8 Games To Play With A Water Hose

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/ By GardenAxis

There are few things that are more all-American than being able to while away the summer by hanging out in your gardens with the kids. More specifically, there’s one thing in particular that makes the wonder of backyards come alive during the summer months: the water hose.

Kids adore water hoses, and rightfully so. They help bring the fun of a waterpark to your home, help kids cool down, and also have an amazing array of different games you can play with them. Want to give your kids some new ideas when it comes to playtime with a hose? Check out these fresh ideas to get your mind jogging…

Water Limbo

If there’s one game that’s always been associated with cruise ships and the like, it’s limbo. Normally, people use a pole to get people going and have them dancing. If you have a body-safe pressurized water hose nozzle, you can switch out the typical pole with a stream of water.

This game is super simple: just have kids limbo under the garden hose. If they can’t bend all the way back, the garden hose will spray them and they’re tagged out. The last limbo player standing wins the game. It’s a major splash!

Snake Jump

Need to get your kids tired out in a pinch? Get them jumping around the yard with this awesome game. With snake jump, all you have to do is turn on the hose and wave it around low to the ground. The goal of the game is to avoid having the “snake” hit you.

If the water hits one of your kids, they have to duck out for two minutes to “recover” while others keep jumping. Whoever jumps the longest without getting hit by water wins.

The Water Bucket Race

For this game, you’re going to need a couple of extra supplies. You’ll need a cup and a bucket for each kid who’s playing. Use a water hose to fill up each player’s cup, and have them carry the cup across the yard and have them empty out the cup into the bucket. Then, have them return for more water.

The challenge of this game is to get the players to fill up the bucket fast. The player who fills it fastest wins the game. This game can also be used as a relay race concept by just having players pass the cup of water around.

Water Tag

Almost every kid has played water tag at least once. The kid with the water hose is “it,” and the goal of the kid who’s tagged “it” is to spray kids using the water hose. Kids will need to duck, dodge, and escape the speed of the hose’s water—a serious challenge, if you’ve never had to try it.

Once a player gets hit with water, they’re now “it.” This game doesn’t really have a way to win it, per se. It just keeps getting played until everyone is too tired to keep running.

Play Carwash

Here’s a slick trick for parents that want to encourage a good work ethic in kids: turn your chores into play time! One of the easiest ways to get kids to help around the house is to let them pretend to have a real-life car washing business. Grab some soap, let them rub down the car with detergent, and then let them spray it down.

Let them talk about how they have a business, have them pretend to give you change, and teach them a little bit about the perks of hard work. While this isn’t a typical “game,” it can be a great learning experience for younger kids.

Hot Potato

Remember when you were in school, and you’d have someone who would play “hot potato” by passing around an object? You can do a similar summer game using a garden hose and a water balloon. Use the garden hose to fill up the water balloon, then give it to your kids to pass to one another.

The game is pretty simple. They keep tossing the ball back and forth until it explodes. When it does, your players get wet and the game is done…until they grab another balloon, anyway. A lot of kids find this to be a little addictive, so don’t be surprised if they get carried away with this one.

Red Light, Green Light

This classic game also comes with its own water hose twist, too. One player starts with his back turned to everyone else. The other players are at the other corner of the yard. Players are allowed to walk closer and closer to the first player when the player’s back is turned during “Green Light” mode.

When the player jumps around and yells “Red Light,” everyone has to freeze in place. Those who don’t freeze fast enough get sprayed with a water hose and have to take a seat. The person who is able to walk across the yard and tap the “light” on the shoulder is the one who wins the game. That being said, you shouldn’t be surprised if you end up seeing this game turn into a water hose fight afterward. It’s a good way to cool down on a hot summer day, and sometimes kids can’t help themselves.

Sponge Fight

Water balloons are pretty pricey and can be a little difficult to work with at times. If you love the idea of a water balloon fight but don’t want to deal with all the rubber remnants on your lawn, you might want to try to do a sponge fight instead.

Use the water hose to “fuel” the sponge’s water supply and let your kids have fun tossing them around. This quick and easy fix will make most problems relating to water balloon fights go away—including the harsh stings of a breaking balloon. Your kids will love the endless fun this offers and what it means for their nights out in summer.

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