Always be sensible when playing in or near water and supervision by a responsible person is recommended. The games mentioned here should only be played in purpose built swimming pools and by those who are able to swim without help.

Remember PLAYING in or near water can be dangerous

Always put SAFETY FIRST.
Always obey any pool rules.

Water Polo 

Best played in the shallow end, unless your group is made up of strong swimmers! Play across the width of the pool with two targets, such as floatation board set on end, set up as goals at either side. (or proper goals if they happen to be handy). Rules can be improvised, but to simplify:

• Once a player holds the ball they cannot move, either they must try to score a goal or throw the ball to another player. All other players are free to move, but must remain in the water (including goal keepers).
• Play is continuous. Except if the ball goes onto the poolside where it is handed to the nearest 'goalkeeper’ as a goal throw.
• Once a goal is scored the ball is given to the referee to be thrown into the middle as a `toss up’ between teams, or it can be given to the goal keeper of the side the goal was against.

Sharks!!

Effectively a swimming pool version of tag or 'it'

One or two people become sharks with the objective of catching the other players who are in the water. Players are not allowed to leave the water. Once a person is caught they either stand or sit on the side of pool. 

Sand bank

Play as in 'Stuck in the Mud', with one or two players being nominated to capture the others. Once a player is caught they have to go to the shallow end the stay there until they are set free by a player who has not been caught swimming through their legs.

Marco Polo

One player is "it". He must go underwater, with eyes closed, and holding his hand above the water, count on his fingers to 10. Then he comes up for air and yells "Marco!" He then listens for the other players to call back "Polo!" He swims toward the sounds of the other players, and tries to tag another player with his hand. When Marco is called, all players above water level must answer Polo. Exiting the pool is also not allowed. For the person who is "it", if "peeking" is a problem, an underwater mask that is taped on the inside with masking tape can help.

Races  / Competitions  

Remember to keep the courses safe and use your own common sense, such as use of the shallow end for swimmers who are not confident in the water. Possible races can include

• Obstacle courses… include things such as swimming through hoops, pushing a ball through the water. Swimming underwater, retrieving objects from the bottom of the pool, etc. But 
• Distance under water,
• Time under water, etc.

Diving Games 

Retrieving items e.g. set of keys, coins, diving bricks
Going through weighted hoops (if available)
Distance you can swim under water
Amount of time you can hold your breath underwater.

Stations

Play as NEWS. but include nautical terms like:

"port", - Left

"starboard", - Right

"stern", - Back

"bow". - Front

"Shark" All get out of the water.

"Pirates" All jump in again

Colors (Colours)
(Sent in by Allison Eader)

One person is chosen to be 'it' (the catcher) gets out and faces away from the pool. All the remaining players in the pool chose a color. The catcher continues to face away from the pool and asks "Do you have your colors?" and if players answer they do the catcher then starts calling out various colors. When a player's color is called they have to try and swim across the pool quietly without being heard. The catcher if they hear a player moving can then turn around and try and tag them before they reach the safety of the other side of the pool. You can use different categories like cars, flowers, etc...

Categories
Sent in by Kristina Domansky

One person is chosen to be the leader and goes to the opposite side of the pool to the other players. The leader then chooses a category (e.g. cars, colours, food, ice cream, drinks, etc) and tells the other players, who have to choose their answer/s to that category. The leader can either get out the pool or put their head under water in order not to hear what answers the other players are choosing.

When the players have chosen their answer the leader has to try and guess the other players choices. If they get it right the player (or players if several have the same answer) have to race to the opposite side of the pool while the leader races to the players side of the pool. If the leader wins they remain the leader, but if they loose the person who won the race becomes a new leader. All players must be touching the side of the pool before racing.

Pairs

Get players to partner up. Players try and swim in pairs with one half doing the arm movements while the other half of the pair holds onto their partner and does the leg movement. Best tried in the shallow end.

Chicken
Sent in by Kayla D

Nominate someone to be the leader, who then has to do something funny like a funny walk or an impression of someone, then they jump into the pool anyway they want. The other players then have to follow and copy what the leader did. If they get part of it wrong they get given a C of the word CHICKEN. This happens each time until they have collected all the letters that spell CHICKEN.

Players can also decide to chicken out on a particular go to avoid getting a letter. But show that they have chickened out by doing the chicken dance, say "Bok, Bok" and then jump in the pool. Players may only chicken out 5 times.

You can make the game easy, medium, or hard:-

EASY- Players don't have to do it exact and can chicken out as many times as you want.

MEDIUM- Players have to copy the main idea and can chicken out 5 times.

HARD- Players have to copy the leaders movements exactly and can only chicken out 2 times.

Life Saving Skills

If you have a lifeguard nearby who is willing, get them to show a few simple lifesaving skills such as being able to throw a rope from the side, or if you have stronger swimmers the proper way to tow somebody through the water.

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© Kit Logan, 2001.