Looking for a fun outdoor water game to try this Canada Day? This Great Canadian Water Gun Cup Race is guaranteed to be a hit! Kids use water blasters to race decorated Canada Day cups across a string from one end of the backyard to the other. It’s easy to set up, encourages friendly competition, and is the perfect way to cool off on a warm July afternoon.
We love backyard activities that are simple to prepare but keep kids entertained for a long time, and this one checks all the boxes. Whether you’re celebrating with family, hosting a Canada Day BBQ, or planning a neighborhood party, this game is one everyone will want to play again and again.
Why You’ll Love This Activity
- Perfect for Canada Day parties
- Great for kids of all ages
- Encourages outdoor active play
- Inexpensive and easy to set up
- Reusable for summer water play
Materials
- Red plastic cups
- White string or clothesline
- Water blasters
- Maple leaf stickers or permanent markers
- Two sturdy posts, trees, or fence posts
- Tape or scissors
How to Set Up
- Use scissors to punch a hole in the bottom of a plastic drinking cup. Make sure it’s large enough to allow the string to pass through easily.
- Decorate each cup with maple leaf stickers or let kids draw their own Canada Day designs using permanent markers.
- Cut a piece of string the length between to tree, fence posts or chairs in your backyard or local park. Thread the cup along the string. Then stretch it tightly between the trees, fence posts, or outdoor chairs. Secure the string with tape or tie it.
- Give each player a filled water blaster and have them stand at the starting line with their cup.
- Repeat if playing with more than one person. Or if you are playing solo, use a stop watch to time yourself.
How to Play
- Players aim their water blasters at the inside of the cup. The force of the water pushes the cup along the string toward the finish line.
- The first player to spray their cup all the way to the opposite end wins!
- For even more fun, race multiple rounds or create teams for a relay.
Tips for Success
- Pull the string as tight as possible so the cups slide easily.
- Lightweight plastic cups work better than heavier reusable cups.
- Set up several lanes if you’re hosting a larger group to reduce waiting time.
More Canada Day Activities for Kids
Pair the Great Canadian Cup Race with a Canada Day sensory bin, maple leaf headband craft, Canada Day windsock, or patriotic sidewalk chalk art for a full afternoon of festive fun. It’s an easy way to create lasting family memories while celebrating Canada’s birthday outdoors.
Play2Learn Toddler & Preschool Programs for Curious Toddlers
There is no limit to your toddler’s energy and curiosity. That energy and curiosity although a joy can be challenging at times. Their interest in just about everything around them is what makes them great learners. One and two year olds can soak up so much just from their senses!
But as a teacher or parent that thirst for learning can be exhausting. That is why I created this toddler and preschooler program. To help you get the most out of this time with your curious toddler without having to come up with creative ways to play and interact with them.
Play2Learn for Toddlers includes 20 Units for toddlers. Each 2-week toddler unit has 20 super easy to set up and engaging activities for toddlers 18 months to 3 years.
Play2Learn Preschool which includes 20 Units for preschoolers. Each 2-week preschoolers unit has 20 unique and easy to set up and engaging activities for preschoolers 3 years to 5 years. That’s over 800 learning activities for your toddler and preschooler at your fingertips! So many ideas you and your child will never be bored again!
These toddler and preschool lesson plans and activities will definitely keep you and your toddler and preschooler busy playing and learning!
Click here for more information: Play2Learn
Book: Exciting Sensory Bins for Curious Kids
Did you know I wrote a book of sensory bins? Click here for more information Exciting Sensory Bin for Curious Kids. Or grab your copy at Amazon.
Boring afternoons are made exciting with awesome animal-based bins, like Salty Shark Bay or Yarn Farm. Pretend play bins like Birthday Cake Sensory Play or Bubble Tea Party encourage creativity and imagination. And your kids will have so much fun they won’t even know they’re getting smarter with STEAM (science, technology, engineering, art and math) activities like Sink or Float Soup, Magnetic Letter Hunt or Ice Cream Scoop and Count.
Designed for toddlers 18 months and up.
Book: Super STEAM Activity Book for Kids
Learning all about science, technology, engineering, art, and math sets kids up for scholastic success―and it can be so much fun! Watch kids enjoy building STEAM skills as they color friendly fish, help water find its way to tree roots, solve math problems with mazes, and more.
Find out more and grab your copy here.
Designed for preschoolers 3 years old and up.
Book: Big Book of Riddles for Kids
Riddle me this: What’s an exciting way to practice critical thinking while having a blast? The Big Riddle Book for Kids, of course! From hilarious puns to tough brain teasers, kids can build problem-solving skills with hundreds of riddles tha. t show them how to think outside the box.
- 350 riddles for kids—Have hours of fun with riddles, puns and jokes, and math and logic puzzles that’ll get their wheels turning!
- Level up their skills—Riddles get trickier as kids progress through the book, challenging them as they get better at solving puzzles!
- Double-check their work—Kids can check their answers in the back of the book with a handy answer key.
Help children expand their minds while having fun with this puzzle book for kids!
Designed for kids ages 6 years old and up.
TV Show: Curious Crafting
I’m so excited to share my crafting TV show Curious Crafting which launched in July 2022 on TVOkids and TVOkids YouTube! Season 2 aired in August 2023! My show was also nominated in 2023 for Best Live Action Preschool Series by the Youth Media Alliance Awards of Excellence.
Curious Crafting Season 1 is also now airing in Australia on ABC! Watch it here!
Set in the ultimate crafting space, Curious Crafting is a short form pre-school age series about the joy of making crafts. I lead a rotating cast of adorable little preschoolers (including my own) making magic out of common household objects.
In each episode we transform recycled items into magical crafts like a milk carton school bus, paper bag puppet or cotton pad turtle. The crafters learn and laugh their way through each activity while demonstrating what their young imaginations can create.
Curious Crafting shares the adventure and joy of making art with takeaway lessons for creating crafts at home.
This show designed for toddlers and preschoolers 2.5 years old and up.
