Mr Shark, What time is it?

This popular game is a classic for a reason. You can play it on land too and it is great fun. It’s recommended to have at least four players. 

Players will shout out, asking Mr Shark for the time. Mr Shark will answer 3 o’clock, 4 o’clock that will be in conjunction with the number of steps they can take. Mr Shark will glance behind each time to see how close everyone is to him. When it gets to the point they are too close, he will shout out “Dinner Time” and chase after the kids. The person who is tagged will become the next Mr Shark.

In a complicated game of tag, the children will have to decide amongst themselves who is the first to be the shark and the rest that will be minnows. From opposite ends of the pool, the shark will shout “Sharks and minnows, one two three, fishies, fishies swim to me!". The group will dive into the pool from the opposite end and try to reach the wall, where the shark is, without getting caught by him. The first person to get caught will be the shark in the following round. The round ends when all the minnows have been caught or made it to the wall safely.

Diving For Treasure

As we all know, the little ones may be scared of the bottom of the pool. But, there is nothing to be scared of. In fact, it may even hold some treasure like the bottom of the sea does. For an ultra-realistic experience, you can consider buying cute, water-proof treasure chests, or simply use empty bottles, and pull it with some coins to sink to the bottom of the pool. You can vary the game with having many bottles in which everyone must get one, or have one main bottle with the treasure that everyone will try to find.

Marco Polo

In this game, the “catcher” will have to keep his eyes closed the entire time. The other players will swim around but whenever the “catcher” calls out “Marco”, they all have to respond with “Polo”, no matter how near they are.

Beach Ball Racing

This is a very simple game that requires the aid of a beach ball. Simply get the kids to compete on who can push their ball to the other end without throwing.

Air Ball

Another game that requires the use of a beach ball and will provide endless hours of thrills for family and small groups is the air ball. Hit the ball upwards in a bid to keep it above water as a team.

Atomic Whirlpool

Like the name suggests, this game is the creation of a whirlpool. For safety sake, do make sure that the kids who partake are good swimmers and that the water comes up to their chest. Start the game with getting everyone to run in one direction in a circle. It will be initially hard but after about half a minute, the momentum created by everyone will create a natural whirlpool in which everyone will be just carried by the current. Viola! Everyone will have to start running again when the current stops. 

As fun as creating a whirlpool is, you might find it to be very energy-intensive. Like me, you might prefer to chill out with a float in a lazy pool instead.The good news is that you don’t have to go Wild Wild Wet to find such a pool; there are many public pools where you can have a splashing time at.

Popsicle

When tagged, players must assume a position with hands above their head, in the shape of a popsicle, as if they were “frozen”. Players avoid getting tagged by swimming completely underwater where they have the power to free their friends.

Last, but not least, this is a popular game for adults and kids that are good swimmers. It’s pretty rough and goes against some of our previously mentioned pool safety rules so play at your own risk. 

Kids, or adults will sit on the shoulders of another adult and have a fighting match with another team. The goal is to make the top person fall into the water.

Conclusion

As the saying goes, “it’s all fun and games until someone loses an eye”! Remember to keep close watch on all players while conducting these games (or family games) and ensure they stay safe and injury-free so that they will look forward to coming back to the pool.

Come join us at  Condo Swimming Lessons and have some fun in the pool 

Hi Readers! A peek into my life consists of figure skating, traveling, writing and doing many things to keep up my fitness like yoga and swimming. As a skating coach and former music & movement instructor, I hope to shed some light on how fitness and swimming in particular, can benefit and aid you. Cheers!