Use your noodle: 5 Pool games

Fun in a pool is about so much more than swimming laps. Get out there and make a splash with these five games to play in the pool!

Liven up your day at the pool with these five games that are fun for everyone!

There’s nothing like standing waist-high in a pool, wrestling with your friends over a greased-up watermelon!

The rules of this game are simple. Players should divide into two teams. Each team lines up against their wall of the pool, with the greased watermelon floating in the middle. When the whistle blows (or someone yells “go!”), both teams charge the floating melon. The first team to touch the wall of the other team with the watermelon wins.

Photographer Jerry Pennington snapped a photo of one team ready to win the game.

Blogger Sarah has a fabulous idea for making a floating tic-tac-toe game out of pool noodles. It involves cutting up a few noodles and reattaching them to create the board, and then making the playing pieces — also from pool noodles. Visit her site, Repeat Crafter Me, for the full instructions.

Ring around the rosy isn’t just a game for dry land. Swim instructor Terry McCoy likes to play it in the pool. Hold the child’s hands and sing the song as you go in a circle; when you get to “they all fall down,” you should both lower yourselves into the water. “It’s a great way to get the kids to blow bubbles,” said McCoy.

McCoy also used fun games to get kids to learn kicking techniques. Hold the child in the water on their belly, or give them a kickboard. You can also have them hold onto the side of the pool. Say “Motorboat, motorboat, go so slow. Motorboat, motorboat, go so fast,” and keep going. To turn it into more of a competitive game, keep switching up your directions quickly, and eliminate any player who is the last to follow directions.

It’s not easy to find a tiny coin in the bottom of a big swimming pool, but it’s fun to try! Have all of your players turn around with their backs to the pool, and then toss the coin in when they aren’t looking. At the count of three, they can jump or dive in and begin the search. The first player to come up with the coin in hand wins!

One family, who logged their travels at The Big Voyage, found this was a great way to spend a day at the pool.

Planning a pool party? Try these tips from SheKnows!

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15 Items to keep on hand for a quick party
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Photo Credits: Jerry Pennington, Sarah/Repeat Crafter Me, Terry McCoy, The Big Voyage