Pool Party Games for All Ages

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This post was sponsored by SwimWays as part of an Influencer Activation for Influence Central and all opinions expressed in my post are my own.

How do you get into the pool? Are you someone who gets in slowly, inch-by-inch, or are you an all-out cannonballer? I used to be an inch-by-incher, but now that we live in 100+ degree Arizona, there’s no reason not to just jump right in!

My four kids love the water, too. We take advantage of Gramma and Grampa’s pool and get in as many swims as we can over the long Arizona summer.

It only takes a bit of imagination to have fun in the pool, but here are some of our favorite pool party games that we like to play.

Fun Pool Party Games

1. What Time Is It, Mr. Shark?
   One player is Mr. Shark and stands at one side of the pool. The other players on the other side gradually swim toward Mr. Shark and periodically stop to ask, “What time is it, Mr. Shark?” Mr. Shark then replies with whatever time he or she feels like. Once the players are pretty close, Mr. Shark will exclaim, “Dinner time!” and try to catch one of the swimmers before they can swim away. The player caught is the next Mr. Shark.
2. Mother, May I?
3. Red Light/Green Light
4. Volleyball, with a beach ball
   No net needed, just hit the ball back and forth and keep track of how many times you can do it in a row!
5. Marco Polo
6. Surfing
   Push boogie boards under the water and see who can stand or kneel on his the longest.

7. Swim Races
   Try some variations: backwards, only using arms, while making a fish face, or all of the above at once!
8. Float across
   Get a boogie board and push off from one end, and see if you can cruise all the way to the other end without an extra stroke.
9. Mermaid Spin
   Get in an inner tube, put your legs together like a tail, and swirl your legs in a circle. You’ll spin fast in the opposite direction!
10. Follow-the-Leader
11. Shoulder Stand
    Basically just how it sounds- someone dunks into the water while someone else gets on their shoulders, and then they stand up! See how long you can stay that way. Steer clear of the sides of the pool for a safe splash back into the water!
12. Dive Sticks/Rings
    Have a third person throw dive sticks or rings into the pool, and then compete with a friend to see who can collect the most. No third person? Try throwing them over your shoulders!

I remember attending pool parties as a kid and being self-conscious because it seemed like everyone knew how to swim except me! I always had to wear a big life jacket until I was finally enough of a confident swimmer to go without it.

Now I’m a big fan of products that help kids feel comfortable in the water. With four kids, I have one at every level- confident, needs a little help, needs a lot of help, and needs to be held!

SwimWays Swim products help kids at all stages to have a great time in the water. Right now it’s my two middle kids who need a little help to have some independence in the water.

My son uses the SwimWays Swim Step 3 Power Swimr, as he gets more and more self-sufficient in the water. It’s kind of like having training wheels because there are 9 removable floats that we can gradually remove as he gets more confident.

I love how you can adjust the Power Swimr to your child’s swim level, because there’s a big difference between having a swim vest and nothing at all, and this smooths the transition between the two.

SwimWays makes products for all levels of swimmers. Before graduating to the Power Swimr, my son used the SwimWays Swim Step 2 Swim Vest. It helped him learn to balance and paddle in the water- must-have skills for a soon-to-be swimmer!

The fun colors and designs on the SwimWays products makes him want to wear them as soon as he’s near the pool!

National Learn to Swim Day is May 20th; the 6th annual celebration happened last month. Now is the perfect time to help kids learn water safety and how to be confident swimmers- a necessary skill!