5 Games for Family Pool Time
Your backyard may be a poolside sanctuary for kicking back on a floatie with a cold beverage in hand, but for the kiddos, it’s an aquatic playground. Although floating around the pool during a never ending happy hour may sound blissful, spending pool time as a family creates lifelong memories. Take a dip, cool off and play any of these fun family-friendly pool games.
Treasure Hunt
Finally, you can empty out that jar full of coins and give that extra change some purpose. Create an underwater family treasure hunt by tossing pennies, dimes, nickels and quarters into the pool. Ready, set, go! The “explorer” who gathers the highest amount in change wins. Not only does this game help kids develop diving and swimming skills, but it also challenges their math skills as they add up their collected treasure.
Olympic Races
Challenge the fam to races from one end of the pool to the other — no training required. The catch? No athlete in these Olympics Games is permitted to swim freestyle. Each event requires different ways to get across the pool. Event examples include doggy paddling, hopping with no hands above the water (only in the shallow end!), using a noodle to kick only with your legs and lying tummy down on a floatie using your arms as paddles.
Categories
Diving, canon balling and jumping into the water is fun, but what if you add a mental challenge to it? Designate someone to be in charge of calling out a category. The rule is that right as the participant jumps into the pool, the caller will shout out a category. The jumper must name something in that category before going under in order to score. No answer? No point. Examples include states, condiments, colors, sea animals, sports, desserts, etc.
Add-On Obstacle Course
This game will not only get the kids moving, but it will test their memory as well. Create an aquatic obstacle course that requires a player to add on a new obstacle after completing the sequence. Here’s how it works: The first person to go will do an underwater handstand, for example. The second person to go must do the handstand and then think of a second obstacle, such as holding your breath for five seconds. The third person to go must remember to complete those two obstacles in order and then perform a third obstacle that they’ve chosen. The first person to skip or forget an obstacle in the sequence loses.
Catch the Invisi-Bottle
Fill up plastic water bottles of varying ounces, including a 2 liter plastic bottle. (Make sure the cap is white or a similar color of your pool tile.) Fill the bottles up with water and toss the bottles into the pool. Players will line up along the edge of the pool with their backs turned to the water. As soon as players hear the splashes, they can jump into the water to retrieve the camouflaging bottles one at a time. Each bottle is worth a certain amount of points; the smallest bottle is worth more points. Whoever collects the most bottles with the most points totaled wins!
Is your pool ready for family fun or is algea and debris getting in the way of a poolside weekend? Give us a call, we can help get your pool cannonball-ready!
