It’s that time of year again…summer – time to ramp up the fun for those kiddos again; and one of the best ways to do that is in the swimming pool! You’re probably familiar with the game of Marco Polo, but when it comes to swimming pool fun for kids, the options are endless…

Squirt guns can be great fun in the pool and without the mess since everyone is already wet. You can take water gun fun to the next level by just adding a beach ball in the middle, separating into teams and seeing who can squirt the ball to the other team’s end first.

I don’t know if you ever did this when you were a kid, but getting everyone to walk around the inside edge of the pool faster and faster until you create a whirlpool, and then trying to walk the other way never gets old.

Scavenger hunts in the pool are always fun in any form. Toss some change in the pool and have the kids dive for “treasure”! The one with the most pennies wins. Did you know a plastic bottle filled with water becomes virtually invisible when it sinks to the bottom of the pool? Hide that before everyone arrives and it’s better than hunting for Easter eggs!

How about a healthier version of that college drinking pong game? You just need two floating buckets and a bunch of ping pong balls on either end of the pool and see which team fills the opposite bucket first.

Simon Says is fun for little kids, but ramp it up a notch just by adding water! Ever pretended that you were a princess in a magical kingdom? How about a mermaid? Or your kids can play mermaids just by keeping their feet together when they swim as actors in any imaginary tale.

So, whether you are hosting a pool party for children or you’re simply trying to keep your kids occupied during the dog days of summer, pool games are the ticket and here’s an added bonus – your kids will sleep like logs too!