Here’s some wild things to do this summer with family that’ll get you wet on those hot summer days – right at home!!
Hey there momma! Do you have a hard time getting your kids to go outside and play on those really hot summer days? 🙋🏻♀️
We literally have a river in our back yard, and we still can’t get them outside! 😂🤣
No worries though – I found a bunch of cool things you can do, either inside or outside, on those really hot days.
And if you want to get really crazy, you can try some of these water play ideas! You don’t need a pool to have fun in the water at home momma!
Wet & Crazy Summer Fun Key Takeaways
But…if you need the short and sweet version right now, ‘cause the baby just took his diaper off and is running through the house…butt cheeks a grinning’, no worries, momma. 😁 I’ve got ‘cha covered.
Here are my favorite fun water play ideas for families to do at home:
Best sprinkler idea – Put the sprinkler under the trampoline.
Best water balloons idea – Jump on the trampoline with a bunch of water balloons.
Best water gun idea – Have a water gun fight.
Best pool idea – Take a bubble bath outside.
Best slip and slide idea – Play water slide kickball.
Best idea overall – Create your own backyard splash pad.
There you go! My favorites. Go ahead and pin this post for later. You can come back and read all the great ideas when you have more time. 😉
What are some fun summer ideas?
Boy oh boy do I have loads of fun things to do on summer break at home!!
So much so, that I had to break my original post down into a series:
- Arts & Craft Ideas
- Educational Ideas
- Rainy Summer Day Ideas
- Hot Summer Day Ideas
- Backyard Fun Ideas
- Water Play Ideas
- Outdoor Game Ideas
- Outside Nighttime Ideas
- Ideas for Playing in the Rain
All in all, that’s a lot of ideas! You’ll never get them all done this year, momma! 🤣😂 But pin this post for next year, too! And the year after that, and the year after that, and the year after that…
Make it a challenge to get all of these ideas checked off before your oldest turns 12!! 😆
Wet & wild activities for hot summer days you can do right at home
So, let’s dive in, shall we? 😁 (pun totally intended)
{Some links in this post are affiliate links, which means I earn a small commission if you should decide to purchase something using one of my links. It costs you nothing extra and helps support Making Mommas. See my disclosure policy for more info. Thanks, momma!}
1. Build your own water blob.
Coolest thing ever!! Have you ever built your own water blob? I have not!! But I sure do want to try it!
If you do it, let me know in the comments below!!!
2. Create your own slip and slide.
Now this is something we have done, thanks to my dad, who always made our slip and slides, growing up. And has even done it for my own kids. 😁
Those slip and slides you spend a small fortune on, momma, they don’t stand up to a pack of wet and wild boys! 😆 They get popped the first day!
This is a far better option.
3. Build a water obstacle course.
Another thing I’ve never done! But my kids would absolutely love this! I think it’d make a great birthday party idea. 😁
You could do a Wipe Out or Ninja Warrior theme. 😁
Momma, if you do this, you just got to let me know in the comments below!!
Madisa from Happy Toddler Playtime has 20 water obstacle course ideas for you to try.
4. Play water balloon baseball.
I’m having a hard time picturing this one in my head…. I just don’t see how the runner will ever make it to first base! 😆
The folks over at Backyard Sidekick have instructions for playing water balloon baseball, though, momma, if you want to give this one a try.
Ahhhh….. I see, I see. After a quick read of the rules, I noticed that you actually have to break the water balloon to run to base! Love it!
Definitely adding this one to our summer bucket list.
5. Have a water gun fight.
Of course, you can go the more traditional route, and have a water gun fight.
We are actually doing this for Toot’s birthday this year.
A couple of years ago, we did a Nerf Gun War birthday party. His friends absolutely loved it and have been begging him to do it again. So, this year we are…and Toots wants to add in water guns!
Fun! 😁
I keep meaning to do a birthday party post, but never seem to get to it… 🤦🏻♀️
Anyhow, Devin, from Code Pineapple has a great post on 18 different games you can play with water guns! Go check it out!!
And grab some water guns off of Amazon.
6. Have a good old fashioned water balloon fight.
We did do this one, when we had Toot’s birthday party. They kids all loved it!
I’m sure we’ll end up doing it again.
Fun Boy has some great instructions for hosting your own water balloon fight, along with a few game ideas.
And grab your water balloons on Amazon.
7. Run through the sprinkler.
I loved doing this as a kid! And really, I still do. 😁
Lorie, from Reading Confetti, has 10 awesome ideas for playing in the sprinkler. Go check it out!
And if you don’t have a sprinkler yet, get one here.
8. Jump on the trampoline with the sprinkler underneath.
My boys absolutely love doing this! And it’s super easy to do.
Just put the sprinkler under the trampoline and play as usual!
9. Get a pool.
You can go very cheap with this and get those plastic kiddie pools that we all grew up with, or you could go hog wild, and install a huge one. 😁
And pretty much anywhere in between!
Your kids are sure to love you, no matter the size.
Browse pools on Amazon for some great deals!
10. Have a bike wash.
No seriously!
Instead of washing the car, grab your kids’ bikes, trikes, sand toys…anything you can find, and put them to work washing them!
They’ll love it!
You can even go wild like Gabby did, over at Design Mom, and make an actual car wash for your kids to ride their bikes through! Go check it out!
11. Play with barbies and dolls in the swimming pool.
I did that a lot as a little girl. 😍 It was a lot of fun.
Of course, I never had all of these cool barbie doll accessories to go to the pool with us! 😆
12. Have an outdoor bubble bath.
I talked about this one on my bucket list post.
I cleaned the swimming pool with tub cleaner and then filled it with warm water using buckets from the kitchen. And tons of bubbles!
And then plopped the twins in there! 😂🤣 We live in the country, so they could be naked outside. No one could see them.
It was a hot summer evening, and they absolutely did not want to go in for a bath! So, I brought the bath to them! 🤷🏻♀️
Oddly enough, I couldn’t find the pool I was looking for on Amazon for you. So, you’ll have to pop down to your local Walmart and grab the plastic pool they have on display outside.
And when your kids outgrow it, use it to keep your dog cool on hot summer days!
13. Play water slide kick ball.
Now here’s something I never heard of that I dug up for you in my research! How cool is water slide kick ball?!?
Seriously, if you give this a try, let me know in the comments below!! I’d love to hear how it worked out for you.
And if you need to know how to play, the Clarks, over at Clarks, Condensed, has a great post on how to play water slide kick ball.
Have fun!
14. Create a bubbly ball pit.
This looks like an outdoor bath…with style! 😉
If you have small children, this is a great idea! And Megan over at Modern Small Town Mama has a great post walking you through how to make a bubbly ball pit.
Go check it out!
15. Create sponge water bombs.
Who needs water balloons?!? These sponge water bombs get the job done, and can be used over and over again!
Plus, they don’t leave all that mess on your lawn. (Bonus!)
Natural Beach Living has a great diy post on making sponge water bombs.
16. String up a water piñata.
Never heard of it?!? Me neither! 😂🤣 I can’t even begin to tell you how much has changed since I had kids. But I think it’s brilliant!
If, like me, you don’t know how to make a water piñata, then pop on over to Milk Allergy Mom, where Jamie will show you how to make a water balloon piñata.
I think it’s another great idea for a backyard summer birthday party!! 😉
17. Jump on a trampoline covered in water balloons.
I don’t know why we never thought of this one! I’ almost embarrassed. 🤪
Grab some water balloons and toss them on the trampoline. And then try not to jump on them! 😂🤣
Shannon, over at Every Day Best, has a great post full of water game ideas you can play on your trampoline. Go check it out!
18. Create your own backyard splash pad.
I’ll admit, this idea takes a little preplanning. But can you imagine the squeals of delight from your kiddos?!? ☺️
Besides, it’d create an epic birthday party!!
DIY Crafts has a loads of ideas for creating your own backyard splash pad. Go check it out!
And if you aren’t feeling too crafty today, you can always buy one.
19. Play water balloon tennis.
If you’re tired of the water balloon fights and squirt gun battles, give water balloon tennis a try! It’s slower paced, but you still get wet!
AutoDesk Instructables has a tutorial to walk you through how to play water balloon tennis.
20. Set up a water table.
We had a huge sandbox when my kids were little. So, when we were given a sand table as a hand me down from a family member, we really didn’t need it.
But….I remembered how much the kids loved the sand and water tables when I worked in the preschool. So, on hot summer days, I’d take that sand table and fill one half with water and the other with sand.
Then I hauled out the old toy cars and trucks and let the boys play. They got wet and cooled off and loved it!!
You can easily make your own, if you don’t have one. Blitsy has 25 DIY water table ideas for you to get you started!
Or, if you don’t want to make your own, you can always order one off of Amazon.
21. Make soup in the kiddie pool.
I so loved doing this as a little girl!
Just take that plastic kiddie pool and fill it with water. Then walk around the yard and collect tons of grass, flowers, weeds, sticks…whatever you can find.
Toss it in the pool, stir it up, and wha-la! You’ve got soup!
You could bring out some old dishes, or toy kitchen dishes, and let your child serve it up too!
(Just be sure to wash everything when you are done – including the pool!)
22. Make sensory soup.
While I was trying to find a post about making pool soup for you, I stumbled across this one on how to make sensory soup with ice cubes and pool noodles!
What a fantastic idea! I just had to share.
Tina, from Simple Fun for Kids, has a great post that shows you how to make sensory soup.
At the end of the day…
You don’t have to go anywhere to have fun on a hot summer day, momma! I know it’s not always feasible.
There’s the cost factor, especially if you have a large family.
And it can be difficult to get out of the house when you have little kids. Sometimes it’s more work than it’s worth!
And if you run a side gig from home, you may just need to stay home and get some work done!
But no worries! Your kids can still have a blast at home on those hot summer days!! All it takes is a few ideas to get you started.
Set your computer up on the deck and let your kids play in the water while you work! Easy breezy. 😁
And as soon as you’re done, put your computer away and join them! Because at the end of the day, momma, it’s all about making memories and spending time with our kids, isn’t it? ☺️
I hope you have a fantastic summer momma! If you try any of these ideas, let me know in the comments below!
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