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The Best Swimming Games For Kids

By Michelle Myers 2 Comments

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Living in the Sunshine State means that we enjoy fabulous weather all year long and quite a bit of time in the water. My family has tried a ton of products and played a lot of great games over the years and I’m excited to share our top picks with you! Whether you’re lucky enough to have a pool in your backyard or not, you’ll probably spend some time splashing around this Summer and these action-packed games are perfect for creating lifelong memories for your family!

Summer is here and now it's time for days on end spent playing in the pool. Whether you are planning a pool party or just looking for new ways for the kids to have fun in the pool, we've rounded up all THE BEST swimming games for kids. These go way beyond Marco Polo and will provide hours of outside entertainment for all. The Best Swimming Games for Kids. SunshineandHurricanes.com

Growing up in Florida means most of my childhood memories involve swimming in pools and weekly beach trips. As a mom of 4 kiddos, I love sharing the fun activities from my youth with them and discovering new fun to fill our Summer days and nights. My children helped choose our absolute favorites and I’m betting your family will love them, too!

Pirate’s Plunder

Grab your spare change and ready your little buccaneers, there be treasure at the bottom of the pool! I ask the kids to wait on the side while I toss a handful of coins into the pool, then count to 5 before I tell the pirates to seek their fortune along the bottom of the pool. Goggles are a must and make this game last longer. After all the treasure has been retrieved, if the little matey can correctly count the money, the treasure is theirs to keep! This is a great activity for a resort pool if you’re traveling or even at home. Anytime I can work in a little extra math practice with a pool game is a win for me!

Pool Games

Categories

This is always a hit when you’ve got a group and ideal for a party, too! Decide on a category(let’s use candy as an example) and someone to be “it”. Everyone besides “it” decides a type of candy that will be their “name”(like Skittles, Snickers, KitKat, etc) and is in the water, hanging onto the side of the pool. “It” is out of the water and a few feet away from the pool, standing on the deck with back turned towards the pool. “It” calls out a type of candy(say Tootsie Roll) and all who have chosen Tootsie Roll as their name have to start swimming towards the opposite side of the pool; “it” dives into the water and tries to catch Tootsie before she reaches the wall on the other side. If Tootsie is caught, she’s out and becomes the new “it”; if she’s not caught, play continues until someone is caught. If a name is called no one chose, just keep throwing names out there until one sticks. “It” chooses the category(our most popular ones are animals, colors, cartoon characters, pizza toppings, ice cream flavors) and this game is another great one to play on vacation because it’s easy to gather a few kids up and organize.

swimming games

Invisible Bottle

Take a clear 2L plastic bottle, remove the label, fill with pool water, replace cap(white or clear is best), then have all the players line up along the pool’s edge with their backs to the water. Toss the bottle into the pool and once it has sunk to the bottom, send the kiddos into the water after the bottle. It’s harder than you may think as the bottle blends well with the pool bottom. We’ve used plastic water bottles and tossed several in at a time to keep it interesting, it’s a blast!

The Best Toys For Swimming Games & Pool Fun

Over the years, I’ve invested in a lot of water toys with varying degrees of usefulness and longevity. Listed below are the ones that have been a sure hit with our family and friends:


Swim Thru Rings – Great way to practice those underwater swimming skills, don’t forget goggles!

Log Flume Jousting – Love this product for tweens and teens, perfect for a pool party or keeping the neighborhood kids entertained!

Giant Water Wheel – My kids loved using this a water fort and an imaginary spaceship for hours of dramatic play right in the pool.

Stream Machine Squirters – Hands down, the absolute BEST water gun type toy we’ve EVER bought! I’ve had dozens, no exaggeration, of other “blasters” through the years and none have held up and been as fun as these ones. They’re AMAZING and worth every cent because they last and they’re just plain awesome!

Pizza Raft or Donut Tube – Plain old rubber tubes are so last year…hang with the cool kids and try one of these F-U-N food themed floats…the pizza is 6 feet long, perfect for adults to relax on and I’ve actually used the donut version as a super cool photo booth prop, check out the details about my Donut Birthday Party.

Underwater Treasure Hunt and Toypedos – Great ideas so kids can practice swimming to the bottom and retrieve these objects. Perfectly portable and easy to toss in your bag for extra fun at a resort pool, too!

Spaceship Squirter – My 10 year old son is hoping for this UFO squirter this Summer, mainly so he can torture his little sisters….ah, the life of the lone brother among 3 sisters…

Need more ideas for Family Summer Activities?

Fun Games To Play Outside

Looking for ways to have fun as a family? Then these fun games to play outside are just what you are looking for! Some are new and some are nostalgic and either way they'll be great for sharing and making family memories. Great summer activities for the kids or even can be used for party games at everything from Birthdays to BBQ's. Fun Family Games to Play Outside. SunshineandHurricanes.com

 Summer Boredom Busters That Don’t Break The Bank

After the first half day of summer vacation are your kids already saying "I'm BORED"? Don't worry, there are plenty of fun things kids can do with these long lazy summer days that will be creative, fun and even educational without having to spend a fortune. This post will give you plenty of good ideas and handy resources for keeping your sanity this summer. Summer Boredom Busters That Won't Break The Bank. SunshineandHurricanes.com
What are your favorite Swimming Games from childhood?

Filed Under: Young Kids Tagged With: Kids Activities, kids games, Kids Parties, Tween Activities, Tween Games

About Michelle Myers

Michelle Myers is mom to four kiddos ranging from elementary thru high school, each with strong opinions and a flair for the dramatic. In other words, they're a lot like her. Former educator and lover of learning, she divides her time between carpool and Starbucks by reading voraciously and giving TED talks to herself at red lights. A Floridian for almost 40 years, Michelle loves the beach, making people laugh, and date nights with her hubby of 25 years...and yeas, they clearly married at age 7.
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  1. 10 Apps To Prevent Summer Slide - Sunshine and Hurricanes says:
    June 13, 2016 at 2:20 pm

    […] The Best Swimming Pool Games for Kids […]

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  2. Summer Fruit Dip - Sunshine and Hurricanes says:
    June 6, 2016 at 8:16 am

    […] sure to check out our collection of the Best Swimming Games For Kids, there’s a ton of F-U-N waiting just for […]

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