Pool Party Games

CROCODILE HUNTER

Purchase some large plastic lightweight rings or hula-hoops and one or two inflatable crocodiles. Set them adrift in the pool and line up kids in the shallow end. Let each player take a timed turn trying to capture the croc by "ringing" its head or tail. Once someone snares the reptile, he or she should climb onto its back and race to land (designate one end of the pool as the place to store captured crocs before they are sent off to the leather factory).

Whoever completes the stunt in the least amount of time, wins. This game can be even more amusing if kids verbalize what they are doing. You can even subtract a few seconds from a player's time if he or she can imitate an Australian accent.

 

NOODLE JOUST

Select 2 players to sit on a blow up raft in the middle of the pool. Give each one a pool noodle and have them joust with the noodles and try and get each other off the raft. The winner takes on the next player.

 

FOLLOW THE SWIMMER

This game works best with younger kids. Start by picking one player to be the leader and another player to be the watcher. All the players hop into the pool and line up with the leader in front. The leader then swims in whatever fashion she likes; anything from swimming under water to doing a back-stroke. All the other players have to mimic exactly what she does. The watcher, who stands looking from outside the pool, eliminates any players she sees who are not mimicking. Keep playing until only one player remains. He becomes the new leader.

 

BELLY FLOP CONTEST

Nothing brings everyone together quite like a belly flop contest. Get your contestants, find a prize for the winner, and have the audience judge by applause. Please ALWAYS exercisecaution when jumping off the side of a pool.

 

DOLPHINS AND SHARKS

Start the game by gathering everyone into the middle of the pool. Divide half the players into dolphins and the other half into sharks, leaving one player to be the leader. Designate one end of the pool as the dolphins' safe point and the other end as the sharks' safe point. When ready, the leader calls out either "dolphins" or "sharks." Whichever group you called has to quickly swim away to their safety point while their opponents chase them, trying to tag as many as possible. Throughout the game, randomly call out either team. Any player tagged has to join the enemy team. The game ends when all players have become part of one team.

 

OCTOPUS

Choose a person to be "it". They stand in the middle of the pool. Players line up on one side of the pool and try and swim to the other side without being tagged. The players who are tagged hold hands with "it" and for the next round all the players holding hands try and tag the swimmers as they try and make it to the other end of the pool. Keep going until all players have been tagged - then choose another "it" and start again.

 

ATOMIC WHIRLPOOL

Have everyone get in the pool and line up single file along the edge with very little space between them. Have everyone walk for a couple of minutes, then jog another couple of minutes, then "run" around the edge another couple of minutes. If done right the water will "carry" them around the pool. Finally, tell them to turn around and go the other way. It is almost impossible to go against the current!

 

INVISI-BOTTLE

Take a clear, 2-liter bottle, remove the wrapper and fill it with pool water. Try to use a bottle with a white cap, or a cap of the same color as the floor tiles of the pool. Divide everyone into two teams and line them up, in the water, on opposite ends of the pool — facing away from the water. An adult, or one of the players, stands outside the pool and tosses the bottle in the water. When they hear the splash, the players turn around and try to find the bottle. Sounds easy, right? Think again! The clear bottle blends in and becomes almost invisible on the bottom of the pool. It’s a fun, challenging game for everyone!