When you have a swimming pool you don’t really need to do much to entertain the children, do you? Not really! A swimming pool is fun on its own and your children don’t need too much imagination to have fun while they’re in it!
Sure, you can plan a pool party and have games on hand to keep everyone having fun and being happy, but really all you need is the pool, a desire to have fun with your family and maybe a few pool noodles! Choosing the swimming pool games helps build your children’s swim skills while strengthening their bodies — you can sneak in exercise without them knowing it!
Make This Summer The Most Fun You’ll Ever Have In The Pool!
If you’re looking for some fun new games you and the children or the guests at your next party can try in the swimming pool, here are a few that we have found are truly fun for everyone!
- Hungry Whales — close cousin to Marco Polo, an all-time favorite pool game! To play this you will choose a swimming to be “the whale.” The whale floats in the pool while waiting for the other swimmers to shout out, “What time is it, little whale?” The “whale” replies with “lunch time!” and tries to touch the other swimmers in the pool who are circling him. The first one the whale touches is the new whale. It might be easier to have the “Whale” wear a life vest to make it easier to float on his back while trying to catch “lunch!”
- Beach ball races. Grab two small beach balls, divide up into teams with each team getting one of the beach balls. Give the “go” signal and the swimmers will grab the beach ball, hug it gith, then swim from one end of the pool to the other. The first team who gets all of its swimmers back and forth is the winner.
- Rubber duck race. Pick up some cute, colorful rubber ducks and either divide the swimmers up into teams or have each swimmer race on his own. The purpose of the game is to get the duck from one end of the pool to the other simply by making waves around the duck to move it. If you have young children playing the game, let them move their duck lengthwise through the pool rather than end to end. This game can also be made more challenging by using colored ping pong balls!
- Horse races. This is fun for children and adults. Divide swimmers into teams. When given the “go” signal, a child will jump onto the back of an adult, hold on and the adult will swim across the pool. This is a relay race and the other members of the team can’t begin swimming until the child on the adult’s back touches the wall. The first team to get all of its members to the end of the pool is the winner.
- Treasure hunt. Head to your pool contractor’s shop and pick up some items that will sink to the bottom of the pool and make for a fun treasure hunt. Don’t drop household items into the pool as they not be heavy enough to sink and could be sucked up into the skimmer and damage the pool. Your pool contractor will have a lot of toys from which to choose. Make the participants turn their backs, drop the toys into the pool, say “go” and let them loose to pick up the sunken treasures. The one who finds the most wins! This is a fun game to play at night with the pool lighted up as it adds to the complexity of finding the treasures!
No matter what kind of games you’re playing in the pool, remember safety always needs to be front of mind.
Here are pool safety tips:
- Apply sunscreen. When you’re having fun in the pool a sunburn is the furthest thing from your mind — until the fun is over and you’re burned. The American Academy of Dermatology explains water reflects the sun’s rays, increasing the amount of harmful UV rays that reaches your kid’s skin — and your skin as well. Chose a waterproof sun protection lotion of at least SPF 30 — higher if you or your children are prone to burns.
- Desginate an adult to watch the children. It’s not enough to not leave children alone in the pool. You need to have an adult who is watching the children to assure that everyone is safe while playing. Make sure younger children wear life vests — yes, even if they can swim — if there is a poolful of people. Depending on how many children are in the water, you may need more than one adult to watch out for them.
- Does your pool have a shallow area? If it does, mark the beginning of the deep end with a rope with buoys or colorful flags on it. Before the party party starts designate the shallow end and make certain the children stay in that area.
Have a first aid kit, life vests and a retrieval pole handy. Ask your pool contractor for advice on pool safety equipment you should have on hand. Here’s to a fun, safe summer!