Summer Fun with Water Relays

Materials Needed

Here’s everything you’ll need to set up exciting Hydration Relays:

• Plastic cups (one per player)
• Large buckets or coolers for water (one per team)
• Collection containers with measuring marks (one per team)
• Cones for marking the course
• Optional obstacles (jump ropes, hula hoops, etc.)
• Towels for spills
• Garden hose or access to water
• Optional: food coloring to color-code team water

Setting Up the Game

First, start by dividing children into teams of equal size.

Then, give each player an empty plastic cup. Nothing fancy – regular party cups work perfectly for this game.

At the opposite end of the playing area, place buckets or coolers filled with water.

This is where players will fill their cups during the relay.

Set up a collection container for each team at the starting line. This could be a large measuring cup, pitcher, or small bucket with a fill line marked (you could also use a piece of tape outside the bucket if you don’t want to mark your pitcher/bucket).

How to Play

When the game begins, the first player from each team runs to their team’s water bucket, fills their cup, and races back to the starting line.

The idea here is to be fast but also preserve as much water in your cup as possible.

The player must then pour whatever water remains in their cup (imagine a sloshy mess as kids run down the yard) into the team collection container.

After pouring, they pass their empty cup to the next teammate, who repeats the process. Teams compete to fill their collection container to the marked line first.

Adding Obstacles and Challenges

For added excitement, you could create an obstacle course between the starting line and water buckets. This makes the game more challenging and entertaining.

Players might need to hop on one foot, crawl under a rope, or zigzag around cones while trying not to spill their water. The more creative the obstacles, the more laughs you’ll hear!