As a kid, growing up in Upstate New York, if the weather ever climbed into the 90’s it was considered a crazy, hot, summer day. Maybe this would happen once or twice. In August. Nowadays, I’ve heard that in that region it can get up there and stay there for quite a while well before the summer solstice! Now that I am in Mexico for a bit, I am trying to prepare myself for hot summer. But apparently the heat arrives well before summer! We already reached 104 degrees fahrenheit back in May! Those of you who live in South Texas know exactly what I mean. If you have lived there for years then you probably have figured out how to stay cool in these crazy hot months. I’m still trying to figure it out. Like I said, I never grew up knowing insanely hot summers. Now, with children ages one through twelve, I need to come up with creative yet fun ways to keep cool, all on a budget! Here is a list of six ‘cool’ and entertaining games that kids of all ages will enjoy this summer!

Homemade Dunk Tank

Ok. I will be honest. This is the most expensive one on the list but certainly sounds like fun! I am not talking about a dunk tank in the traditional sense where you throw a ball and someone falls into a pool of water. Rather, using PVC pipe (so if you happen to have that laying around then this project will be essentially free for you) and a bucket, you and your kids can have hours of fun trying to soak each other all while practicing your fast ball. Here is a link to a video that shows you what I’m talking about! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LCajHd-V7-E

Water Balloon Fight

Forget the traditional water balloon toss and simply hand your children several buckets of pre-filled water balloons and let them have at it! That’s what they are wanting to do the whole time they are suffering through those dreaded water balloon tosses anyways! Just be sure to set some ground rules first such as avoiding the eyes and being gentle with the little ones.

Water Gun Races

You know the game that you find at virtually every carnival on the planet aside from the ring toss. I’m talking about when each player is handed a water gun and they have to aim it at a tiny target on the wall hoping that their perfect aim will cause the buzzer to go off before any of the other players! Rather than trying to completely recreate this at home, create something just as fun. Check out this video to see how to create a water gun cup race! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gKtaY6oxYUE

Old-Fashioned Hose

Seriously! How could I Ieave this one out? Simple yet effective kids love using the hose. I think they feel like they are “getting away with something” because essentially the hose is meant for gardening or other chores. So when you give your child the go-ahead to use it they experience a sense of thrill. Of power. My younger ones love it.

Water Balloon Tag

As if tag isn’t fun enough, youth pastors and camp counselors around the country have utilized “freeze tag,” “TV tag,” and who knows what other kinds of “tag?” Why not let your kids play “water balloon tag.” This is a bit more organized than a water balloon fight but just as fun! The only way a person is “out” in this game is when a water balloon actually pops and breaks when it comes into contact with their body. Not the ground and not if it bounces off of them!

Bowl-Balance Beam

Using several bricks and a two by four, set up a balance beam. Then, each child fills up a plastic bowl with water. They have to hold it on their head as the walk across. One hand hold the bowl while the other hand is used for balancing If they fall off- they have to start over. Whoever has the most water in their bowl after successfully walking across the balance beam, wins!