With the temperatures rising and school ending for the year we need to gear up with activities to keep the kids busy this summer. There is nothing better when the weather gets hot than to play in the pool. Check out these fun family friendly pool games that will keep all the kids 2 – 60 busy this summer.
Poseidon Says
The aquatic spin on the classic Simon Says game. Each child has to follow the instructions of Poseidon. Poseidon says – “touch the bottom of the pool.” Poseidon says – “float on your back for 30 seconds.” If you can not complete the task you are eliminated. The last person remaining wins.
Survivor Immunity Challenge
Inspired from the classic TV series Survivor this game involves physical and mental toughness. All players start on one end of the pool and have to swim a predetermined number of back and forth laps (depending on the size of pool). Once the swimming portion is completed they must get out of the pool and complete a mental/focus challenge. Standing on one foot for 60 seconds (you have to start over if you put your foot down) or having to recite the alphabet backwards are two easy options.
Dive for a Dollar
This will require several coins (enough for each person to make a dollar), Each person will need their own “area” outside the pool to sort and count their coins. The goal is to dive and collect enough coins to make exactly one dollar. Only one coin can be collected at once and you must leave the pool and place your coin in your designated area before going in for the next coin. You can not have extra coins so you may need to throw some back to make your dollar. Difficulty can easily be adjusted by changing the number of coins used.
Water Freeze Tag
Almost like the land version. On person is “it” and has to freeze everyone by tagging them to win the game. If you get tagged you are frozen in place. The swimming pool twist – Any live player can swim under the water between the frozen players legs to unfreeze them. Best played in the shallow end of the pool.
The Invisible Bottle
This one is great and will drive your kids bonkers. Take a regular water bottle and remove the label. A clear bottle cap or one that blends in with the bottom of the pool is a good way to increase the difficulty. This sounds so basic but the bottle will literally disappear into the pool making very challenging to find. Make sure the searchers are not looking when the bottle is tossed into the pool. The splash of the bottle is the signal to go. First to find the bottle gets to toss it the next round and laugh as everyone else struggles to find the invisible bottle.
Thou Shall Not Pass
One person shall be designated as Gandalf and everyone else an Orc. This works best in a large pool with lots of people. Gandalf stands in the middle of the pool and tries to catch the Orcs as they try to cross from one side to the other. Each round starts with Gandalf screaming “Thou shall not pass”. If Gandalf tags an Orc they join team Gandalf the next round. This should last several rounds of back and forth. The last Orc to get tagged wins and becomes Gandalf to start the next game. Variation – Orcs can’t be tagged if they are underwater.
The Human Whirlpool
This has to be one of my favorites. These happen very rarely in nature so to actually pull one off can be quite awe inspiring. This is all about momentum and timing. Gather as many bodies as you can in the shallow end of the pool. Have everyone start walking in a large circle in the same direction. Don’t give up to quickly as it will take about a few minutes to get things going. Once you have some good momentum and a strong current you will see the whirlpool take place. Have everyone pick up their feet and enjoy a fun ride from all their hard work. Do it again and this time instead of picking up your feet have everyone turn around and walk the opposite direction – an epic battle against the monster you just created.
500
My favorite game as a child. Everyone gets into the pool and one person is designated as the Thrower. The thrower stands outside the pool and tosses a ball into the air and calls out an amount – 200, 300, 50, etc. If you catch the ball you get to add that amount to your total. The first person to tally up to 500 points wins the game and becomes the thrower. Harder, higher and more difficult throws should dictate higher point values while easier throws a lower value.
