Sponge Darts

Last winter, you may recall that I shared a series of indoor activities that we used to entertain ourselves throughout a brutally cold January and February. Things like Toilet Paper Trails, Stomp & Pop Balloons, Eyedropper Volcanoes, and Magnetic Fishing were just a few of the ways that we kept from going completely stir crazy. And those activities are still fun on the hottest or rainiest days. But when we have beautiful, sunny, perfectly-warm weather, there's nothing better than water play! It's cheap, easy, and the boys love it. So in addition to the Ice Painting and Little Kids' Sports Course that we first tried last year, we will also be playing plenty of Sponge Darts this season!

This game just involves a few simple supplies:

A bucket (or tub) full of water, sidewalk chalk, and sponges.

First, I used the sidewalk chalk to draw a bullseye on the walkway.

I then explained to the boys that their mission was to throw their wet sponges onto the bullseye, with the goal of getting as many sponges as possible on the yellow center dot. It took them a few tries, but once they got the hang of it, they were landing almost every sponge in either the red, orange, or yellow zones.

We didn't bother to keep score, but if your kids are a little older (and like some competition), you could just designate a certain number of points per color zone. Keep track of where each sponge lands, tally the score, and determine a winner.

When all of the sponges had been thrown, the boys just picked them up and started again.

Nobody got hurt, no tears were shed, and it entertained them for quite a while. Success!

Looking for other fun summer activities? Check out these 50+ Easy Summer Activities for Toddlers and Little Kids!