Swimming pool games?

Question

ok i just got a 3 x 12 sand n sun pool a couple hours ago and i want to know some good games to play but plz dont list 1's about collecting stuff under water give me something new like your own creation

thank you

Answer 1

Atomic Whirlpool

Have everybody 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, so it's a lot of fun to watch the students struggle!

Added by Shelby Craig

Belly Flop Contest

When you've got your group at the pool, and everyone's kind of doing their own thing, 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, according to:

Judge on 3 catagories:

1. Form/Creativity

2. Pain

3. Air

Boogie Board Relay

You will need two boogie boards and two ski ropes...oh yeah, and a pool.  

Two relay teams race against each other from one end of the pool to the other.  While one player kneels on the board, another person standing on the ledge of the pool pulls them the length of the pool. The person that was kneeling on the boogie board and being pulled across the pool first, then trades positions with the "puller."  He/she then pulls that person back to the "starting" end of the pool.  Two more players from the team repeat the two-legged trip.  Continue until the first team finishes.

For safety sake, you may want to have adult leaders positioned around the pool in case of an accident.  Also you may want to shorten the overall length of the pool by 5 feet so that the "puller" does not drag the "rider" into the walls at the ends of the pools.

Bumper Boats

Have about 5-6 sturdy tubes (or small, donut shaped flotation devices) ?揃umper Boats?- for as many players as you have in the pool (more for a lake). This is like 揃umper Cars?at a fair or carnival, only in water. Tell students to kick off the sides of the pool and try to knock as many people off their 揵oat?as possible. Last one floating wins.

Announce the no brainer: no hitting, scratching, pulling hair, biting, decapitating, etc.

Added by Margot

Also see Pool Bronco Busting (Click Here).

Croc Wrestling

Get a big inflatable croc and choose 3 volunteers who will each have 60 seconds, by themselves to do the best show of croc wrestling in the pool. Give points for creativity, death rolls, etc.

Have an MC who can do a "Crocodile Hunter" (Steve Irwin) impersonation. Play safari music.

Added by Purple Chris

Game Variation: You can also have students take turns jumping off the diving onto the floating croc, giving them syle points for their "slam" before they even begin the wrestling.  It's super funny to see what the students can come up with.

Diving Board PIG

Line up kids behind the diving board. Just like the basketball game "PIG" (or HORSE) the first person says what they are going to try to do. If they do it the next person has to do the same dive, flip, or whatever they did. If they also do it correctly then the next person has to do it as well. As soon as someone messes up they get a letter and then the next person in line calls what they are going to attempt. This continues until all but one person is eliminated by spelling "PIG".

Rule:  You can only use the same dive once per game. (Otherwise you will have one person just keep doing the same double flip that no one else can do.)

Pick a judge or vote to decide if they get a letter or not.

Added by C. Wyatt

See Jump or Dive (Click Here).

Gator

This swimming pool game is a good one if you happen to have a large group. Here is how you play it.

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 揼ator?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. Hand out a simple prize for the winner.

NOTES: Because this is a swimming pool game, follow some simple guidelines to make sure none of your students get hurt:

1. You should ONLY PLAY IN THE DEEP END of a pool.

2. No jumping on the 揼ator.?BR>3. Have adult leaders on hand to help in case of emergencies.

Get Dressed

With a small group this game can involve everyone, or it can be just an "up-front" game if you've got a larger group.  

My friend and I started this game one day when we had our clothes on over our bathing suits and went in the pool.  We have been playing it ever since.

The more players the more fun, but the game will work fine with just 2 people.

Each person needs a shirt, pants, socks, and what ever other clothing you would like to use.  

Have all of the players line up, in the pool at one end. Have someone else who is not playing take all of the players' clothes and bring them to the other end of the pool. Have that person get the clothes wet until they sink to the bottom, and then mix up all the clothes and put them in a pile at the bottom of the pool. That person now gets out of the pool or out of the way of the racers and becomes the judge.

The Game:

When the judge says "Get Dressed" the players must race to the other side of the pool, find their shirt in the pile and put it on, then race to the other side. Once they touch the edge they turn around, race back, then find and put on their pants, then race back to the other side. Next come the socks and so on.  In essence, the order doesn't really matter.

Note: Shorts are easier so for a twist use jeans or long pants because they are quite difficult to get on. The first person back to where they started and all dressed wins!

Twist: After we do that my friend and I also like to do it the opposite way where you have to swim to the edge take off the clothing then swim back touch the edge and back to take off another piece of clothing.

Added by Kelsey G.

Jump or Dive

A classic pool game fun for crazy participants but slightly more entertaining for the onlookers.

Must have a pool with a diving board and is large enough for people to dive into.

Whoever wants to play lines up outside the pool.

Going one at a time, the player must get a running start and get a good bounce off the board.  Then, at the last second, the leader either yells JUMP or DIVE.

The player must quickly react and make the necessary adjustments.  It begins to get hilarious when players start anticipating the call and try to adjust but end up with very painful belly flops.

One way to keep the game moving is to have elimination.

For added fun: Yell JUMP or DIVE just a little too late!

Added by Steve Garcia

See King of the Tube (Click Here) and Diving Board PIG (Click Here).

King of the Tube

Pool game where teams compete for best time.  Each team selects a champion who can stay on a tube the longest.

One at a time, a champion sits in a tube, and when the timer starts, the opposite teams all try to tip over the champion WITHOUT TOUCHING HIM, only the tube.

Time each champion, see who stays on the longest.

Safety Note: Have adult spotters around the sides of the pool.

See Jump or Dive (Click Here) and Diving Board PIG (Click Here), also on Swimming Pool page.

Pirates and Sharks

This game works best with a larger group (10+ kids), and requires the following:

- pool mats

- various pool toys or nicknacks

Have the students divide themselves into two groups. When this is done, designate one of the groups as "Sharks", and the remaining groups as "Pirates". The pirate group claims a "ship" (one of the pool mats), and get into the pool and climb aboard. Split up the "treasure" (the various pool toys and nicknacks) between the pirate ships.

After the pirates are all ready to go, let the sharks into the pool.

The game works as follows:

The pirate ships move around the pool (swimmers use their arms, legs to paddle), trying to steal an enemy ship's treasure. While this is happening above water, the Sharks in the water try to pull the pirates into the pool - once a pirate is pulled in they become a shark as well.

There are two ways to win this game. The first is if one pirate ship claims all of the treasure before all of its "crew" is pulled into the pool. That team wins the game. The second way is if every pirate is pulled into the pool and made a shark before one ship can control all of the treasure. In this case, the original sharks (whoever started as a shark at the beginning of the game) wins the game.

Pool Battleship

Players separate into two teams. Then, the competitors must build a large 搒hip?out of several floats, noodles, and/or tubes, etc. The groups can also build home bases, so that they can take turns getting to the other side - which is easier if you have large teams.

Next, the two teams try to get to the other end of the pool without falling into the water, or being tagged by a member of the other team, while staying on their 搒hip? (To make it more interesting, allow the players to use water guns and noodles to attack the other team.)

Added by Winter Wenner

Also see Bumper Boats (Click Here).

Pool Bronco Busting

Based on having 4 teams of 4. Use a steady floating tube and tie 3 ropes to it that can reach to the outside of the pool. Have each team choose a rider and then each of the other teams choose 3 people