If you love sunny summer days, get-togethers with friends or family, and are ready to get wet and wild playing kickball, then you need to try Slip’N’Slide Kickball yourself. It’s tons of fun and combines two great outdoor activities into a new and exciting way to play!

Follow this Slip and slide Kickball guide to design the splashiest way of cooling off in your own backyard. This game is perfect for having fun with the family or your friends during the hot summer days.

Almost anyone can join in this delightful activity, regardless of their age. The game is super lively and entertaining, simple to play and so addictive that it will keep you splashing in the kiddie pools and down the water slides for hours in a row.

 

Kickball Slip and Slide: An Overview for Newcomers

Slip’N’Slide Kickball is an awesome game that takes kickball to the next level by adding splashing water, and slippery fun to it! Whether you play it in your backyard with your friends and family, or with your colleagues in teambuilding, you’ll surely get an unforgettable day of joy and laughter! You’ll get wet, you’ll slip and dive, you’ll slide in the funniest ways and you’ll be left with the fondest of memories.

There is quite a bit of preparation that goes into making a great kickball slip-and-slide get-together, so we’re going to take a look at everything that makes this activity great. We’ll go into how to prepare the playfield, what you need for the game, how to make it even more challenging and fun, and much more.

 

WHAT YOU WILL NEED TO PLAY SLIP AND SLIDE KICKBALL

The first step to building your Slip and Slide Kickball field is gathering the materials. Fortunately, you don’t need to spend too much money or buy materials that require extensive expertise in construction. All in all, you should spend as much as $100 on all the necessary items, although you might have some of them already lying around your house.

 

Here is a full list of the supplies you need for building a Slip and Slide Kickball field:

• 4 slip ‘n slides or plastic drop cloths. Depending on your budget, you can go for some official slip’n’slides, which are specially designed backyard water slides. They may come with pre-built splash zones at the end of the slides, that can act as kickball bases.

Alternatively, if you are more of a do-it-yourself person, and want to make a custom kickball field, you can go for commercial plastic drop cloths. You’ll have to secure these with tarp stakes into the ground. This is the cheaper, but a bit more work-intensive, version. Worry not, though, because both builds are super fun to play on!

OR

• 4 kiddie pools (both the circular, and the rectangular ones work). You can play a version of slip-and-slide kickball where only the home base is a pool that you dive into, or you can make each base out of a kiddie pool. It’s up to you. When we play it, we use pools for every base. We pick smaller circular ones for bases, and you have to stand up in those. And we use a bigger, rectangular pool as the home base, because the rule is you have to dive into that last one! This makes it super fun, everyone has a blast when they reach home base and we’ve had some really spectacular dives!

• Around 20 tarp stakes. You need those if you choose to build your own field using drop cloths, to secure them to the ground. Try to use some like the ones below, since they anchor well into the ground, and being long on both sides, nothing will stick out and scratch the players.

• Alternatively, you could go for plastic tarp stakes. We’ve used both kinds, and  both work. Just pick what you prefer.

 

• Around 10 bottles of laundry detergent or dish soap. This depends on the size of your field. You need a soapy substance to wet the tarps, to make them slippery. Water alone won’t do.

• A kickball – can’t play the game without a ball, of course. You can use an official kickball (which is bouncy and, honestly, the perfect weight). But if you improvised a smaller playfield in the backyard, then you could go for a lighter rubber ball that travels less distance, when kicked. We still prefer the regular kickball no matter where we play, because we’re used to it, and love it, but, one time, at a get-together, we even used a beach ball and we made it work.

 

• Spray Paint – you can use some bio-degradable spray paint to mark the pitching mound.

• A source of fresh water with multiple garden hoses if it is possible. It’s good to wet the tarps periodically to keep them slippery. So having hoses with running water at hand would be ideal. Otherwise, you need to bring some big bottles of water with you to prep the field. Also, you can improvise. For instance, there’s even a version of the game where you use water guns to shoot water at the players, so you can consider getting some of those for more fun and for periodically re-watering the slippery tarps.

• Take care that some inflatables might puncture, so have Gorilla tape or duct tape at the ready, just in case. Depending on what type of game you choose to play, you might want to have plastic cups, balloons filled with water, etc. (but we’ll get into this later on when we tell you the different ways in which you can play the game). Also, consider bringing along lots of drinking water and refreshments, it’s going to be a long day in the sun! Don’t forget sunscreen, maybe a scoreboard, and last but not least don’t forget the music and you are set to go!

 

SETTING UP YOUR FIELD

Now that you have everything at the ready, next, you’ll need to set up the playing field using the required materials, and possibly some help from your friends and family. Here is how to do it:

Set Up the Tarps

The way you set the tarps is the most important part, since that’s where all the action takes place. Pick a flat surface to place it on. You will most definitely want a flat, grassy area. Otherwise, you can get hurt when u slide on it. The grass cushions the slide. Also, make sure you clear the spot of debris or sharp objects, cos otherwise you’ll get scratched and that’s no fun.

Secure The Slip And Slide

• If you went for DIY plastic tarps, then you need to also bring your tarp stakes with you. Whether you picked metal tarp stakes or plastic ones, it’s all good. Just use them to secure the plastic cloths to the ground. Spread them evenly along the sides of the tarps to make sure they don’t move around. There’s going to be a lot of action on the tarps, so rather use more stakes at closer distances, than have flimsy tarps bending around if you spread your stakes too far apart.
• If you picked the official Slip’N’Slides, those usually come with their own stakes, so use those to secure your slides. There are more kinds of slip-n-slides out there, some are regular and straight all the way. Others have a splash-zone build at the end. Use those if you decide to not get kiddie pools for bases, or the regular ones if you have pools. We personally go for small pools for bases and a big one for the home base, where the players have to dive.

Add Lubricant

Simply watering the slip and slides won’t do. You need to add something which will lubricate the tarps, making them slippery. We’ve heard of different options here, but the thing that works best is either laundry detergent or dish soap. There are two ways in which you can lube the tarps, depending on what you have at hand:

• Mix the detergent with water in a bucket or some spray bottles, and then spread it evenly on the tarps
• Squeeze the detergent directly on the tarps and then add water with a hose and then mix it all up to cover the whole surface

Set Up The Bases

Once the tarps are in place and you added the detergent, it’s time to set up the bases. The classical slip-and-slide bases are kiddie pools that you fill up with water.

The game is all about splashing and getting wet. We like to use 3 small pools for the bases and a bigger one for the home base, since we play by the rule that players reaching the last base must jump-dive in it. Using kiddie pools is the classic slip’n’slide setup.

But if you don’t feel like doing that you can just use regular bases and use something to mark them with. The distance between the bases should be 60 feet, which is the standard distance for a kickball field.

 

The Proper Layout For Your Slip And Slide Kickball Field

Here is a diagram showing you the way you could set up your slides and bases.

So that’s the general idea of how it should look when you set up your tarps and kiddie pools. In the diagram, the home base is shown a bit underneath the kicking area, but you can place the home base a bit to the left of the kicking area, and thus make your field into an almost perfect diamond shape.

Whichever spot you pick for your home base, what’s more important is to have some room for the kicking spot that’s free of water. This is so that players can kick the ball without standing in a puddle or slipping when they hit the ball.

If you want to be precise and do it by the book, the standard dimensions for a kickball field are: 60 feet for each side between bases, 84 feet 10 ¼ inches from corner to corner (measured from home base to second, traversing the pitching spot), while the pitching spot is placed 42 feet and 5 1/8 inches away from home base.

But truthfully, when playing slip and slide, it’s super fine to just approximate. So you could just do: about 20 paces between the bases, and 28 paces between home base and 2^nd, drawing the pitching spot somewhere in the middle.

Additional Note: When we used DIY tarps to make the field, we would spread them all the way between bases from one pool to the next.

But we’ve sometimes played on commercial slip-and-slides that we’ve bought from the toy store, and those weren’t long enough. So, what we did instead, we allowed for a portion of uncovered grass, leading into a slip-and-slide ending with the next base.

This made it so our players first had to run on the grass, then gain speed and tummy dive onto the slip-n-slides to reach the next base. It was great fun too. So, consider that, depending on how you’ve built your playfield.

 

Here is a cool video showing how awesome and fun slip’n’slide kickball is once you’ve set up your play field!

 

DIY slip and slide kickball setup instructions (a condensed summary)

Here is an easy-to-follow checklist of the steps you need to go through when you build your slip-and-slide kickball playfield:

• Lay out the slip ‘n slides on the grass in your backyard
• Place the kiddie pools where the bases will be
• Fix the slip ‘n slides in the ground with the tarp stakes
• Pour water over the slides and fill the kiddie pools
• Pour the detergent on the slip ‘n slides
• Spray the pitching mound

*Extra tip: If you are playing a Slip and Slide Kickball game with children, or if you just want to make the whole activity safer, place some carpets under the slides. This will make sliding easier and you will minimize any possible injuries resulting from falling.

 

HOW TO PLAY SLIP AND SLIDE KICKBALL

The rules of slip and slide kickball are similar to those of regular kickball. Split the players into two teams, and decide who goes first. The first team starts by kicking the ball and running to the bases. The opposing team will try to catch the ball and tag the runners out.

You score points when a player runs the whole field, and makes it back to home base without getting tagged out. The team with the most points at the end of the game wins. Easy peasy!

 

 

Now, if you want to spice up the game a bit, you can add some additional rules and challenges. After all, this is just a fun-game, not some professional league game with official rules, so you can use your imagination. For example, one rule can be that players must always slide on their tummies when before they touch bases. Or make players have to hold cups of water that they mustn’t spill while they play the game.

Playing Slip and Slide Kickball is fun and quite simple. For convenience, here is a quick check-list of instructions and basic rules for playing the game:

• Split your friends into two teams
• Each team selects a member as a pitcher
• A member of one of the teams establishes a position at the home base
• The pitcher rolls the ball and the first person tries to kick it
• If the ball passes the pitcher without being caught, the kicker runs and slides into the first kiddie pool on their path
• The goal is to get to the pool without being tagged
• These steps are repeated until all the players go through the field, then the teams will switch

There are several variations of the game, and you can add or subtract rules to suit your group of friends and make the game even more interesting and fun. We’ll discuss those below.

 

Slip’n’slide Kickball Game Ideas

Remember that it’s just a game, and it’s supposed to be fun. So you can always bend the rules to make it more entertaining. With a little creativity, you can come up with many variations to keep the game fun and exciting. Just keep it safe and fun! Here are some alternative ideas to how you can play slip-and-slide kickball:

 

Obstacle Course Slip’n’Slide Kickball

Add obstacles to the Slip’n Slide course to make it more challenging. Players may have to jump over hurdles or crawl through a tunnel before they reach the tarps and slide to the bases. (Don’t add obstacles on the slippery tarp though, that wouldn’t be safe. Instead have a portion of free grass with some obstacles placed before the tarps begin. So for instance you have to jump over a small hurdle, or step inside 3 hula hoops, then run towards the tarp and slide on it. Use your imagination!)

 

Water Balloon Slip’n’Slide Kickball

Use water balloons! Every player gets his own water balloon and has to hold it while running the bases and sliding down the slides. When they reach the home base they need to dive in the pool, holding their balloon. If a player’s balloon breaks, they are out.

 

Slip And Slide Kickball Water Gun Wars

In this version, each player gets a water gun. Players can use their water guns to defend their bases and to try to squirt the kicker and prevent them from scoring. However, they can only shoot the water guns, when the ball has been passed to them and they touched it (for example with their foot). Or something along these lines. The main idea is – squirt the kicker with the water guns!

 

Slip’n Slide Kickball Capture the Flag

Divide players into two teams and place some flags or T-shirts behind the second base on the ground. The capture the flag rules are simple. When players get to second or third base, they have the option to run and get a flag from behind second base. Once they grab a flag, they must run directly to home base without being tagged, and dive into the pool there, to score and capture the flag. Bringing a flag home would be awarded more points than if you normally run the bases. It’s up to you how many points you award for capturing a flag, but it should be more than the regular score. This would incentivize the players to risk it and go for capturing flags. Try it out!

 

Hold My Beer Slip And Slide Kickball

It’s in the title! For this game, you need to hold on to your beer! Give kickers a cup of beer (or, if kids are playing, a cup of water or juice). Have them kick the ball and then run for it. But they mustn’t spill their beer or they’re out. Handling the beer, running on the slippery tarps, and then standing on the bases without spilling your drink will be a hilarious challenge. And, to give yourself an advantage, no one is saying not to actually have a sip from it every now and then! Check it out it’s hilarious:

Those are some super fun game variations that we’ve played in the past! But feel free to alter the rules in whichever way you want. You can always come up with other game ideas to make it more fun and exciting! The rules are not set in stone, this is just a fun activity that you can improve on, if you feel like it.

 

Slip’n’Slide Kickball: A Great Teambuilding Game

If it hasn’t crossed your mind yet, we’ll just go ahead and say it as it is. The game is an awesome social activity that brings people together, and promotes a warm sense of community and belonging!

Players need to communicate, strategize their moves, and support each other throughout the game. Mix everything up with a sunny day, getting a tan, drinking refreshing sodas (or beer!), and music blasting on a portable boombox, and you get the perfect recipe for a remarkable teambuilding event!

People will not only work together, and learn how to trust each other and collaborate efficiently (which is the main idea of any teambuilding), but also have a blast while at it. It’s a lighthearted and fun activity that can help people let loose, bond, and even build friendships. Can’t go wrong with it.

Here’s what slip and slide kickball can bring to the table when considering it for teambuilding exercises:

• it encourages communication: you need it to coordinate your team effort and win
• it fosters trust: people rely on each other to win and that builds trust
• it promotes problem-solving: it’s a fast-paced game that requires quick thinking and deciding
• it builds morale: the game is super fun and will lift the spirits of those who take part in it, while generating a feeling of camaraderie which can carry over into other aspects of their life (work or personal life too)

All in all, a great game to have on the next teambuilding trip, that’s for sure.

 

Tips For Hosting The Best Slip’N’Slide Kickball Party

Now that you know all about the game, you decided you want to throw your own slip-and-slide kickball party! That sounds like a super fun idea, so here are some tips to make sure your party is a ‘splashing’ success!

Find A Suitable Location

The best spot for a slip’n slide kickball party is a large grassy area, where you also have access to a water source. If you have no water source, you’ll need to bring along some big water bottles, but it’s still doable (even though less convenient). Try to find a flat area. Playing on an incline will make it hard to slide uphill, and it’s less fun.

 

Gather All The Supplies You Need

Basically have slip and slides or plastic tarps, tarp stakes, liquid soap, water bottles, and kiddie pools. And, depending on if you want to spice things up, bring some water guns, water balloons, and plastic cups. Also, have some quick fixes at hand if stuff punctures or tears up (some duct tape will do). Don’t forget the ball, of course!

 

Plan Your Menu

You’ll probably want to have snacks and drinks. You can serve some refreshing fruit punch, watermelon, or popsicles to keep the guests happy and cool. And who’s to say that after a day in the water and sun, you don’t deserve a tasty burger?! Bring along the ol’barbeque and have a feast to top off a fun and memorable day.

 

Invite your guests

Call your friends and family and make sure to let them know what they’re in for. They need to bring some swimsuits because they’re going to get wet.

 

Don’t Neglect The Music

Be sure to have a boombox at hand and some entertaining music. Everything is more fun with a soundtrack in the background!

 

Be Safe!

Last but not least, play safe, it’s the most important. You’re here to have fun, not to win some championship. So don’t push the tempo too much, because you might slip in a nasty way and end up getting hurt.

Also, don’t forget to have sunscreen, and plenty of fresh water (to drink). You want to avoid sunburns and dehydration. This is supposed to be a party! So be safe. And be sure to keep an eye on the little ones so that they don’t play rough.

 

The Fun Never Ends

With this slip and slide kickball guide, you can build more than just a game for the warm season. You get the chance to create a family tradition to follow for many years to come. This activity is awesome for people of all ages, and with just some basic materials and a few rules, you can set up your own game and have a blast every summer. Take your friends, family, or colleagues on a slip-and-slide journey and they’ll get an amazingly fun time, and a day to always remember fondly. Play nice, play safe, and have fun in the sun!