Limbo Splash
Get down and get wet with your kids by doing the limbo—with a backyard hose as your bar. Simply bring your portable CD player outside and put on some Caribbean-style rhythms. Then set your hose nozzle on hard stream and have each player bend back (no bending forward) and slowly slide his or her body under the water spray. The object, of course: no getting wet or touching the ground. Lower the hose after each round until one victor remains. Kids won’t care if they lose—a good soaking is the prize on sizzling summer days. In fact, go crazy with the hose at the end to give everyone a wild-and-wet good time.

Playtime perk: Builds physical endurance and flexibility.