Pool Olympics Games List
Bring excitement and playful competition to your Pool Olympics with this list of family-friendly water games! Perfect for all ages, these activities will help you create warm memories while splashing into some aquatic fun.
1. Kickboard Races
Grab your kickboards or pool noodles and race across the pool using only your legs to propel you forward. Who’s got the fastest kick?
2. Underwater Treasure Hunt
Toss coins, pool toys, or other small waterproof objects into the water and see who can collect the most! Bonus points for finding the "golden treasure."
3. Relay Races
Form teams and create a relay with challenges like swimming with a noodle, balancing a ball on a floating ring, or swimming backward.
4. Water Volleyball
Set up a net (or use a rope as a makeshift divider) and enjoy a game of volleyball with a large beach ball. Keep the ball out of the water to score points!
5. Shark and Minnows
One player is the "shark" and starts in the middle of the pool. The others (the "minnows") must swim from one side to the other without being tagged. Get caught? Join the shark team!
6. Floating Obstacle Course
Set up a series of challenges using pool noodles, floaties, and rings. Contestants must swim through, under, or around as fast as they can to complete the course.
7. Cannonball Contest
Line up at the edge of the pool and see who can make the biggest splash! Style points for creativity and flair.
8. Synchronized Swimming
Teams create a choreographed swimming routine to wow the judges. Cue up some fun music to set the stage!
9. Noodle Jousting
Sit on inflatable rafts or floaties and use pool noodles to "joust" your opponent off their float. Last one sitting wins!
10. Pool Basketball
Set up a floating basketball hoop and challenge the players to see who can make the most shots within a time limit.
11. Duck Push
Using only your breath, push a rubber duck from one side of the pool to the other. Hands-free is the rule!
12. Dive and Retrieve
Drop rings or weighted objects into the pool, and see who can retrieve them the fastest. Add difficulty by varying depths.
13. Marco Polo
A classic crowd-favorite game! One player (eyes closed) calls “Marco,” while the others respond “Polo” to evade being tagged.
14. Tug-of-War
Using a sturdy pool noodle, towel or rope, set up a tug-of-war match across the pool. First team to pull the others past a designated marker wins.
15. Human Whirlpool
Get everyone in the water to form a circle and start running in the same direction. Create a current and see who can stay in the "whirlpool" the longest!
16. Handstand Contest
Who can hold the longest underwater handstand? Bonus points for form and creativity.
17. Ring Toss
Using floating rings, aim to “land” them around an inflatable target or a pool noodle sticking up from the water.
18. Watermelon Relay
Coat a watermelon with petroleum jelly (or just rely on its natural slick surface) and race to pass it from one end of the pool to the other without dropping it.
19. Splash Dodgeball
Use lightweight splash balls in a game of dodgeball. If you’re hit, you’re out—but don’t forget to cool down while doing it!
20. Big Wave Challenge
Everyone in the pool works together to create the biggest splash waves. Can you make it feel like the ocean?