Swimming pool fun goes into high gear when you add some games for the entire family.  Most popular are; Marco-Polo, Sharks and Minnows, Shark, Categories, Silent Night, or just Tag. There are many you can find, and many to create. You can make-up a game with pool toys, or recreate an older game for your family’s entertainment.

To introduce a game to your kids, first start with the rules many of which your children may already know.  You can look-up online by searching “swimming games” or the name of the pool game. Most of these involve a person to be “it” and swimming underwater or racing to the other side of your pool. Goggles may be needed if you own a chlorine pool. If you own a salt pool they are usually not needed.

Marco-Polo is a game that involves closing your eyes (if you’re it) and yelling “Marco!” and the other players calling back “Polo!” The objective is to not get tagged by the “it” and if you are it, then you try to tag the other players closing your eyes and listening to the responses.

Categories are another fun pool game. Once again there is an “it” who tries to tag the others, but this game entails a category (chosen by “it”) like “favorite icecream flavors” and when everyone has their answer “it” calls out all the answers he/she can think of. If your answer gets called, you must swim across the pool and reach the other side without getting tagged. Or else you become it. With his/her back turned to the pool on either a diving board or the side of the pool, “it” must turn around when they think someone is going. If someone is, then they jump into the pool and try to tag them. If someone is not going, then they must take one step forward; making it harder to get someone.

Sharks and Minnows is a very fast moving game. On person (shark) is on one side of the pool while the rest is on the other. Everyone is in the water. When the shark yells “Swim!” all the people, “Minnows” must swim across and try not to get tagged. Whoever does get touched by the shark becomes one and the next round begins. The last person left becomes the new shark and the game restarts. All pool games are much more exciting with a bunch of people. But even if it is just your family playing, it can be a blast!