Game Supplies:

• Large or Extra-Large White T-shirts (rummage sale, Goodwill, bulk/wholesale, or old unused t-shirts)

• Super soakers or large water guns. You can supply them to level the playing field or the kids can bring their own if there’s a strict budget

• Two boxes of food coloring

• A hat or bucket with a different color for each guest to draw

• Wide open space

• Whistle, bell, megaphone, bullhorn

• Awards and ribbons or novelty medals (optional)

Game Directions:

Once all guests have arrived, have the children gather and hand out the white shirts for them to put on or change into.

Have each child draw a color and go get a water gun already filled with water and colored with the corresponding food coloring. (Use a lot so it will show up on the shirt.)

Have a starting point and allow anywhere from 30 seconds-2 minutes for guests to hide.

Sound the whistle, bell or bullhorn and set a timer from 10-20 minutes. Watch to see if kids are running out of water. You may want to have another round.

At the end of Painless Paintball, gather everyone around and you and a panel of parents can select or the children can vote on who is the messiest, who is the cleanest, who was the best sharp-shooter (look at whose color is on the most people), and who was the nicest or most considerate (whose color is on the least shirts).

Hand out medals for the awards you create and let the other children have a ribbon or a novelty grab-bag prize.