10 Pool Party Games For Kids that Really Make a Splash

Get ready for some amazing pool party games for kids that go beyond Marco Polo!

Whether you’re hosting a small watery play date  or an epic summer bash, these games will be a hit!

One of the best things about summer is pool parties!

There is nothing quite like keeping cool on a hot day by splashing around with friends.

When just splashing gets boring, break out these pool party games!

They’re the perfect way to keep kids entertained on a hot summer day!

Related: Pool Party Games Inspired by LEGO Friends

Pool party games for kids

Affiliate links included below. If you make a purchase through these links, we earn a small commission at no extra charge to you. Thank you for your support!

1. Float Races

Float races are one of the most fun pool party games for kids, but it does require a bit of planning.

You’ll need a float for each racer. I suggest getting a bunch of the same type of floats so that no one can say, “I lost because my float was smaller!” You can find inexpensive ring floats on Amazon.

The game itself is simple: kids race from one end of the pool to the other, and back again while riding a float. First one to complete the loop wins!

For safety reasons, I suggest roping off “lanes” for the races (think of those lap lines at the local pool).

I also recommend racing only two kids against each other at a time. Break the kids into racing pairs, then break all the winners into pairs again, then again until you’re down to the last pair of racers.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HtfV2HLkNAo

2. Boat Races

If your pool isn’t big enough to accommodate a float race, try a mini boat race! You’ll need to buy a bunch of floating boat toys (look in the bath toy section), enough for each child.

Either put the boats in a kiddie pool or in the shallow end of your bigger pool. For the race,  tell the kids they can blow on their boats through straws, wave at them with fans, or anything else to cross the finish like EXCEPT actually touch the boat.

3. Push the Watermelon

This is one of the most enthralling pool party games for kids. All you need in this game is a huge watermelon.

Divide the kids in groups and ask them to push the huge watermelon all across the pool. The team that manages to bring the watermelon right up to the finishing line, in the shortest time, wins the game.

Make it harder by telling the kids they can’t touch the bottom of the pool with their feet.

4. Diving for treasure

If your guests are particularly good swimmers, have them dive for treasure at the bottom of the pool!

Just drop some fun, waterproof diving toys into the bottom of the pool. Then give each child a turn diving to see how much they can grab in, say, 10 seconds.

Use a bullhorn or something loud so they know when their time is up.

5. Exaggerated dancing

You know how all your movements look slower and more exaggerated under water? Turn it into a game!

Play music and tell the kids to dance, but they have to keep both their arms and legs under the water. This is also a great way to get some exercise, so get the adults to join in too!

6. The Rubber duck game

This is a fun game where you need all the kids in a pool. Get a large number of rubber ducks and create a finish line somewhere along the pool.

Now, ask your little ones to move the rubber duck with their nose up to the finish line. They cannot use their hands during the race.

If they use their hands or touch the duck, then they have to start again from the starting point. Finally, the kid who gets the duck to the finish line quicker than other wins the game.

7. Duck FLOAT Hoops

Keep those duckies out for this next game! You know that basketball game where you have to spell out HORSE? Well, this is a variation on that, except with two differences.

First, instead of spelling HORSE, players will try to be the first to spell FLOAT.

Second, instead of using a basketball, you’ll be using floating rubber duckies! To compensate for the smaller size, you can either make a smaller hoop or have kids stand farther away from the hoop.

8. Gone Fishing

This pool game works best in a small kiddie pool, or in the very shallow section of the shallow end.

You’ll need a bunch of bath toys that either have a loop or a magnet, along with fishing poles with either a hook or a magnetic catcher. Challenge kids to catch the most “fish” within a certain amount of time. For younger kids, give them a full minute. For older kids, go with something crazy like 10 seconds!

I suggest just buying a fishing game play set and calling it day, but you can make your own if you really want to. Glue magnets with waterproof glue on the bottom of the toys, then make a pole out of a stick, string, and another magnet.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z3Q-bntkB6o

9. Whirlpool!

This is definitely one of the cheapest pool party games for kids since you literally need nothing except your bodies.

Basically, you just gather as many people as you can in a circle, then spin around “ring around the rosy” style until you create a whirlpool. Keep it going and let the kids take turns floating in the middle!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IkQ_4pVze8s

10. Water balloon dodge

Another one of my favorite inexpensive pool party games for kids, this one just requires a bag of water balloons. You’ll want to fill them up before the party, though.

Get all the kids in the pool and divide them onto two sides. Then arm them with water balloons and tell them to “dodge” the other side’s balloons. Easy peasy yet oh-so-fun!

These pool party games for kids are fun, easy and guaranteed to really make a splash at your event! Just remember to follow pool safety tips and use common sense. Keep the ages and swimming levels of your guests in mind when you’re planning your party.

Looking for more great ideas for your parties? Check out all our other party games for kids.

What are your favorite pool party games for kids? Tell us below!