Alright, let me walk you through exactly what I tried today searching for decent floating target games for the little ones. My nephew and his toddler buddies were coming over, so I needed something simple and splashy.
The Hunt for Stuff Begins
Started off rummaging through my kitchen like a crazy person. Forgot the damn cups first. Found a pack of small plastic bath toy cups eventually. Then went digging for ping pong balls – thought I had dozens, turns out I had like… three? And one was kinda flat. Scratched my head for alternatives. Remembered I had some plastic practice golf balls. Grabbed those too. Probably not the best thing, but hey, better than nothing.
Here’s what I actually ended up with:
- A handful of plastic cups (slightly mismatched sizes, whatever)
- Those 3 ping pong balls (including the wonky one)
- 5 plastic golf balls (bright green, hard to miss)
- The big plastic storage tub I usually stash winter clothes in (emptied it out, obviously)
Setting Up the Water Zone
Hauled the tub into the tiny bathroom. Figured easier cleanup there. Filled it maybe halfway with lukewarm water. Didn’t want it overflowing when tiny hands got excited. Plopped the balls and cups in just to test.
Realized a problem immediately. The ping pong balls floated nice and high, great targets. But those stupid plastic golf balls? Yeah, they sank like rocks. Big fat fail. Had to yank those out. Cups floated okay, though. Made a mental note: stick to stuff that actually floats!
Letting the Tiny Chaos Crew Loose
Okay, kids arrived. Two toddlers – nephew is almost 3, his friend just turned 2. Showed them the tub. Their eyes went wide. Pointed at the floating ping pong balls and cups.
“Okay guys, try to hit the balls into the cups!”
Yeah, easier said than done. The little one just went full Godzilla mode, splashing water everywhere immediately. The cups wobbled like crazy. Getting a ball in a cup? Nearly impossible at first for them.
Switched tactics quick. Said, “Just try and BOOP the balls!” That worked better. Used hands to swat them across the water surface. Simple. The wobbling cups became secondary targets or just obstacles. Lots of giggling every time they managed to tap a ball.
What Actually Stuck (Besides Water)
- Basic Floating = Mandatory: Lesson learned the wet way. Test your materials first. Ping pong balls – great. Most bath toys? Probably good too. Rocks disguised as golf balls? Bad.
- Tiny Hands Need Simpler Goals: Sinking a ball into a tiny floating cup? Too precise for a toddler. Just getting them to interact – splashing water near it, touching the target, swatting the ball – that’s the win.
- Wobbly Cups Add “Chaos Fun”: Them knocking cups over accidentally? Big laughs. Made it more dynamic than just static targets.
- Bathroom Was a Smart(ish) Move: Water absolutely ended up on the floor, but contained. Towels saved the day. Outside would’ve been smarter if weather cooperated.
Bottom Line? Keep It Stupid Simple
Forget perfection. Basic floaters, simple actions. The 2-year-old? Surprisingly hooked on just slapping the water near the balls. Nephew eventually managed to scoop a ball into a cup once, purely by luck. Cheered like he won the Olympics. Didn’t matter that it wasn’t some grand trick. Seeing them focus, giggle, and splash around? That was the actual ‘target’ hit.