Swimming Pool Games, Activities & Challenges

When the players have chosen their answer the leader has to try and guess the other players choices. If they get it right the player (or players if several have the same answer) have to race to the opposite side of the pool while the leader races to the players side of the pool. If the leader wins they remain the leader, but if they loose the person who won the race becomes a new leader. All players must be touching the side of the pool before racing.

Chicken

Nominate someone to be the leader, who then has to do something funny like a funny walk or an impression of someone, then they jump into the pool anyway they want. The other players then have to follow and copy what the leader did. If they get part of it wrong they get given a C of the word CHICKEN. This happens each time until they have collected all the letters that spell CHICKEN.

Players can also decide to chicken out on a particular go to avoid getting a letter. But show that they have chickened out by doing the chicken dance, say "Bok, Bok" and then jump in the pool. Players may only chicken out 5 times.

You can make the game easy, medium, or hard:-

EASY- Players don't have to do it exact and can chicken out as many times as you want.

MEDIUM- Players have to copy the main idea and can chicken out 5 times.

HARD- Players have to copy the leaders movements exactly and can only chicken out 2 times.

Colours

One person is chosen to be 'it' (the catcher) gets out and faces away from the pool. All the remaining players in the pool chose a color. The catcher continues to face away from the pool and asks "Do you have your colors?" and if players answer they do the catcher then starts calling out various colors. When a player's color is called they have to try and swim across the pool quietly without being heard. The catcher if they hear a player moving can then turn around and try and tag them before they reach the safety of the other side of the pool. You can use different categories like cars, flowers, etc...

Make out Tag

Simple game of Tag (or IT), but players have to be tagged underwater. If you tag somebody you have to kiss them.

Pairs

Get players to partner up. Players try and swim in pairs with one half doing the arm movements while the other half of the pair holds onto their partner and does the leg movement. Best tried in the shallow end.

Sand Bank

Play as in 'Stuck in the Mud', with one or two players being nominated to capture the others. Once a player is caught they have to go to the shallow end the stay there until they are set free by a player, who has not yet been caught, swimming through their legs.

Sharks!!

Effectively a swimming pool version of tag or 'it'

One or two people become sharks with the objective of catching the other players who are in the water. Players are not allowed to leave the water. Once a person is caught they either stand or sit on the side of pool. 

Stations

Play as NEWS but include nautical terms like:

"port", - Left

"starboard", - Right

"stern", - Back

"bow". - Front

"Shark" All get out of the water.

"Pirates" All jump in again

Water Polo

Best played in the shallow end, unless your group is made up of strong swimmers! Play across the width of the pool with two targets, such as floatation board set on end, set up as goals at either side. (or proper goals if they happen to be handy). Rules can be improvised, but to simplify:

• Once a player holds the ball they cannot move, either they must try to score a goal or throw the ball to another player. All other players are free to move, but must remain in the water (including goal keepers).

• Play is continuous. Except if the ball goes onto the poolside where it is handed to the nearest 'goalkeeper’ as a goal throw.

• Once a goal is scored the ball is given to the referee to be thrown into the middle as a `toss up’ between teams, or it can be given to the goal keeper of the side the goal was against.

Races/Competitions

Remember to keep the courses safe and use your own common sense, such as use of the shallow end for swimmers who are not confident in the water. Possible races can include

• Obstacle courses… include things such as swimming through hoops, pushing a ball through the water. Swimming underwater, retrieving objects from the bottom of the pool, etc. But

• Distance under water,

• Time under water, etc.

Diving Games

Retrieving items eg set of keys, coins, diving bricks
Going through weighted hoops (if available)
Distance you can swim under water
Amount of time you can hold your breath underwater.

Life Saving Skills

If you have a lifeguard nearby who is willing, or if you know some yourself, ask them to show a few simple lifesaving skills such as being able to throw a rope from the side. If you have stronger swimmers show them the proper way to tow somebody through the water.

Page last updated: 20 March 2008

This page is part of frameset  Click here to have full access to all the resources at www.funandgames.org .

© Kit Logan, 1999-2008
Permission to make digital or hard copies of all or part of this work for personal or educational use is granted without fee provided that copies are not made or distributed for profit or commercial advantage and that copies bear this notice. To copy otherwise, to republish, to post on servers or to redistribute to lists requires prior specific permission and may require a fee.

Swimming Books    Swimming Toys & Games    Swimming Goggle & Floats    Swimwear    Swimming Lessons    Swimming Games    Swimming Clubs    Water Babies    Swimming Safety    Swimming Pools    Swimming Abroad    Buying a Swimming Pool    Swimming Pool Equipment    Swimming Pool Maintenance    Swimming Pool Safety    Swimming Training & Coaching

Holidays in Spain