My kids are out of school and enjoying the hot, summer days.  They love to play in the pool, but unfortunately we don’t have one in our yard.   That means we have to get a bit more basic when it comes to having water fun in our backyard.  I picked up some Nerf Water Guns to get us started!  We were well on our way to having a Backyard Summer Water Party like no other!

Backyard Summer Water Party

We sent our friends e-invitations through email and Facebook, gathered our snacks and filled the Nerf water guns. All we needed was a hot, sunny day.

Ideas for a Backyard Summer Water Party

Waterguns:  We received 5 of the new Nerf SuperSoaker guns from HouseParty.  They made quite the splash.  We also invited each guest to bring their own guns so we could have an all-out water war.

Tip: Have several buckets filled with water so the kids can refill their water guns as needed. This is much easier than relying on the waterhose everytime the guns get empty.

Sprinkler:  I picked up a fun sprinkler at the Dollar General store; but a garden sprinkler would have worked just as well.

We didn’t plan an agenda for this party. We set a start time and put out all the necessary ingredients for fun in the sun. The kids did the easy part. When they had enough of the sprinkler, they migrated to the balloons. Then one of the kids started shooting with the waterguns, it became full battle.

Balloons:  We had an extra hose from the front yard that stretched to the side where the kids filled the balloons as they needed them.  You can prefill the Water balloons and save them in a cooler while they’re waiting for the balloon fight or toss.

Snacks:  Watermelon, Canteloupe, chips, juice packs and water bottles was plenty of snacks for the kids.

Shade:  It gets hot playing in the water.  Make sure you have a shady place designated as a dry zone so kids can rest.

Other Water Fun Ideas

Some parents celebrate the last day of school with a water gun fight or a bucket full of water balloons. I know of one Mom who had a backyard water party the day after school dismissed every year from 6th grade till her daughter graduated. What a fun tradition.

What are your best ideas, memories and tips for backyard summer water fun? I’d love to hear!