If you have a large swimming pool at home, you probably may have got it for the kids. There is no doubt that kids enjoy playing in the pool. Weekdays, weekends, holiday seasons, or any time – kids would be ready for fun in the pool. You can make their fun time more enjoyable by making them play popular pool games. This will help them enjoy pool time more and invite their friends to join them. You can even plan pool parties with kids with all these fun games.

1. Beach ball race

Give each one of the kids a big beach ball. Set the start point and the endpoint. The moment you blow the whistle, they should start pushing the ball towards the other end. No throwing, no cheating, only pushing allowed. Whoever reaches the other end first is the winner. When you organize pool games, try to have some fun prizes, so the kids enjoy the games more.

2. Marco Polo animal game

If you haven't heard of this game, it's where one kid tells the name of an animal, and the rest imitate its sound. Not much of a pool game but it makes the pool session noisy and fun. Just to add a twist, you can throw a ball at the kids. Whoever catches it gets the chance to name the animal.

You can play the original Marco Polo, too. Here one kid closes his eyes and calls, 'Marco’. The other calls out ‘Polo’. Hearing the voice, the kid needs to find one of the kids and touch them to tag them.

3. Treasure Hunt

If you don’t have a deep pool and the kids are good at swimming, you can organize a treasure hunt. Keep different kinds of items on the pool floor. Let the kids compete to bring them out first. You can even make teams and give points to each type of item. The team with the highest points win.

This game's variation is to fill water bottles (with the labels and lids removed) with water and drop them to the pool. They almost become invisible in the pool. The kids need to find the bottles and bring them to the surface and maybe drop them into a box. The kid who gets the most bottles is the winner.

4. Shark and Minnows

This is a great fun game. One kid is a shark and is stationed at the center of the pool. The rest are minnows and stand at one end. When you blow the whistle, the minnow jump into the pool. The objective is to cross to the other side without getting touched by the shark. Whoever gets touched is the next shark.

5. Swim through rings

This is a game for kids who can swim well in the pool. Line up swimming rings in a row. The kids need to pass through all the rings to reach the other side. Time each one of them. The kid with the fastest speed is the winner.

6. Maths game with foam numbers

Want kids to do math in the pool? If so, you can buy foam numbers (big size numbers made from a soft foam material that floats). Throw the numbers all over the pool. Call out a math sum (eg: 3 x 6). The kids scramble to find the answer. In this case, the kid who finds 1 and 8 and holds them together to form 18 is the winner. The game can different levels with more difficult questions. This is a good way to make kids start liking math.

7. Splash Dance

This is more fun than a game. Make teams and let the kids choreograph a dance. Let them select the song themselves. Play the music and the team needs to put up a performance in water. Good way to have fun! You can even have a judge to decide which team did it the best.

8. Jousting match

This is a game that kids would definitely love. Give each of the kids a pool raft and a pool noodle that they can use for jousting. They need to sit on the raft and use their noodle like a jousting stick. The objective of the game is to push the other kids off their raft and make them fall into the water. The last kid remaining in her raft is the winner.

9. Volleyball

Use a beach ball to play volleyball. This game is more suited for slightly older kids or for teens. Get a net and place it at one end. Form teams and watch them enjoy a raucous game of volleyball. This game should be a must at pool parties.

10. Make a whirlpool

This is a fun game for younger kids to enjoy. Tell them to stand in a circle and start walking in a clockwise direction. Let them start slowly and then keep moving fast. As their movements pick up, a whirlpool is formed. Give the kids objects to throw in the whirlpool and watch them get sucked away.

11. Octopus attack

This is a variation of Shark and Minnows. One kid is the octopus and stands at the centre of the pool. The others need to swim around him. Whoever the octopus touches becomes an arm of the octopus. Play the fun game and watch the octopus arm grow longer and longer.

12. Air ball

This is a ball game you can play in the pool with a small twist. The ball should not touch the water. This is more suitable for older kids. The kids need to keep throwing the ball around, taking care it doesn't hit the water.

The 12 popular pool games for kids listed in this article are guaranteed to allow your kids to have fun. Let your kids make the best out of the pool with these games. Plan a kids pool party now and sit back and watch the little ones have fun.