This post contains affiliate links. We may earn money from the products mentioned in this post, but this is at no cost to you
Selection of the best easy pool party games for kids, teenagers and even adults to enjoy.
Use these games for a birthday party, or just to add a bit more fun when hanging out with friends and family. These fun pool games will help everyone relax and enjoy the time together.
Related articles:
With awesome weather comes more time in the pool.
Pool’s are the perfect place for a social gathering and a great place to hold parties. If you need some inspiration on awesome pool party games to play then you have come to the right place!
Check out this list of 30 pool party games that you can easily incorporate into your next gathering.
These games are all super easy coordinate and fun for all ages.
What Are Some Fun Games To Play In The Pool?
Pool parties are a lot of fun for summer. But one thing to make them even more fun is to have some organised pool party games.
Whilst a lot of children will make their own fun in the pool, having some coordinated pool party games will ensure that even the quietest of guests wont get bored.
These don’t have to take a lot of planning or set up, but a few simple games can help the party run a lot smoother.
Most of these games can be played with items you already have at home which means they are super easy to coordinate.
The Best Swimming Pool Games For Kids
Whilst these pool party games are listed under the kids section, there is nothing to stop teens and even adults from taking part in them.
They can easily be adapted to be a little harder for an older age group.
1. Water Pistol Fight
Supplies needed: Water pistols
How to play: Provide each participant with a water pistol. The game can be played either in teams or as individuals. Simply have fun shooting one another!
This game might be better to be played outside of the pool for younger children where they can move around easier.
It would also be a great game to play before getting into the pool to help them get wet!
2. Marco Polo
One of the most widely known pool party games is Marco Polo.
How to play: Choose one person to be “it”. That person goes to one end of the pool and closes their eyes.
The person who is “it” counts to 10 and shouts “Marco”. Everyone else shouts “Polo”. The person who is “it” needs to try and catch everyone that said “Polo”.
“Marco” can be shouted as many times as needed.
3. Hungry Hippo’s Pool game
Supplies needed: Several pool floaties, a bag of ball pit balls and plastic buckets (same number as the pool floaties).
How to play: Everyone lies face down on the floaty with a bucket. The balls are released into the pool.
On a signal, everyone chases towards the balls (remaining on their floaties) and fill their buckets with as many balls as possible.
The person with the most balls is the winner.
4. Pool Noodle Boat Race
Supplies: Pool noodles (follow this tutorial to make the boats)
How to play: Stand at the edge of the pool and line the boats up in front of everyone. With splashing and pushing of the water move the boats to the other end of the pool.
But NO touching of the boats is allowed! The first boat to reach the other side is the winner.
5. Follow The Leader
How to play: Nominate someone in the pool to be the leader and someone to stand out the pool and watch.
The leader chooses all types of actions and moves around the pool. Everyone else has to follow and copy the action.
For example the leader may choose to swim underwater or walk backwards. Everyone must copy.
The person outside the pool needs to highlight who is not following the moves correctly and they are out the game. The person left at the end is the winner.
6. Inflatable Toss
Supplies needed: Pool inflatable toss game. This could be anything to match a party theme such as a Unicorn head, cactus or Flamingo etc.
How to play: Stand at the edge of the pool and have the inflatable in the middle of the pool (or a decent distance away). Throw the rings over the top of the inflatable. The winner gets the maximum hits.
7. Floating Musical Chairs
Supplies needed: Music and floating pool chairs.
How to play: At the beginning of the game, make sure that everyone has a chair or a floatie device.
When the music starts, everyone must leave their chair and swim around the pool. Ensure there is someone on the side of the pool that can take one of the chairs away.
The music stops and everyone must find a chair. The person without a chair is out and the game continues.
The player left in the chair at the end is the winner.
8. Water Gun Race
Supplies needed: Cups, straws, string, water pistols
How to play: Whilst this game by Mombrite was played outside of the pool, it would work perfectly well over a pool.
Hang the strings up over the pool and players need to shoot the water into the cup. The first player to move their cup to the other side of the pool is the winner.
9. Bobbing Apples
Supplies needed: 1 apple per child
How to play: Place an apple into the pool for each child.
The children need to jump into the pool and using only their mouths have to grab an apple.
The first player to get back to the side of the pool with their apple is the winner.
10. Freeze Tag
How to play: One person is IT and has to catch as many others as possible. One someone has been caught they have to stay frozen on one spot.
Other players have to either swim between their legs (or under their arms if not confident in the water) to unfreeze the player.
11. Sponge Toss
Supplies needed: Sponge bombs. Follow the tutorial by Crafts By Amanda
How to play: Line up 4 buckets in the pool. Aim to throw a sponge bomb into each bucket.
12. Sponge Ball Tag
Supplies needed: Make sponge/s as per the tutorial for the sponge toss.
How to play: One person is the tagger, whilst everyone else is in the pool.
The tagger throws the sponge and if it hits another player they become the tagger.
13. Sponge Ball Target Game
Supplies needed: Inflatable target and balls
How to play: Each player takes it in turns to throw the balls onto the targets. The player with the most points wins.
14. Push A Duck
Supplies needed: Rubber Ducks
How to play: Get everyone to line up at one end of the pool with a rubber duck. The aim of the game is to push their duck to the other side of the pool without using their hands!
Use whatever means you want to get the duck to the other side, but hands are out of bounds. The first player and duck to reach the other side is the winner.
15. Floatie Race
Supplies needed: Pool Floaties
How to play: Give each player a floatie and ask them to lie on it at one end of the pool.
Ensure someone is outside of the pool to monitor the game. When that person shouts “GO”, players have to move to the other side of the pool on their floatie. If they fall off they are out of the game.
16. Pass The Water
Supplies needed: Plastic cups
How to play: Get teams to stand in a line in the pool, with every player holding a cup.
The person at the front of each line fills their cup with water. They place the cup over their head and pour the water into the players cup behind them. Once the water reaches the cup at the back, the back player swims to the front and starts again.
The game is over when the original player who was at the front is back at the front.
17. Treasure Hunt
Supplies needed: Any small items that will sit on the bottom of a pool.
How to play: Drop several items into the bottom of the pool and ask the children to swim around and find them all.
18. Simon Says
How to play: Have someone stand on the edge of the pool shouting out commands. For example, “Simon Says float on your back”. All the participants float on their back.
The next command might be “Simon Says jump up and down”. All the participants jump up and down.
Then the command might be “Turn around in a circle”. All the participants that turn around in a circle are out as the command did not include “Simon Says”. All the participants still jumping up and down continue to play.
Keep playing until you have a winner.
19. Cannon Ball Splash
How to play: Divide everyone into two teams.
One team are the judges and one team are the cannon balls. One at a time, everyone gets the chance to jump into the water shouting “cannon ball” and try to make as big a splash as possible.
Everyone on the other side of the pool watches and assigns points. The highest point wins.
20. Ping Pong Play
Supplies needed: Ping Pong balls and a sharpie pen
How to play: Write different numbers onto the ping pong balls ahead of the party time.
Divide the kids into teams and empty the balls into the pool.
The kids needs to collect as many balls as they can until they have all been taken and take them to their team base.
Add up the numbers on the balls. The highest number team wins.
Fun Pool Party Games For Teens And Adults
These pool party games could certainly be tailored to suit younger children, but they would be more suited to teens and adults who have better swimming skills.
These games can also be a little competitive which the older age group would enjoy.
21. Float Balancing
Supplies needed: Pool floats
How to play: Divide players into groups to ensure you don’t have everyone in the pool at once. You want to ensure that there is plenty of room around each of the floats to allow for people falling off!
Everyone kneels (or stands) on the float and is timed to how long they can stay afloat before falling into the pool.
Each group takes it in turns, and the winners of each group participate against each other to ensure one final winner.
22. Pool Volleyball
Supplies needed: Pool volleyball set
How to play: Divide into two teams and hit the ball across the net. If the ball hits the water the other side, the team scores a point.
Before the game starts, set a number to be reached and the first team to hit that number wins.
23. Keep The Ball In The Air
Supplies needed: Beach or soft ball
How to play: All the participants need to stand in a circle. One player throws the ball into the air in the middle of the circle. The aim of the game is to keep the ball in their air as long as possible.
As soon as the ball hits the water, play needs to start again.
Count how many times the ball can be hit before it hits the water.
24. Noodle Jousting
Supplies needed: 2 pool noodles and a pool floaty raft
How to play: Have two players kneel onto a float raft and push them into the middle of the pool. Each player has their own pool noodle.
Using the pool noodle, the players joust each other to try and knock their opponent off the raft. The winner remains on the raft at the end of the joust.
25. Transparent Water Bottle Hunt
Supplies needed: A transparent water bottle
How to play: Fill a transparent water bottle and throw it somewhere on the bottom of the pool.
One by one participants have to hunt for the water bottle. Time how long it takes to find, and the quickest person is the winner.
26. Synchronised Swimming
How to play: Have someone stand on the edge of the pool and perform some simple dance moves. Once some simple moves have been established, the participants can put them together to form a routine.
Depending on numbers, you could split up into two or more groups and then perform to each other.
27. Water Melon Football
Supplies needed: Watermelon and oil
How to play: This game is played just like regular football, although the ball is a watermelon!
Grease the watermelon first with some oil to make it harder. Divide the participants into two teams. The aim of the game is to try and get the watermelon to hit the wall at the other side of the pool. Each time the watermelon hits the wall it gives one point to the scoring team.
Play for either a set amount of time, until one team hits a certain score or until the watermelon is no longer useable!
28. Swim Through Rings
Supplies needed: Swim through rings
How to play: Line the rings up along the pool. Either play as individuals and time everyone, or play as teams racing each other.
Either the first team to finish is the winner or the person with the fastest time.
29. Tug of War
How to play: Divide into two teams and stand on opposite sides of the pool. Have a rope placed over the middle of the pool.
Each team pulls and the loosing team ends up falling into the pool!
30. Basketball Pool Game
Supplies needed: Inflatable basketball hoop
How to play: Divide into teams and shoot for the hoop. The hoops could sit on each side of the pool or have one inflatable one in the swimming pool.
The team with the most points wins!
Hanging out around a pool in summer is always going to be a fun time. But the fun can get even better when you incorporate some games!
Whether you are having a birthday party, some friends over or just chilling as a family, these pool party games are going to be enjoyed by all.
Need some more ideas for party games? Check out the most awesome fun party games for kids of all ages. You will have a ton of inspiration to keep the kids entertained.
Let’s keep in touch. Did you love these pool party games? Sign up to the weekly newsletter to be updated with other fun and easy party games. You will also be updated with party decoration, recipes and holiday ideas PLUS have access to the free printable library. See you there!
Leave a Reply