As the caretaker of your swimming pool, it’s easy to lose sight of why you go to such lengths to make sure the water is clean, clear, and safe for your family and friends. You only have to listen to your kids splashing and playing in the pool, though, to make it all worth it!

As the summer days stretch on, here are some of the best pool games for kids you can try with your family. Pick one or two for the age groups you need and include some for kids of all ages!

Pool Game Ideas for All Ages

We have chosen pool games for kids that are easy to do, don’t take a lot of expensive equipment, and may even be fun for the older kids in the evenings. 

It is important to note that you should always supervise your kids (and anyone else’s!) when they are playing in the pool. You don’t want their exuberance and competitiveness to overcome common sense in the water. And make sure you know each child’s swimming ability before choosing a game. Review with the kids the rules for staying safe around and in the pool. Safety should always be the number one goal.

Treasure Dive

Goggles and a handful of coins: That’s all you need for players to dive for “treasure”. Adjust the rules and scoring based on the number of players. You can even divide into teams and each team dives to come up with the most money in a designated period. Or, if your child is home alone with you, simply toss the coins in and they dive for their treasure and then their own treat! (Make sure to get all the coins out of the pool when it’s over.) 

This is another game that can be used to reinforce everyday skills. Have younger kids identify the coins and add up the values themselves.

Hula Hoop Relay Race

Divide players into two teams. Get some hula hoops in two different colors and toss them in the water, the same number for each team. Teams choose which color is their color and then team members must each jump in, one at a time, and swim through each hoop in their team color, racing to the end of the pool when they are done. The game continues until each team member has a turn. The first team with all team members finished wins. There are lots of fun ways to use hula hoops in a swimming pool and kids love them!

Pool Olympics

Spend a few minutes coming up with a course made up of about five or six tasks each player has to accomplish individually. Start with groups of two kids at a time to maintain safety. The winners of each group then compete in two’s against each other, until you whittle it down to the last two and then the winner!

An example of a pool Olympics course could look like this: 

• Swim across the pool to the shallow end and touch a designated item (ladder, step, etc.). 
• Do a handstand in the shallow end of the pool. 
• Climb up the ladder. 
• Do a cannonball in the deep end. 
• Swim to the shallow end of the pool on your back. 
• Spin around three times. 
• Do three jumping jacks.
• Exit the pool and touch a designated item.
• Done!

Adjust the difficulty based on the ages and swimming abilities of those participating!

Pool Ping-Pong

This game is perfect for groups of any size. All you need are about 25 ping-pong balls and two buckets of the same size. Number the balls from one to 25 with a permanent marker. Throw them all into the pool. Place a team bucket at each end of the pool. 

Divide the swimmers into two groups. At the whistle, both teams jump into the pool, with each player grabbing ping pong balls, one at a time, and placing them into their team’s bucket. When all the balls are gone, the judge adds up the point values on the balls to determine the scores. The highest-scoring team wins!

You can come up with lots of variations of this game. Have the kids add up the scores at the end of the game as a way of reinforcing arithmetic skills. Or assign point values for consecutive number sets. Ask the players to think of other variations, too.

Relay Races

Relay races are perfect for parties or any large get-together. Form teams of three or more kids per team. All teams start on one side of the pool. The goal is for each team to complete a specific task, one team member at a time, to get the entire team to the other end of the pool first. Some examples of tasks include swimming underwater, backstroke, only using one arm, sitting on a noodle, moving a small beach ball with their nose only, etc.

Wet T-Shirt Relay

Create two teams of equal numbers. Line up half of each team on opposite ends of the pool. Have two identical soaking-wet T-shirts ready. The starting players each put on one of the wet shirts, jump into the water and swim across the pool. They then climb out and give it to the next player on their team, and the race continues until the first team with everyone across the pool in the T-shirt wins. For younger players or those who aren’t proficient swimmers yet, teams can go from one side to the other in the shallow end.

Use These Pool Games for Kids to Create Fun In The Sun In a Clean, Clear Pool

Entertaining your kids and friends in your swimming pool is one of the reasons you take so much time maintaining the pool. As you can see above, pool games for kids don’t have to be complicated or expensive and you can come up with new variations every time you play. You will be creating memories for a lifetime.

Pool School Videos can help by providing time and money-saving tips and techniques to ensure that your pool stays clear and inviting for all the fun games we’ve discussed in this article. Created by the “Pool Doctor,” Mike Steele, Pool School Videos consists of 20 online videos based on his 30 years of experience as a pool professional. 

And you won’t find any other product or videos like this. The information shared with you in these videos is clear and easy to understand, so your pool maintenance efforts are cheaper and more effective than ever!

Once you purchase Pool School Videos, you can watch them as many times as necessary. Plus they are available 24/7 for your use any time you need. With your purchase, you’ll also get full access to our private Facebook group where you can ask any questions you may have about maintaining your pool and get a personal response within 24 hours!

Check out the sneak peek of our top 5 videos and then, get started with Pool School Videos today!