Youth Workin' It

Consultancy and Resources for Youth Workers and Organizations Worldwide

Water Balloon Dodgeball – Youth Group Games

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Water Balloon Dodgeball
Image courtesy of Steve Wilhelm, Flickr

If you need a fun youth group game idea, why not try playing a twist on a youth group classic – Water Balloon Dodgeball.

Here’s how to play it:

Resources

  • Water balloons – at least 5 per young person
  • Buckets / large tubs
  • Cones / markers
  • Towels

Location

For this game you’ll need a fairly large open space outdoors, especially if you have a large youth group.

Due to all the running around and potential for youth falling over, it’s best if this is played on grass.

Preparation

  • Place a couple of cones at one end of the playing area and a couple of cones at the other end
  • Fill up all the water balloons and place in the buckets. Also fill the buckets with water to reduce the chance of the balloons bursting prematurely
  • Place the buckets in the middle of the playing area

Water Balloon Dodgeball Rules

  • All youth should stand at one end of the playing area behind the cones
  • When you say go, they have to run to the other end while you throw water balloons at them
  • If they get hit by a balloon before reaching the other end, they’re out
  • Once all remaining players are lined up the other side, say go and have them run back while you continue throwing water balloons at them

Winner

The last young person who’s managed to dodge being hit by a balloon.

Prize

Offer the ultimate prize for winning this version of dodgeball and allow the winner to throw the remaining water balloons at you (and your volunteers if they’re game!)

If you have enough balloons left over, you could instead play a leaders game of water balloon dodgeball, with the youth who won taking your place as the thrower.

Tip

For extremely large youth groups, you might need to have some of your volunteers help you with the throwing.

If you liked this idea, check out all our other youth group games, including many more that involve water.

Question: Can you think of any other ways you could play Water Balloon Dodgeball? We’d love to hear your ideas in the comments below.

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