Whether you are with younger or older children, these fun balloon games are sure to be a hit. Use these awesome ideas at home as a boredom buster or at a birthday party.
Don’t worry, you don’t have to sit at the sink and fill them one by one like I used to. Now you can use these easy fill water balloons (affiliate link) and be ready for any of these games in minutes!
Balloon Games for Younger Kids
Balloon Hot Potato
This is a great game for larger groups of young children. The players sit or stand in a circle. When the music starts, the children begin to pass the hot potato (balloon) around the circle. When the music stops, the person holding the balloon is out.
Balloon Relay Race
There are so many different ways to have a relay race with balloons. This is a fun party game for kids of all ages. It’s an easy way to help people get to know each other.
Pass the Balloon – All of the players stand in a line. The first person passes the balloon up and over their head. The next person passes the balloon down and through their legs. Keep alternating until you get to the end of the line and then send the balloon back to the beginning. The team that does this the fastest is the winner!
Gather the Balloons – Both teams are behind the starting line. Have two different colors of balloons scattered around the yard. The teams pick a color. The first person runs out and gathers one balloon of their team’s color and runs back. The second player runs to get a balloon of their team’s color and run it back. The relay ends when all of the balloons are collected for one team.
Water Balloon on a Wooden Spoon – Balance the balloon on the spoon while running to a certain spot and back again. Then, the first player will pass the balloon to the next player and the race continues. The first team to all make it back to the starting line wins!
Don’t Let it Hit the Ground
This is my favorite game and one of the best balloon games for younger kids to develop hand-eye coordination. Work together and don’t let the balloon drop! Keep it up in the air as long as you can. For an extra challenge, try keeping several balloons up in the air at once or don’t use your hands and only use other body parts to keep them up.
Paint with Balloons
This is a fun activity to try inside and outside. Blow up a few small balloons. Dip them in paint and stamp them on the paper. I like to put different colors of paint in a muffin tin and make sure the balloon is small enough to be dipped into it.
Balloon Feelings
Before you blow up the balloon, draw a funny face with permanent marker. Watch the balloon blow up to see what person it is. This is so much fun and it also can be used to talk about the faces of different feelings and emotions.
Balloon Drop
Have an older child stand on a chair or on the couch. Have the younger child stand on the ground with a basket or bucket. Drop the balloon from high up and challenge the other child to catch it in their basket. Score a point if you get it in the basket.
Balloon Games for Older Kids
Not My Balloon
This outdoor game needs a lot of space for active play. Blow up a balloon and tie it to a long string (2-3 feet long). The object of the game is to pop other people’s balloons, but keep your balloon from popping. Protect your balloon first and try to pop other players balloons.
Surprise Pop
Put treats (candy, money, or small trinkets) inside balloons and blow them up. Sprinkle them around the yard (like an Easter egg hunt). When the balloon pops, they find the treats inside. This is a great game for older kids that don’t mind the sound of a popping balloon.
Balloon Obstacle Course
This is a fun way to introduce the concept of static electricity! Each team rubs a balloon on their head, creating static, and sticks it to the wall. Each player must complete the obstacle course before the balloon falls. Can all of your players reach the finish line before it falls? This can also be done with just one child trying to beat the obstacle course before the balloon falls. It’s a great way to burn extra energy.
Balloon Tennis Game
Have an indoor game of tennis. Instead of a tennis ball, use a balloon. Instead of tennis rackets use a pool noodle or paper plates as a racket. Put a piece of painters tape on the floor as a net. This is the perfect game for a rainy day.
Scavenger Hunt
A scavenger hunt is such a fun activity for birthday parties! Pop the balloon to get the first clue. Follow what it says to find your next clue and pop that balloon. Continue following the clues until you reach the treasure.
Balloon Rockets
Use string, a straw and a balloon to make balloon rockets like they did at Happy Brown House. Put two strings side by side. This is a fun way to have a race. This activity is best for older kids that can blow up the balloon on their own.
Head, Shoulders, Knees, and Toes
Keep the balloon up in the air, but do it to the song of Head, Shoulders, Knees, and Toes. The first person hits the balloon with their head. The next person hits it with their shoulder. Keep hitting it with the body part that you sing as you sing the song. How long can you keep it in the air?
Water Balloons
Water balloons are a great way to have fun on hot Summer days! Besides an epic water balloon fight, here are a few fun water balloon games to play.
You can use water balloon to make learning fun for preschoolers. Using water balloons to play and learn. These water balloon activities include counting, sorting, spelling your name, and more!
Water Balloon Target Practice
Use sidewalk chalk to draw a bullseye type target on a fence or on the driveway. Aim to try to hit the target. This is great fun for kids of all ages (and adults too).
Water Balloon Yo-Yo
There is something about a water balloon yo-yo that I think is just so cool. You can make your own following these step by step directions from That After School Life. All you need is a water balloon and rubber band to get started.
Water Balloon Basketball
Use a laundry basket and shoot water balloons into it to make a point.
Water Balloon Pinatas
Hello Wonderful shows you how to make water balloon pinatas. These would be so fun to have a pool party!
We hope you enjoy these fun games as much as we do! Which one will you try first?