Pool parties aren’t just for the kids’ enjoyment; they can also be for adults. You don’t have to just sit there, doing nothing while looking out for the kids. You can also go and join in the fun. Try these 5 swimming pool game ideas that you might enjoy on your next pool trip. These pool games for adults will surely make you enjoy your trip as you’ve never had before.
1. Follow the Leader
For this game, you’ll need the appoint the following:
- 1 leader
- 1 watcher
- Other players
How to play:
Have the leader stand at the center of the swimming pool. The watcher should be standing outside of the pool where they have the best view of everyone, and the rest of the players should be lining up at the back of the leader.
When everyone is ready, the watcher must say, “Go.”
On the watcher’s “Go,” the leader starts to swim. They can make anything move they want: swim underwater, do a backstroke, dog paddle, and such– there are no limits.
Seeing that, the players must then follow exactly what the leader is doing while the watcher keeps a keen eye on them.
Players who aren’t copying what the leader does are to be eliminated.
One by one, every eliminated player must leave the pool, and the last player remaining wins the game and becomes the new leader.
2. Freeze Tag
To play this game, you’ll need:
- 1 “It”
- Other players
This game is best played in a shallow area of the pool where each player is able to stand with their heads above the water.
How to play:
The chosen person the be “it” must try tagging the other players.
Once a player gets tagged, they must remain in that position, frozen like a popsicle and their hands up in the air.
Another player can thaw the frozen player by swimming between their legs, but until then, the frozen player has to remain immobile.
A player underwater can’t be tagged by the “it.”
After a couple of minutes, have someone else act as “it” and continue playing the game until every player has had a chance to be the “it.”
3. Numbers Crunch
To play Numbers Crunch, you’ll be needing:
- 25-30 Ping pong balls
- 2 plastic buckets
- 1 permanent marker
Tip: Before starting, use the marker to number each ping pong ball 1 – 25 (or 30).
How to play:
Players must be divided into two teams.
Each team receives a plastic bucket and must move to the opposing sides of the pool.
Throw the numbered balls into the pool and say, “Go.”
At your “Go,” the team members must race to collect every ping pong ball and place them in their team bucket. Although, they can only retrieve one ping pong ball at a time.
When all the balls are collected, make each team add up their balls’ numbers.
The team to get the highest score wins the game.
You can make this game even more interesting and mix it up. You can customize it in different ways such as:
Awarding extra points when a team collects a set of balls with consecutive numbers.
Or, instead of numbers, you can draw a dot on each ping pong ball with the use of colored markers. Each ball must be dotted with different colors, and the teams are only allowed to collect the balls with their assigned color.
4. Sharks and Minnows
To play this, you’ll need:
- 1 player as the “Shark.”
- Rest of the players as “minnows.”
How to play:
Have the “shark” stand in the middle of the pool while the “minnows” line up on one edge of the pool.
When the shark gives the go signal, the minnows must swim to the opposite edge and avoid getting tagged by the shark.
Every “minnow” that gets tagged must leave the group and turn into a shark.
The longer you play, the more sharks there will be and the lesser the minnows. The last minnow to survive without being tagged wins.
5. Duck Push
To play, you’ll need to provide:
- 1 Rubber duck per player
How to play:
After giving each player a rubber duck, have them gather at one end of the pool.
After yelling “Go,” the players have to push their duck to the opposite end of the pool without the use of their hands. They can push their ducks through whatever means necessary, such as blowing on them, bumping them with their foreheads, and pushing with their noses as long as they don’t use their hands. For a more challenging game, you can allow the players to distract each other by knocking their ducks off the course or by splashing water.
The first player to get their duck to the other side of the pool wins the game.