How to Setup DIY Slip and Slide Kickball

Slip ‘n slide kickball is one of the most fun summer activities. It’s great for all ages, active, and a great way to cool off from the summer heat. Fun water games are the best relief in the summer. The best part is the whole family can join the backyard water games easily.

Slip ‘n slide kickball is one of the most fun summer activities. It’s great for all ages, active, and a great opportunity to cool off from the summer heat.

We have played kickball with slip and slide at:

• Family Reunions
• Church activities
• BBQS

Because it’s a staple of summer fun, we’ve found the best ways to ensure its success. So, if you want to learn how to play slip-and-slide kickball, you are in the right place!

Slip ‘n Slide Kickball Video

Here is a video of our slip-and-slide kickball setup.

Slip and Slide Kickball Supplies

There are several different ways to assemble your slip-and-slide kickball—there’s no one right way. I recommend going with the most cost-effective for your family or group.

In general, here are the materials you will need and can find easily in a hardware store

• Four slip ‘n slides (single ones work just great). You can also get plastic drop clothes (3′ wide by whatever length you want them to be) for a more inexpensive option. If you are using drop cloths, you will need tarp stakes
• 1-4 blow-up pools (we got some at Walmart for $10 each – similar to these kinds)
• 5-6 large bottles of dish soap
• Kickball
• Water source (you will need a water source continually going to all the slides and slides/plastic
• Duct tape if there appear to be any small holes.
• Keep some water guns and plastic cups for your little ones.

How to Setup Slip and Slide Kickball

When I first played at my family reunion, we had a blow-up pool at every base. However, more recently, I didn’t want to buy four blow-up pools because there are not always all members of our family here, so we managed a fun game with just one at the home base!

The slip and slides that we used did have a little water splash pad at the end though, which made for a great base.

There is a different version of the game. How you set it up will depend on whether you are using an actual slip ‘n slide or the plastic drop cloths. Either way, here is a diagram that will show how the field should look:

As you can see, there is a space to the right of the home base. This is so there is a place for people to kick without having to stand in the slippery area. This wide play zone takes it to the next level.

The big twist is, that when playing this, people will run on the mats and then slip shortly before they get to the pools. However, this can be a little bit dangerous, so if you want, you can make it so the mats aren’t continuous This way there is space to run and then slide.

When we played a few weeks ago, I just had one pool to splash into, which was for home base. However, I would recommend having one for each base. It makes it a lot more fun! Especially for little kids! It is going to be their favorite outdoor game in the summer months.

• First, add dish soap to the slip ‘n slides or plastic sheets.
• Then, you will spray them down with a lot of water.
• You will also need to fill all the pools with a lot of water and be ready to refill them if they plan to play for a while!

If using slip ‘n slide mats:

• Use included stakes to make sure they don’t move around.
• We like the slip ‘n slides that have a little splash pad at the end. This makes for a good landing place if you don’t have the extra pools

If using drop cloths:

• Use stakes to secure to the ground

In our video, our slip ‘n slide setup isn’t that awesome, since we don’t have the extra pools, and one of our slip ‘n slides was larger than the rest.

However, we still had a lot of fun. I do think using the drop cloths can be easier…but the added features of a slip ‘n slide (especially if you have water feeding into it) is really fun.

How to Play Slip and Slide Kickball

It’s pretty simple!

• Split into two teams
• Select one member of your team to be a pitcher
• One member from the first team that is up will go up to home plate
• The pitcher will roll the ball
• The first person will kick it. If it goes past the pitcher without getting caught, they run and slip into the baby pool. The goal is to get to the pool without being tagged. Some people will run alongside the slip ‘n slide/plastic sheets, and then slip at the end. Others will run on the plastic the whole time. One of those has a bit more of a risk involved 🙂 But it’s up to you! I don’t recommend trying to slip the whole way
• The rules are the same as regular kickball! Have fun and be careful!

FAQs about Slip and Slide Kickball

Is slip-and-slide kickball safe?

Because water and running are involved, this can be a more dangerous game. People need to try and be as careful as possible. When playing in teams, being too excited against the opposing team for winning may be dangerous. Because you can have some falling in running when excited.

We have never had any collisions or anyone hurt, but you should have plenty of people to supervise to make sure everyone has fun and stays safe. Ultimately, it is an excellent game on a hot summer day if you can arrange and manage it properly.

Playing kickball with slip and slide is one of our favorite summer outdoor activities. If you follow the instructions properly I think it would be nothing less than a water park. We hope that this tutorial was helpful and you are able to enjoy it, too! Let us know if you have any questions in the comments.

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