into two teams with a space of about 4 feet between them. Direct each team to retreat a few feet for a huddle to decide which they will be: giants, wizards, or elves.
In their huddles, each team decides what they will be, plus a backup choice. Then they come back to their 4-feet-apart stance. On a count of three, each team yells what they are. If one team yells "Elves!" and the other yells "Wizards!," the wizard team will chase the elves to their safe zone (you can mark these with cones or use a tree or other found object). Anyone who is tagged becomes part of the opposing team. If both teams yell the same creature, they do it over using their backup choice.
Tips for adults: A simper version of this game, called Crows and Cranes, works well for younger children. In this variation, the adult designates one team as Crows and the other as Cranes. The teams line up in the same fashion as above. The adult chooses the chaser team by yelling either "Crows!" or "Cranes!" The identical sounds at the beginning of the words add to the suspense as the teams wait to find out who will chase and who will flee.
Game: Ready, Aim, Throw! Number of kids: at least 4.
How the game is played: You'll need several blindfolds and a few soft balls (foam balls are good choices). The children partner up, and one kid in each pair is blindfolded. The partner who can see leads the blindfolded partner by the arm.
The object of the game is to get the blindfolded partner to throw the ball at another blindfolded player, then to get the second blindfolded partner to pick it up and throw it at another blindfolded player. If a player is hit twice, the pair is out and heads to the sidelines to watch the game. Kids can help their blindfolded partners defend by telling them when to duck or move in a particular direction.
Tips for adults: Before playing, remind kids that safety is important. Have the blindfolded kids walk with hands up in front of them for "bumpers" to avoid collisions. Demonstrate how to lead a partner by the arm and direct him or her to the ball: "Go forward three steps. Now squat down and reach out with your left hand."
Remind the kids to tune in to their partner's voice. Also, be sure that kids aren't throwing the balls at very close range. For a fun variation, have kids lead partners without touching, only with the voice. When you've played once, switch the blindfold to the other player. This game can also be played by a group of adults!