5 Fun Water Balloon Games for the Whole Family

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We had a fun family day under the sun with water balloons and Banana Boat® as part of a sponsored post for Socialstars #BestSummerEver

Last week I sat down with the boys and we started brainstorming things for our summer bucket list. My five-year-old wrote out a list, including activities his brothers suggested. Most of the activities they agreed on involved water play and spending hours outdoors.

Fun water balloon games for the whole family! Great for backyard parties! #BestSummerEver

I enjoy taking the kids outside and getting out of the house as much as we can. However, even if we are just going in the backyard, it’s important to prepare first. We talk about what we are going to do, what to take, and how long we plan to stay. Even if it is just estimates, it helps reduce tantrums when it is time to change activities.

Bottled water and water resistant sunscreen are required as well. I make sure the whole family is protected from the radiant rays of sun as much as possible. A sunscreen that stays on through water, sweat, wind, sand, and 100° heat is ideal.

Things needed for water balloon backyard fun #BestSummerEver

Banana Boat® Sport Performance® Lotion Sunscreen with Powerstay Technology™ provides just that for the whole family. No matter what we are doing, it locks in protection and is water and sweat resistant for up to 80 minutes. Once I know everyone’s skin is protected, we can get our activities started.

Banana Boat® Sport Performance® Lotion Sunscreen with Powerstay Technology™ #BestSummerEver

The last couple of weeks have been pretty hot and humid. It would be 75° in the late morning, but already feel like almost 100°. If we were outside, it was unbearable after a short time. When it is that hot, water play is almost necessary. We have a few inflatable pools, sprinklers, water toys, and a neighborhood pool to help cool down, but water balloons are something the boys have been consistently asking for.

They want to have water balloon fights, which isn’t really my thing. They get rough and I get worried. When out shopping, we saw a product that allowed you to fill 30+ water balloons at a time and 100 in about a minute. I couldn’t resist the urge to buy it.

5 Fun Water Balloon Games #BestSummerEver

Before we got started, I brainstormed some different activities we could do that didn’t involve just throwing water balloons at each other. We spend the afternoon enjoying family time and picking some of our favorite ways to have water balloon fun!

5 Fun Water Balloon Games

Fun Water Balloon Bucket Games #BestSummerEver

1. Fill the Bucket: We took toy plastic buckets and placed them along the side of the patio. Standing about 10 feet away, each person got the same number of balloons and had 1 minute to try to throw them into the bucket. The goal is to burst the water balloons and have the fullest bucket at the end of the minute.

Water Balloon Bucket Games #BestSummerEver

1b. Bucket Toss: Another water balloon game with the bucket is trying to toss them into the bucket without breaking the balloons. Same rules as Fill the Bucket, but the goal is to have the most un-popped balloons when time is up.

Make a Cardboard Bulls-Eye for Water Balloon Target Games #BestSummerEver

2. Water Balloon Targets: We initially ran around naming different targets around the yard, such as the slide, a fence picket, etc. Then I decided to make a bulls-eye target. I used a cardboard cake circle, drew some red circles on it and hung it with some string on the fence. It was fun trying to see who could hit the target from the furthest back.

Water Balloon Batting Practice #BestSummerEver

3. Batting Practice: We have a good number of bats in our backyard toy box. It didn’t take long for the boys to start batting practice with the water balloons. This activity was strictly their doing, so of course, it was a huge hit.

Water Balloon Games #BestSummerEver

4. Spoon Races: This was fun in testing their patience and balance. Each person places a balloon on a plastic spoon when the first to the finish line with the balloon still intact wins. The kids initially wanted to run to finish first, but they quickly learned it’s not that easy.

Fun Water Balloon Games for the Whole Family #BestSummerEver

5. Water Balloon Toss: We played this both solo and with partners. The goal is to see who can toss the balloon furthest and catch it without popping it. They loved seeing who could throw it up the highest and catch it without popping it.

Water Balloon Games for the Family #BestSummerEver

As the summer continues, I am sure we will come up with additional fun water balloon activities, but these games will definitely be played again at outdoor parties, barbecues, and other gatherings.

Need other fun family activities and ideas? Follow Banana Boat on Facebook for awesome ideas all summer long such as this easy DIY launcher toy.

What is your favorite water balloon activity?

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