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How to have the ultimate water fight

First published on Wednesday 13 May 2020 Last modified on Monday 11 January 2021

Water fight

Kanika Banwait

Social Writer

What could be better than a water fight on a warm, sunny day?! They're a great way for the kids to use up their energy and have fun, and perfect for birthday parties. THIS is how to get the most out of a water fight ...

This page contains affiliate links, which means we may earn a small amount of money if a reader clicks through and makes a purchase. All our articles and reviews are written independently by the Netmums editorial team.

Swimming costume issues

Water fights are a godsend on a glorious summer day – the kids are boiling and bored, but it's too hot to run around or stay out in the sun for too long.

A water fight, however, makes sure the little ones don't overheat while they use up their energy. Plus, they're out in the fresh air, so that's a bonus.

We've put together some tips on how to get the most out a water fight, including must-read rules, 'battle' equipment and games.

Prepare to get WET ..

Browse our round-up of the best water toys, here.

Water fight rules

  • Make sure you've got easy access to your water supply. There's NOTHING worse than running out of water and letting your opponent win while you faff around with refills. Keep a bucket of water, tap or hose nearby.
  • But, don't waste water! Do your bit for the environment by turning off taps in between refills. If you're using a hose, make sure the water pressure is only as high as you need it.
  • Keep potential dangers out of the way, including buckets and other things that can be spilt or tipped over. Clear the ground of any stones or bits that could be a trip hazard.
  • We know it's tempting, but DON'T throw a water balloon (or anything else) at someone's head.
  • On a sunny day, remember to keep reapplying sun cream often, especially when kids are getting wet.
  • Always have things to play with, such as ...

The definitive water fight equipment list

Everything you'll need for an ace water fight, apart from water of course!

See our pick of the best paddling pools, here.

Water balloon fight
Get ready for battle!

The best water fight games for kids

Need some inspiration for what to play? Look no further.

  • Driest wins – It's simple. Set a timer and let loose in a traditional water fight. Whoever is the driest when the time is up, is the winner.
  • Balloon dodgeball – Make up some water balloons and put them in a bucket or container for each team. The team or person who can avoid getting hit by water balloons the most is the winner.
  • Water tag – You only need one water pistol to play this, but it's easer if everyone has their own. Someone is 'it' and has to chase the others around until they successfully shoot water at someone. The person who got 'shot' with water is now 'it' and has to do the same.
  • Balloon toss – Throw a water balloon to each other to see how long you can catch it before the balloon bursts. Take it up a notch by having one player put a colander on their head, where they have to catch as many water balloons as they can. Then swap!
  • Balloon bounce – This game works great if you have a badminton or volleyball net to put up. Two people hold each end of a towel on one side, and two other people do the same on the other side. Fling the water balloons over the net by using the towels as a catapult. The team who drop the least, wins.
  • Colour splash – Add some food colouring or paint to the water in your pistols for a colour water gun fight. It'll be easier to see who gets hit and your clothes will look like they've been tie-dyed.
  • Glow in the dark – Instead of playing during the day time, one idea is to wait until the sun starts to set and have a glow in the dark water balloon fight. Simply fold some glow sticks into a circle and secure them so they stay in that shape. Then, put them inside the balloons before filling them up with water. Voila! You can buy them in packs of five for around £2.99. See more details, here.
  • Slip 'n' slide – If you have a slip 'n' slide, what are you waiting for? Blow it up! Use it as part of a wet obstacle course or see who can slide the farthest on it. Alternatively, you just just lay down some tarpaulin on a sloping piece of ground, and use water and washing up liquid to make it super slippery.
  • Sponge relay – Each team has two buckets and a sponge. Fill one bucket with water and put it a couple of metres in front of the empty bucket. One player from each team takes the sponge, runs to the filled-up bucket, fills the sponge with water and runs to empty bucket to squeeze as much water out as possible. The next player then does it, like a relay. The team with the most water in their 'empty' bucket, wins.
Slip and slide
Blow up the slip 'n' slide
  • Sponge toss – Rather than a relay race, try soaking a sponge with water and tossing it to your teammate, who then squeezes the water out into an empty bucket. The team who fills up their bucket the fastest, wins.
  • Water bottle toss – Or, toss small water bottles instead of sponges. Without the lids on them, it'll take longer to fill up the buckets and will splash everyone more.
  • Water cup relay – An alternative relay race is to use plastic cups. Each team should stand or sit in a line with one bucket full of water at one end and an empty bucket at the other. The person at the front should fill up a cup with water and pass it over their head to the next person. The person at the end tips the water into the empty bucket and the team with the most water in the 'empty' bucket at the end, wins.
  • Balloon squat relay – Another relay game is to have each team stand at the start line. When the time starts, one player from each team has to run to the finish line, sit on their water balloon until it bursts, then run back to their team. Then, the next player does the same. The first team to pop all their balloons, wins.
  • Hose pipe limbo – Either do a limbo under the hose pipe itself or turn on the tap and limbo under the water stream, moving it lower each round.
  • Go fishing – If you've got a paddling pool, fill it up with water and random items. Bath toys would work a treat! Each person has to stand outside of the pool and fish out as many items as they can in a certain time, while being squirted with water guns and having balloons thrown at them. Make it more challenging by blindfolding the fisher.
  • Pass the balloon – Like pass the parcel, but with water balloons. Sit or stand in a circle, play some music and pass the water balloon around. When the music stops, the person holding the water balloon has to burst it on their head and is out.
  • Sprinkler stop – One person stands at one end of the garden. The others line up on the other end. Put a sprinkler in the middle. When the person on their own says 'go', the others have to run to get to them, but when they say 'stop', the others have to freeze. Whoever reaches the person on their own first, wins. If they get frozen right next to the sprinkler, they'll be soaked!
  • Water roulette – Put a bunch of cups on a table and fill some of them with water. The players, blindfolded, have to pick a cup by pointing to it. Someone else then tips the cup over their head – they'll soon find out if they made the right choice or not.
  • Drip, drip, drop – It's like duck, duck, goose, but with water. Everyone sits in a circle while one person walks around it and drips a bit of water on their head. When the person decides to drop, they tip the whole cup of water on the other person's head.

How to win a water fight

  • Arm yourself! If you want to win, you've got to have the best tools to hand. Whether you opt for a pistol or a balloon, make sure you've got a good technique and a backup.
  • Practice makes perfect, after all. Have a go practicing your aim at a target first, before the real games begin.
  • Carry extra ammo. If you're able to, it might be a good idea to carry some water bottles in your pockets for an easy surprise attack.
  • Have a secret stash. An even better surprise attack is if you have gear hidden around the garden, so you don't have to run all the way back to the house to get a top up.
  • Don't go in all guns blazing, literally. It's all about the tactics – the faster you run out of water the more time you'll spend refilling, which gives your opponent more time to drench you.
  • Know your boundaries. If you've marked areas that are out of bounds, make sure you know exactly where you're allowed so there's no chance of disqualification.
  • Work as a team. If you're playing with enough people, water fights are a great way of practising communication skills and working as a team.

More water fight tips

  • Set a time limit for the games to save water usage and and make sure everyone is hydrated inside as well as outside their bodies.
  • Wear light, flexible clothes that you don't mind getting dirty and VERY wet. You could even throw a cossie on underneath your battle outfit. It's going to get slippery, so everyone needs to be wearing comfortable shoes with a good grip, too.
  • Remember to have dry clothes to hand so everyone can get changed quickly when they're done. You don't want to be walking around soggy and dripping!

Have you got any tips for how to have an epic water fight? Let us know in the forum, below.

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This article contains affiliate links, which means we may earn a small amount of money if a reader clicks through and makes a purchase. All our articles and reviews are written independently by the Netmums editorial team.

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