If you have kids (or remember being one), you know jumping in the pool with a group of people means you’re going to be playing at least one game. Here’s a list of our top five pool games.
Water Basketball
Add a basketball hoop to your pool to play water basketball whenever you wish! Play a full game of basketball, a classic shooting game like “H-O-R-S-E” which you can change to “F-I-S-H” or just practice shooting.
Colors
The person who is “it” stands outside the pool with their eyes closed and the other players choose a color (but keep it to themselves). “It” starts to call out colors, and when a swimmer’s color is called he or she must make it to the other side of the pool without being tagged. If a swimmer is tagged, they’re now “it”. If “it” turns around, but none of the swimmers have left their original positions, “it” has to take another step away from the pool and continue calling colors.
Marco Polo
What’s a pool party without Marco Polo? The rules to this classic pool game are simple. The person who is “it” keeps their eyes closed and calls out “Marco” to the other players and tries to find them by the sound of their voices. The players respond with “Polo” and try not to get tagged. The first person tagged becomes “it” and the games starts over.
Categories
The rules of this game are very similar to “Colors”. The person who is “it” stands outside the pool, chooses a category (something like “candy bars,” “department stores,” or “cars”) and announces it to the rest of the group. Each of the other players chooses something from that category (but keeps it to themselves). “It” begins to name items from the category. When a person’s choice is called, they have to swim to the other side of the pool without getting tagged. If a player is tagged, they’re “it,” and the game starts over.
Sharks & Minnows
Sharks and Minnows is another classic pool party game. One person is designated as the shark, and all other players are minnows. The shark stays in the central, deeper area of the pool while the minnows stand outside the pool. When someone yells “SHARK!”, all of the minnows jump in and try to swim to the other side of the pool. If a minnow is tagged, it becomes another shark. The game continues until all of the minnows have been turned into sharks.