Swimming Pool Games for Kids

Although with summer comes the discomforting heat, it is no reason to keep children indoors. The best option during summers, that is both comforting and relaxing, is to take a dip in a swimming pool. However, just swimming in the pool might not be on the minds of your kids when they are out in the pool. So call their friends over, and arrange for some swimming pool games that the kids would enjoy.

Swimming Pool Games for Kids

Marco Polo
Marco Polo is is one of the most popular games that can be played in a swimming pool. It is a simple game, and can also be played by just two players. In this game, one of the players, closes his eyes or is blindfolded. He waits till a certain count is over. By this time, the other players scatter around in the pool. After the count is over, the blindfolded player swims around and tries to tag any other player. He is allowed to locate the other players only by their voice. In order to guess their location, he cries 'Marco', to which all the other players reply by shouting 'Polo'. This continues till he is able to tag another player, who is then blindfolded and made to catch another player, and so on.

Colors
One member of the team volunteers to be the 'catcher'. He swims to one side of the pool and stands with his back turned towards the rest of the players. The other players in the meantime choose a color each. After sometime, the catcher confirms if every one has chosen a color. Then he calls out a color with his back still towards the rest of the team. The player with the color called out by the catcher has to swim across the pool to the other side as quietly as possible. If the catcher hears any one swimming, he has to turn around and tag the swimmer before he swims away to the other end of the pool.

Donut Float Race
This game is best played in long swimming pools. The players sit on a donut float, and at the whistle, have to start swimming and reach the other end. This game is for two players or more.

Scavenger Hunt or Treasure Hunt
Strewing a few things in the water, that settle at the bottom of the pool, and asking kids to retrieve them at random, is an enjoyable game for younger kids. This very simple game can be made more interesting for older kids by dividing the players into two groups, and making a separate list of items that members of each group have to collect. Make sure that each item is present in pairs. The list could be made so that both the specimens of an item are present in the list, while certain items could be deliberately left out. This will add to the fun of the game, as many times, players will collect objects not on the list and will have to dive back. While choosing the items it should be remembered not to choose objects with sharp or pointed edges.

Bottle
This is a very very enjoyable game that will pull even the most bored child back into the pool. In this game, a 2-liter bottle has to be filled with pool water. The bottle should have a white cap, or a cap of the same color as the floor tiles of the pool. Any wrapper or sticker on the bottle has to be removed. The players are divided in to two teams. Each team is lined up at each end of the pool, with their faces turned away from the pool. An adult, or one of the players who stands out of the pool, throws the bottle in the water. On hearing the splash, the players turn around and try to retrieve the bottle. Although it sounds a pretty simple game, the catch lies in the fact that it is very difficult to locate the bottle as it is devoid of any marking that would reveal its location on the floor of the pool.

London Bridge is Falling Down
Two players stand in the water holding each other's hands high above their shoulder level forming a 'bridge'. The other players are then required to walk below the bridge one by one. Every time a player passes under the bridge, the bridge is lowered. Eventually the players have to swim under the water to cross the bridge.

Organizing swimming pool games for kids, and watching them play can be quite some fun. However, one must be very careful about the safety of the children while they are in the water. Swimming pool safety rules should be followed at all times. It is always useful to ensure a high adult to children ratio and keep a constant watch that kids stay away from the deeper zones of the pool. With these things in mind, and a list of interesting games to play from, swimming pools in summer can be a whole lot of fun.