3 fun pool games to teach your kids

After upgrading to a free salt system or undergoing a complete pool remodel, your pool will certainly see a lot of action this summer! If you’ve got kids who have a bunch of friends who like to come over and use the pool, you might be looking for a few fun games to show them. Here are three awesome options to consider.

1. Atomic Whirlpool
This game works best in an above-ground, circular pool with only one depth. According to SwimmingPool.com, everyone should get in the pool and line up single-file along the edges, with not much space in between each child. Instruct the kids to walk in the same direction for a few minutes, then go a little faster for a few more. Then, have the kids run as fast as they can for a minute or two. Before long, the water’s current will be pushing them along. When it’s going really fast, have them try to turn around and swim against the current they made. It’s almost impossible, but they’ll have fun trying!

2. Sharks and Minnows
The excitement begins with one person who’s designated as the shark, while the rest are minnows. The shark should go in the water on one side of the deep end, while the minnows line up on the edge of the opposite side. Then, according to Australia’s KidSpot.com, the shark calls out “Sharks and minnows, one two three, fishies, fishies swim to me!” The minnows then jump in and try to swim to the other wall, while the shark tries to tag them before they touch it. The first person to get tagged becomes the shark next round. When everyone’s tagged or at the wall, the game starts over with the new shark. Also, if any minnows don’t jump into the water, the shark can tag them by swimming to the other side of the pool and touching it before they jump in!

3. Categories
To play this game, one person starts out as “It,” and goes to the edge of one side of the pool with his or her back turned. The players start out in the water at the other side of the pool. The person who’s “It” then thinks of a category, like colors, shapes or foods. Each kid then silently thinks of one example. The child who’s “It” then calls out all the examples in that category that he or she can think of. If someone’s answer gets called, he or she has to swim over to the other side of the pool as quietly and quickly as possible. If he or she makes a noise in the process, the kid who’s “It” can turn around and try to tag the individual before he or she reaches the other side. If someone gets tagged, that person is then “It” next round. If the kid who’s “It” turns around and no one is moving toward the other side, he or she has to turn back around and take a step forward to make diving in next time more difficult.