Outdoors · Water play

DIY backyard water slide

Lay a tarp on soft grass, add a sprinkler and a little soap, and slide.

  • Ages 5–12best for 6–11
  • 1–2 hoursabout 20 mins of prep
  • Prepare days aheadplan below
  • Under $20about $20
  • Backyardon a hot day
  • Adult-ledmedium mess

Plan it

Good planning makes a good day. Tick things off as you go.

1Days before

2Day before

3On the day

0 of 4 done ·

You'll need

From home

  • Hose
  • sprinkler
  • towels

To buy

  • Large heavy-duty tarp
  • tent pegs or pool noodles to edge it
  • tear-free kids' soap
🪄 Wizard's tip

The setup matters more than the slide: a flat run with a soft finish means no tears and no stopping every five minutes.

How to do it

  1. Pick flat, soft grass well away from fences, paths and trees.
  2. Lay the tarp and edge it with pool noodles.
  3. Run the sprinkler over it and add a squirt of baby soap.
  4. Feet-first or sitting slides only, one at a time.

Younger kids: Make it a short slide on flat ground and let them sit and scoot.

Older kids: Add a pool noodle finish line and time each run.

⚠ Safety Feet-first or sitting only, never head-first. One slider at a time. Adults don't use kids' slides. Keep the run clear of anything hard at the end.

Builds Gross motor & coordinationHealthy risk-takingConfidence

Clean-up 15 minutes: dry the tarp before folding.

Make it a bigger day Make it the finale of a backyard water Olympics.

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DIY backyard water slide