pool game ideas for your kids pool play dates.

Obstacle Course

To play: The hardest part is making up the course, after that, it is all fun! An example of a pool obstacle course looks like this: Slide down the slide. Swim across the pool and touch the number 3. Float on your back for 5 seconds. Do a handstand. Touch the side of the pool with your big toe. Climb up the ladder. Do a cannonball in the deep end. Swim backwards to the shallow end. Spin around 3 times. Do 3 jumping jacks.

Synchronised Swimming

To play: The players all work together to create and learn a swimming routine. You could even put the routine to music. Let the kids pick the song. Jump, dance, swim, twirl, and don’t forget to end with a grand finale move. Maybe this will be the jumpstart to your child’s 2028 summer Olympics debut!

Pool Fishing

To play: All you’ll need is at least one net and some small dive toys. Drop or throw the toys/treasures into the water and see if your kiddos can catch them before they hit the bottom of the pool. Your kids will be building their hand-eye coordination without even knowing it.

Floatie Races

To play: Line all the racers up at one end of the pool and choose one person to be the referee. You can have them already on their floats or all in the pool and they have to mount when the whistle blows. Either way, the objective is to see who can get from the starting line to the other end of the pool riding their float first! Anyone that falls off is disqualified. If you have a bunch of kids, you can do this as a relay with teams!

Number Crunch

To play: Start by dividing the kids into 2 teams and place them (with a bucket) on opposite sides of the pool. Throw all the balls in the pool. Ready, set, go! Everyone jumps in and collects balls to put in their bucket. However, you can only collect one ball at a time. When all the balls are collected, each side adds up their total (older kids can help the younger kids with math) and the highest-scoring team wins!

Duck Push

To play: The players line up and each swimmer starts at one end of the pool with a rubber duck. The object of the game is to get your rubber duck to the other side, without using your hands. Your kids may try blowing on them, pushing them with their forehead or nose, carrying them on their back or head. Let them get creative. Other players can splash water or try to knock another player’s duck off course. The first one to the end of the pool wins!