10 engaging games with water

Here are 10 fun and educational ESL games for kids involving water—perfect for summer learning, classroom fun, or outdoor ESL lessons!

 
1. Water Balloon Word Toss
Objective: Practice vocabulary and speaking
Materials: Water balloons, marker
How to Play:

Write vocabulary words or questions on water balloons.
Students toss the balloon to a partner and must say a sentence using the word (or answer the question) before it pops!
 
2. Sponge Relay Race
Objective: Practice action verbs and teamwork
Materials: Sponges, buckets
How to Play:

Split the class into teams.
Kids soak a sponge, run to the other bucket, and squeeze it in.
Before running back, they must shout an action verb (e.g., run, jump, skip).
First team to fill the bucket wins.
 
3. Fishing for Words
Objective: Review vocabulary, spelling
Materials: Toy fishing rods, magnetic fish with words
How to Play:

“Fish” for a word.
Once caught, the student must say the word, spell it, or use it in a sentence.
 
4. Sink or Float Guessing Game
Objective: Practice predictions and descriptive language
Materials: Water container, various objects
How to Play:

Students guess if items will sink or float.
Use sentences like “I think the ___ will float because it is light.”
 
5. Water Gun Vocabulary Shoot
Objective: Word recognition and pronunciation
Materials: Water guns, flashcards
How to Play:

Place flashcards on a wall or fence.
Call out a word—students must find and shoot it with the water gun!
 
6. Water Word Hopscotch
Objective: Practice phonics or word families
Materials: Sidewalk chalk, spray bottles
How to Play:

Draw hopscotch squares with words or letters.
Call out a word—kids jump to the correct word and spray it with water.
 
7. Ice Cube Vocabulary Race
Objective: Practice vocabulary and speed
Materials: Ice cubes with paper inside (laminated or in plastic), bowls
How to Play:

Give each team an ice cube.
As it melts, they guess what the word inside might be.
First team to identify and use the word in a sentence wins.
 
8. Bubble Pop Q&A
Objective: Speaking and listening
Materials: Bubbles
How to Play:

Teacher blows bubbles.
When a student pops one, they must answer a question or say a word related to the theme (e.g., animals, colors).
 
9. Water Balloon Grammar Match
Objective: Grammar review (e.g., subject + verb agreement)
Materials: Water balloons with words
How to Play:

Students form grammatically correct sentences by tossing balloons with words to each other in the right order.
 
10. Pass the Cup Vocabulary Chain
Objective: Vocabulary recall and team communication
Materials: Plastic cups, water
How to Play:

Kids stand in a line and pass water from cup to cup over their heads.
Each must say a new word from a chosen category before passing the cup.