SAFETY FIRST: Some of these games involve swimming underwater - feel free modify them if necessary so that all participants can play safely. We also recommend that the kids wear swim goggles for some of these games, but they’re not required to.
Giant Ring Toss Battle (Intermediate Swimmers)
Equipment:
Duct tape, one pool noodle per kid, and twice as many beach balls or balloons as kids. If you wish, one hula hoop per pool noodles as well.
How to set up:
Form the pool noodles into circles and secure them with duct tape to form the rings. If you have issues with the pool noodles holding shape, you can tape them onto a hula hoop to help form the circle. Blow up the beach balls or balloons and toss them into the pool.
Note:
Don't use water balloons, the pieces of a popped water balloon can get stuck in your intake lines and the pump, which are quite expensive to fix. Ensure your pool cover is closed before playing with a water balloon anywhere close to your pool. Consider using a kiddie pool for any water balloon games you may want to play.
How to Play:
Hand each kid a pool noodle ring. Have the kids stand at any point around the pool deck and throw the pool noodle rings over the balls or balloons. Once they get a ring over one of the balls, have them swim out and retrieve both their noodle and the beach ball. Remind them that the faster they retrieve their pool noodle, the sooner they can try and get another beach ball. Have the kids keep track of how many balls/balloons they get - once all the balls have been captured, the player who got the most wins! Throw the balls back in and play again!
9 Square in the Pool (Beginner Swimmers)
Tired of playing pool volleyball? 9 Square in the pool is a great swimming pool game all your guests can play! And if you're looking for an alternative to water polo, this works for that too!
Equipment:
Waterproof Aluminum 9 Square
How to Set Up:
Watch the video below
How to play:
If you’re new to the game, watch the video below to learn how to play.
There are three ways to play 9 Square in the pool. As a volleyball alternative, just set it in the shallow end of the swimming pool - this is great for any beginner swimmer or younger age group. For a water polo alternative, using these floating leg pieces to play in the deep end of the pool - players must tread water while playing.
If you want to play out of the pool but still play a water game to stay cool during the summer heat, use this sprinkler attachment to spray water over everyone while you play!
Minefield Treasure Dive (Intermediate Swimmers)
Equipment:
Pool noodles, an equal number of jump ropes, and medium size plastic pool toys that will sink to the bottom.
How to set up:
Tie one jump rope to the middle of every pool noodle, and toss them into the pool. The jump ropes should drape down into the pool to create a “minefield”. Toss the plastic toys randomly into the pool for “treasure”.
How to play:
Tell the kids they are deep sea divers going to recover lost treasure. The catch is that it’s in the middle of a minefield - they must dive in to get the plastic toys without touching the pool noodles or the jump ropes. If they touch one of the “mines” they must drop any pool toy they've grabbed, hop out of the pool and restart their “dive”. Take out a few “mines” if it's too hard, or add a few if it’s too easy.Circus Hoop Race (Advanced Swimmers)
Equipment:
Pool noodles, duct tape, empty plastic milk jugs, and polypropylene anchor line (costs less than $6).How to Set Up:
Exactly the same as in Giant Ring Toss above, form the pool noodles into circles using duct tape. Fill the empty milk jugs with water and a handful of medium sized rocks to act as weights. Tie one noodle circle to each milk jug using varying lengths of rope, and carefully lower them into the pool. This should allow for some of the circles to be partially submerged while others may be mostly submerged or completely underwater. Choose what you feel would be easiest for the most inexperienced swimmer at the party - remember, safety first.
How to Play:
Have the children start on one end and swim to the other side of the pool - to successfully complete the obstacle course race they must swim through each circle. Remind the kids that they can take their time and go at their own pace - some circles may be partially submerged, some may be underwater.
Sponge Balance Race (Intermediate Swimmers)
Equipment:
One DRY sponge per player
How to Play:
Each kid must dry off completely and then be handed a sponge. Their goal is to swim across the pool while keeping their sponge dry the entire time. To make things more difficult, tell the kids they can’t grab it and must balance it in their hands, or must balance it on their heads.OR
Play with any plastic pool toy that they must balance on their head or hand to get across - if they drop it they must simply retrieve it and keep going.
Relay Version: Have each kid find a partner, or, if size dictates, groups of three. The rules for keeping the sponge dry are the same as above. Split the partnerships or trios so that one person is on the opposite side of the pool. The first partnership to get the sponge safely across and back wins.
Competitive Version: Designate half of the partners to stand on the pool deck - hand each pair a water gun. The players outside the pool will try and squirt the sponges of the partners that are in the pool. If a partnership with a water gun sprays a sponge, then they switch with the partnership in the water, and then attempt to get the sponge across without dropping it in the pool water or it getting sprayed.
Invisible Capture the Flag (Intermediate Swimmers)
Equipment:
2 small plastic water bottles or 2 empty milk jugsHow to set up:
Remove all wrapping and stickers off the bottle or jugs (for stickers, soak them in hot water). Put an X on the cap of one bottle and an O on the other to differentiate them. Fill them both with water. Split the guests in two teams and hand each team one water bottle. Roughly split the swimming pool in two and give each team a side. Have one team close their eyes while the other team “hides” their water bottle, and then do the same for the other team.How to play:
The goal of the game is to get the other team's bottle from their side, to the edge of the pool deck on your team's side. If you find your opponent's water bottle, carefully grab it and move stealthily to your side. If one of your teammates finds the bottle, you can pretend that you do try and draw the other team away from them. To stop your opponent if they have grabbed your water bottle, simply tag them with one hand - they must drop the bottle where they are and swim back to their side and touch the wall before they can rejoin. The bottle must stay where they dropped it. There is no throwing or rolling the bottles to move them closer to a side. The game ends when one team moves their opponent's water bottle to the opposite side.If it's too hard for the kids to find the bottle, you can use a small pool toy instead.
Mermaids & Sirens Telephone Challenge (Beginner Swimmers)
Equipment:
NoneHow to Set Up:
Split the kids into two teams, and have them line up parallel to each other in the shallow end of the pool about 5 feet apart. Designate one line as the “Mermaids”, and the other as the “Sirens”.
How to Play:
The Mermaids will be passing a message down the line, similar to the game telephone. The twist is that they must do so while under water - they can take as long as they need between people, but can only talk under water. At the same time, the Sirens will be screaming underwater when the Mermaids are trying to pass their message along, to distract them and mess up the message. If the Mermaids pass the message all the way down the line and it is correct, they win. If not, the Sirens win. Have the lines switch roles and play again.
The Very Hungry Octopus (Intermediate Swimmers)
Equipment:
1 old beach towel
How to set up:
Start 1 kid as the “octopus” and give them the beach towel. Everyone else is a fish.
How to play:
The “octopus” wants to “eat” (tag) all the other “fish” (players). When the octopus tags someone, they become part of the octopus by grabbing onto the towel. They must then swim together to tag more “fish”. The more people the octopus eats, the larger it gets, but the slower it moves. If there isn’t enough room for players to comfortably hold onto the towel they can simply hold hands instead. The game ends when everyone has become part of the octopus. Choose a new octopus and play again!
Deep Diver Bubble Race (Intermediate Swimmers)
Equipment:
One plastic cup or bowl for each player
How to set up:
Give one cup to each kid, demonstrate to them how to trap air underwater with the cup, and then have them practice a few times themselves.
How to play:
Have each kid trap some air in their cup. They must swim from one end of the pool to the other without losing their air. If they do lose the air in the cup, they must restart.Team Bubble Race: Split the kids into teams of three or four, and hand them each a large plastic mixing bowl. They must trap a large bubble of air and get it across as before, but this time, every member of the team must be touching the bowl the entire time. If a team member lets go or they lose the trapped air, they must restart. You can have teams all go at the same time and race, or, time each team individually and see who gets the best time.
After exploring these diverse and dynamic pool party games, you're now equipped with unique and fun ways to ensure your next pool gathering is a splash hit! Each water activity, from the intense Giant Ring Toss Battle to the strategic Invisible Capture the Flag, has been designed not only for excitement but also to keep safety at the forefront. Remember, adapting each water game to accommodate all swimming levels will ensure that everyone has a great time without any stress. So, don't just settle for the usual summer pool party games—mix it up with these fresh pool party ideas that promise engaging play and delightful memories. Dive into these best swimming pool games and watch as your pool party becomes the talk of the season, filled with laughter, camaraderie, and a little competitive spirit. Happy splashing!
