Hosting a pool party and you have no idea to add a little more fun? Try initiating pool games! No matter the age, people would love to have fun and enjoy spending time with one another through games. Avoid having a lame pool party with people having nothing to do but chill and drink by trying out these group game ideas:
Marco Polo
This is a simple, classic pool game that can be played with three or more players. It’s great for at-home or private swimming pools where there is no risk of players accidentally bumping into strangers. In Marco Polo, one player has to be “it.” That player has to be blindfolded, then counts to a certain number. While the “it” person counts, the other players scatter around the pool. After counting, the “it” player must try to tag the other players. The “it” will call out “Marco, and the other players call “Polo,” and their voices become the clue for the “it player. When the “it” tags another, that player becomes the new “it” and the game will start over again.
Volleyball
Volleyball is an active game that is just as fun in the pool. If your group loves to play sports, this is a nice addition to your pool party. Get a volleyball game started at the pool with a pool volleyball game set. This one can be inflated in minutes. Many watersport companies make pool-ready volleyballs with nets as part of a set. You may also get a standard beach ball instead of a volleyball if you like.
Basketball
Basketball is another popular sport adapted for pool play with special equipment. Pool basketball is played with a poolside basketball hoop and a softer basketball adapted for safer pool play. You may also want to get a basketball hoop that floats right in the center of the swimming pool. This one’s great for kids.
Watermelon relay
This one’s an entertaining game to play at the pool. Play per team or individual, depending on how many are you in the group. Players must push a watermelon from one end of the pool to the other end. The first one to get to it wins. You can put your own twist on the game by adding custom rules, like player must hand off the watermelon relay-style, or players must not touch the watermelon with their hands, or players cannot touch the bottom of the pool using their feet.
Anyone who was watching will surely be entertained, and after the game, you’ve got a refreshing, healthy snack to share.
F-I-S-H
The game works just like the basketball game H-O-R-S-E. To play, the first player performs a task that the other players must repeat. For instance, if the first player does a handstand in the water, other players must take turns in attempting a handstand. If a player can’t perform the task, he or she earns the first letter of the word “fish.” Whoever gets all the letters of the word “fish,” loses. To keep the gameplay fair, you may want to make sure that players only choose a task once so that a particular player won’t keep repeating tasks that no other players can do.
Water polo
Water polo is a sport that’s much like a pool version of soccer. In this game, players must throw a ball into the opposing team’s goal, and the team that scores the most becomes the winner. It’s a competitive team sport that can get fierce and exhausting in normal playing circumstances. But you don’t have to apply professional rules if you adapt it for play at an at-home swimming pool or at a resort. Standard water polo is usually played in deep pools where no player can reach the floor, you can still play it in a pool where everyone can stand when adapted for family or goups.
Wet T-shirt Relay
In the pool, it’s easy to play a wet T-shirt relay. Divide your group into two teams, and have one of their guys remove their shirt – this wet T-shirt will be the prop for the play. Have half of the players stand on one side of the pool, and the other half stand on the other end. Designate a player from each team as the starting player, and hand the wet T-shirts over to them. The starting player must put on the shirt, swim across the pool, take the T-shirt off, and hand it over to their teammate waiting on the other end. That player must put on the shirt and do what the starting player has done. The first team to have all players go across the pool while wearing the wet shirt wins.
Treasure Hunt
If you’re swimming with kids, send them on a treasure hunt that lets them dive for gems, gold and silver in the pool. Get a treasure hunt chest designed to use underwater to offer your kids an exciting sinker game that adds a splash of adventure to pool time. If you want to add a little bit competition, place some value to each kind of sinker, and the kid who gets the highest value of treasure wins.
Tic Tac Toe
This classic paper game that tackles predictability, problem-solving and strategizing can be played at the pool. “How?”, you might ask. Get an inflatable tic-tac-toe designed for pool use so you can have fun with the whole family. This inflatable game board has large square windows and 5 large-size X’s and O’s. You’ve probably never played tic-tac-toe like this before, so go on and try!
Chicken Fight
You cannot go wrong with a classic chicken fight in the pool. This fun, physical game can be played with any number of players, as long as it’s an even number. Players must team up into teams of two, with one player sitting atop his/her teammate’s shoulders. Then, the players must try to knock opposing team players down into the water. This is a game best played among couples. If you’re with family, do this in a larger pool area with adults and older children.
Squirt Gun Race
Beat the heat and avoid boredom by hosting a game of squirt gun obstacle race. It will keep your kids (and even adults!) entertained for hours. To do this, use a sturdy string and tie it to the pillars near your pool. Use duct tape to seal the ends to one another. Insert plastic cups with a hole at the bottom – this will be the thing they have to bring from the starting point to finish line using a squirt gun. Lead the string to the pool, and to the pillars by the end of your pool.
Make the players use only squirt guns to push the plastic cups. Touching and splashing water from the pool in the cups should be considered cheating. It may look simple, but it can turn out harder than expected. The player who pushes the cups until the finish line wins.
Inflatable Toss
Gather your kids to play inflatable toss using an inflatable floating ring and toss base. This game can help kids be more active and socially adept. It can offer loads of fun and a healthy competition in the pool.