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.

POOL TAG SURVIVOR

One person is “it.” They call out either “dolphin,” “froggy,” or “submarine.” Dolphin has to swim on top of the water. Froggy has to swim in the middle. Submarine has to swim at the bottom of the pool. “It” has to close their eyes and try to tag the others. When a player gets to the other end, they yell, “Survived!” If they get tagged they are it. The more people the better.

WET T-SHIRT RELAY

This game starts out like any other relay race. Two teams are created, and half of each team lines up on opposite ends of the pool. So what makes this relay race different? The wet T-shirt! The starting player for each team is given a soaking wet T-shirt. The players put the T-shirt on, completely — then jump in, swim across the pool, climb out, take off the shirt and hand it to the next player on the team. The first team to get everyone across the pool in the T-shirt wins.

FOLLOW THE SWIMMER

This game works best with younger kids. Start by picking one player to be the leader and another player to be the watcher. All the players hop into the pool and line up with the leader in front. The leader then swims in whatever fashion she likes; anything from swimming under water to doing a back-stroke. All the other players have to mimic exactly what she does. The watcher, who stands looking from outside the pool, eliminates any players she sees who are not mimicking. Keep playing until only one player remains. He becomes the new leader.

PING PONG SCRAMBLE

Players form a large circle in the pool and scramble to collect ping pong balls and place them in their container. Dump a large container of ping pong balls in the middle of the players circle. Whoever collects the most balls wins! Have them collect them in different colored laundry baskets or buckets that are placed on the edge of the pool.

Variation: Before the party use permanent markers to give each ping pong ball a point value. The team with the highest score wins. Or place a small colored dot on each ball in different colors. Teams must only collect the balls with their color.

MARCO POLO

Marco Polo is a simple game that can be played with two or more players. To play, choose one player to be “it”. That person closes his or her eyes, or is blindfolded, and counts to a certain number (you pick!). While the “it” person counts, the other players scatter around in the pool. When the count is over, the “it” player tries to tag the other players, using only the sound of their voices to find them. The “it” player calls out “Marco”, and the other players call out “Polo”. When the “it” player tags another, that player becomes the “it” person and the game starts over again.