Swimming pools at game stores
INVISI-BOTTLE
Take a clear, 2-liter bottle, remove the wrapper and fill it with pool water. Try to use a bottle with a white cap, or a cap of the same color as the floor tiles of the pool. Divide everyone into two teams and line them up, in the water, on opposite ends of the pool — facing away from the water. An adult, or one of the players, stands outside the pool and tosses the bottle in the water. When they hear the splash, the players turn around and try to find the bottle. Sounds easy, right? Think again! The clear bottle blends in and becomes almost invisible on the bottom of the pool. It’s a fun, challenging game for everyone!
ATOMIC WHIRLPOOL
Have everyone get in the pool and line up single file along the edge with very little space between them. Have everyone walk for a couple of minutes, then jog another couple of minutes, then "run" around the edge another couple of minutes. If done right the water will "carry" them around the pool.
Finally, tell them to turn around and go the other way. It is almost impossible to go against the current!
BASKETBALL AND VOLLEYBALL
Whether it’s one-on-one or team play, basketball and volleyball are even more fun when played in the pool. Residential pool games like these are specifically designed to stand up to the toughest competitors in a pool environment. Durable and well-designed games are anchored into the pool deck and will provide hours of active entertainment for years.
OCTOPUS
Choose a person to be "it". They stand in the middle of the pool. Players line up on one side of the pool and try and swim to the other side without being tagged. The players who are tagged hold hands with "it" and for the next round all the players holding hands try and tag the swimmers as they try and make it to the other end of the pool. Keep going until all players have been tagged - then choose another "it" and start again.
DOLPHINS AND SHARKS
Start the game by gathering everyone into the middle of the pool. Divide half the players into dolphins and the other half into sharks, leaving one player to be the leader. Designate one end of the pool as the dolphins' safe point and the other end as the sharks' safe point.
When ready, the leader calls out either "dolphins" or "sharks." Whichever group you called has to quickly swim away to their safety point while their opponents chase them, trying to tag as many as possible. Throughout the game, randomly call out either team. Any player tagged has to join the enemy team. The game ends when all players have become part of one team.
FROZEN T-SHIRT CONTEST
Dunk 2 shirts in water and freeze for 2-3 days. During your event, take the shirts out and divide your friends into 2 groups. Each group is racing to thaw and put on the shirt. You can use anything in the yard to thaw it: hose, pool, slam it on the pavement, use your hands, breath on it, etc. Every 15 seconds you switch the person thawing the shirt. Have someone shout out "switch" ever 15 seconds. The first one team to thaw it and puts it on one of their teammates wins.
POPSICLE
This is a modified version of freeze tag. Define a playing area where everyone can stand with his or her head above water. One person is it and tries to tag the other players. If a player is tagged, he or she must stand frozen like a popsicle (with hands straight in the air) until another player thaws him or her by swimming between his or her legs. A player cannot be tagged while underwater. After a minute or two, have someone else be it and continue the game until everyone has had a chance to be on the offensive.
