Having fun in the pool is for kids of all ages! There are plenty of games, float toys and ways to have a blast in the water. Here are some of the most popular Cincinnati pool games, separated into age groupings:
Marco Polo (all ages)
Probably the first pool game kids learn: one child is chosen to be Marco, and is blindfolded. Marco is required to call out ‘Marco’ while the other children call out ‘Polo’, and guided by the sound of their voices, Marco will find someone to tag. When a person is tagged they become Marco, and so on. If Marco hears somebody getting out of the pool, they can call ‘Fish out of water’ and the person who exited the pool then becomes Marco. This is a great game that can be played in the shallow end, ensuring that even young children and those with less advanced swimming skills can play also.
Noodle Jousting: (teens and up)
You’ll need some water noodles for this, as well as some inflatable rafts. You can play this individual swimmers or teams: ride on inflatable rafts and try to knock others off of their rafts with the noodles. Last one that hasn’t been knocked in wins.
Shark Ball: (8-12)
Played with an inflatable ball or balloon in the water, everybody joins hands and creates a circle around the ball. If the ball touches anybody, they are ‘out’. Players can blow on the ball or create waves in the water to move it towards other players, but can’t go underwater or allow the ball to exit the circle.
Volleyball and Water Polo (12 and up)
There are several great pool versions of classic games like badminton and volleyball that are played with the same general rules as they would be subject to on dry land. It’s quite fun to be able to play with the buoyancy of the water to assist your shots – it allows players to launch themselves upwards, as well as creating some resistance that makes for an interesting handicap!
Water Polo is a team sport, and much like soccer it uses a ball and has goal nets at each end of the swimming pool. Formal rules have it played in four quarters with six players per team, but when you’re playing in the backyard it’s perfectly acceptable to make up your own rules.
Pool games are fun, especially when nobody gets hurt. Pool Badminton, volleyball and water polo all require special equipment that is meant for use in the pool. The balls are lighter and the racquets (in the case of badminton) lighter and generally made of plastic. Above all, remember to practice safety first, especially if there are small children present.