Swimming Pool Games

Thinking up some imaginative swimming pool games are a great way to spend an afternoon in your swimming pool. Many of us including myself just get into the pool and leisurely swim or stand around doing nothing. I have always watched my kids as they make up games to keep their selves entertained. Here are a few games I found that you and or your kids can play.

These are a few ideas from Jannes jabberwocky’s blog (http://janne.cc/blog/) article “Beyond Marco Polo”.

Battleships and Submarines

Needed:

* Two “teams” of players

How to play:

Divide a group of several people into two teams. Each team has a “base” against the wall of the pool, opposite each other. When the game starts, the battleship team comes off the wall and taunts the submarines into chasing them. The submarines push off when ready, swimming underwater and tries to touch/tag the battleships before the battleships reach base. If the submarine is successful, the battleship switches sides (and the submarine gets a free walk/swim back). If the submarine is unsuccessful, the submarine must swim back to its side. However, if the submarine has to come up for air and the battleship splashes the submarine, then the submarine switches sides! The point of the game is to try and get everyone on your team.

I think this is a great game because it doesn’t require toys or props, so this can be played on a whim. I like these type of games also because you don’t have to drag out anything, and when you are done, no clean-up

Here is another one of the swimming pool games I like because it requires no toys or props, and it is from the same person, Janne’s Jabberwocky’s blog, same article.

Gator/Sharks & Minnows

Needed:

a fairly large group of players

How to play:

Have one person designated as the “gator.” He or she treads water in the DEEP END of the pool while all other participants are standing on the side. The leader will then yell “gator!” and at that point, the players standing on the side of the pool have 30 seconds to successfully jump in, swim to the other side of the pool, and get out without being tagged by the gator.

Anyone who is tagged in the first round has to join ranks with the “gator” and try to tag the swimmers in the next round(s). The game goes until there is only one person who has not been tagged.

I love imaginative swimming pool games. Back when I was a kid, we had none of the video games or computers to keep us entertained. And we were outside most of the time when we played. I remember always riding my bicycle outside in the summer. And there were tons of kids out playing in our neighborhood also. Have you ever driven down any neighborhoods today? There are no kids playing outside anymore. You just don’t see that anymore. I even have to coax my own kids to go and spend more time outside when it is nice out. So you can see why I like swimming pool games, or any activity that uses more of your imagination and less toys and or props.