23 Kiddie Pool Games for Summer


kiddie pool games

Looking to keep your kids cool this summer? There’s no better way to keep the children entertained while also cooling off than utilizing a kiddie pool. While the kiddie pool itself can be tons of fun, why not play some games with the pool? If you’re not sure what kind of games to play, we’ve got you covered with these super fun 23 kiddie pool games perfect for those hot summer days!

Just so you know, we’ve included affiliate links in this post – clicking on them supports us without any extra cost to you!

1. JUMBO WATER BEADS

Leeche Non Toxic Water Gel Beads Kit 300pcs Giant…

  • Super Value Pack: Package include 20000 small water Gel beads, 300 large water…
  • Safety Material :These jelly beads are safety and environmentally friendly…
  • Large Water Gel Beads: Once hydrated they will grow 100 times in size after…

Want to combine some fun with a mini science lesson? Grab some jumbo water beads, which are filled with super-absorbent polymers that allow them to absorb a whole bunch of water! While it will take anywhere between 24 to 48 hours for these beads to fully grow, it’s super fun to watch them grow in the kiddie pool. And once they’re full-sized, they can be super fun to play in and touch!

2. TUG OF WAR

Play tug of war with a kiddie pool twist! In this variation of this classic kids’ outdoor game, the two teams will tug on a piece of rope, and the loser team will end up going for a nice splash in the pool! This game, besides being super fun, also encourages teamwork and endurance, a great lesson for the kids while they have the time of their lives.

3. SPONGE RUN

Ready to have a bit of a relay race going on in the backyard? Just grab some sponges and some buckets, one per player, with the kiddie pool on the other end of the yard. Then, the kids run back and forth, filling their sponges up with water from the kiddie pool and bringing the sponge back to fill up their bucket! The first player to fill up their bucket wins!

4. WHAT WILL FLOAT?

If you want to do a scientific experiment, there’s no better kiddie pool game to play than what will float. As you might be able to guess from the name of the game, this game is a challenge for kids to decide whether or not an object will float or sink in the kiddie pool. This is an incredibly simple but educational game that is sure to blow your little one’s mind!

5. OBSTACLE COURSE

One of the best summer games to play with your kids is, no doubt, an obstacle course. But why not up the ante and organize an obstacle course with a kiddie pool involved so that the kids can cool off while running around? This is perfect for any number of kids and is sure to keep everyone entertained for hours to come.

6. RUBBER DUCK RACE

Get everyone to choose a rubber duck. Then, starting from one end of the pool, the kids must blow or splash their ducks in order to get their rubber ducks to the other end of the pool. The child whose rubber duck reaches the other end of the pool first wins the race!

7. FLOATING BLOCKS

Pool Noodles, Fix Find 5 Pack of 52 Inch Hollow…

  • BRIGHT COLORS – Our 5-pack of big pool noodles has a variety of bright colors…
  • ENDLESS POSSIBILITIES – These foam swim noodles can be used for DIY or arts &…
  • DURABLE, FIRM, & LIGHTWEIGHT – These premium pool noodles provide extra…

To play this kiddie pool game, grab a pool noodle and cut it up into smaller blocks. Then, your child can use these smaller blocks to build floating blocks, similar to building legos but on the water! If you’d like to turn this creative exercise into a challenge of some sort, see who can build the tallest tower without it toppling over!

8. BALL TOSS

Sale

FindUWill 6 Pack Pool Floats Kids, Pool Swim Tubes…

  • Package Including: Set of 6 pool floats – 4 pcs fruit swimming tubes…
  • Fruit pattern is beautiful and cute, let you, your friends and family have a…
  • Inflated inner size for the rings is 13 inches. These fruit pool floats are…

To play ball toss, you’ll need one inflatable ring and some plastic balls. Stand away from the kiddie pool and take turns throwing plastic balls into the ring. Each player gets one point per ball they successfully throw into the ring!

9. NOODLE JOUST

Do you have at least two kids who have a lot of energy? A kiddie pool game we highly recommend, in this case, is noodle joust. To play this game, each player must have a pool noodle and try to joust the other player! The player who manages to knock the noodle off of the other player’s hands wins!

10. LETTER HUNT

67 Pcs Plastic Practice Set Transparent Letters…

  • Package includes 67 manipulatives: numbers 1-10,26 capital letters, 26 small…
  • These transparent manipulatives are ideal tools to explore attributes and color…
  • Place these letters and numbers on a light panel and watch the colors,such a…

Buy some waterproof letters and pop them into a kiddie pool. Then, the kids can simply fish these letters out! This is a great game to start incorporating letter recognition with younger kids. But if you have older kids who can spell already, challenge them to find letters so that they can spell something, like their name!

11. MAGNETIC FISHING GAME

Sale

CozyBomB™ Magnetic Fishing Pool Toys Game for…

  • 🐟PERFECT LEARNING COMBO | Contain various sizes, more than 10 colors and 30…
  • 🐟ALL-ROUND EDUCATION | Good for hand-eye coordination, color recognition,…
  • 🐟MULTI-PLAYER GAME | Designed for kids vs kids or parent vs kids interaction…

One of the most popular kiddie pool games for summer is the magnetic fishing game. You can easily buy a set online, like the one above. To play, simply pop all of the fish into a kiddie pool filled with water. Then, the kids use their hand-eye coordination to fish with their fishing rod! If you want to make it a race, try to see who can catch the most fish!

12. SEEK AND SPLASH

Sale

Duchong Pool Toys, 24 PCS Dive Gems Pool Toys for…

  • What’s included?- Included 6 large (40 mm), 8 medium (30 mm), and 10 ocean gems,…
  • Safety Material-Colorful big diamond toys are made of acrylic, non-toxic,…
  • Perfect Design: these diving gems are bright and colorful, which is easy to…

Another similar kiddie pool game perfect for the summer is seek and splash. In this game, you’ll put a bunch of gems into the pool. Now that they’ve sunk, it’s time for the kids to fish them back out with their hands! Let’s see who can collect the most treasure!

13. WALK THE PLANK

Do you have a child who’s obsessed with pirates? There’s no better kiddie pool game to play than walk the plank! To play this, you’ll need two buckets, a kiddie pool filled with water, and a wooden board to place on top of the two buckets with the pool in between. The kids then take turns walking the plank. But try not to fall as you’ll end up in the pool! Bonus points if everyone can dress the part in pirate costumes!

14. GIANT BUBBLES

There are fewer things more entertaining than bubbles. But do you know what’s more fun than blowing bubbles? Giant bubbles, of course! Make a bubble solution in the kiddie pool. The child can then step inside, and the adults can use a hula hoop to create huge bubbles around the child.

15. WATER GUN BATTLE

Water Gun, Water Guns for Adults & Kids, 4 PCS…

  • Super Value Water Gun Set: With 4 pack water guns you can promote family…
  • Easy & High Quality Water Gun Toy: The water gun is made of high quality ABS…
  • Kids Water Gun with Long Range: This water gun shoots range 22ft – 27ft. Large…

A classic kiddie pool game you have to play this summer is a water gun battle! To incorporate the kiddie pool into the battle, have the kids fill up their own guns with the kiddie pool in order to squirt water at the other players! Everyone will be squealing with laughter in no time.

16. FLOATING BASKETBALL

If you’ve got some kids in the kiddie pool who like to play sports, a great way to cool off while having some fun is to get a floating basketball. You can easily buy one off of Amazon and use it to show off your basketball talents while in the water!

17. INFLATABLE RING TOSS

Uniqhia Inflatable Pool Ring Toss Games Toys,…

  • FUN POOL GAMES: The inflatable shark crossed ring toss game is a big hit for…
  • SUMMER POOL GAMES FOR KIDS – The adorable shark with multicolor is always…
  • PREMIUM QUALITY POOL TOYS: The inflatable pool shark ring toss games toys set is…

A classic pool game you should buy for the kiddie pool is an inflatable ring toss set. To play, simply blow up all the different parts of the ring toss game and place it in the pool. Then, take turns trying to earn points for successfully tossing the rings!

18. BUBBLE BATH

bubble bath kiddie pool games

Does your kid like to play with bubbles? Who doesn’t? Turn bubbles into a fun outdoor activity this summer by making a bubble bath in the kiddie pool! But to make this even more fun, try to make the bath as bubbly as possible! The best thing about this game? The kids come out of the game super clean!

19. TOE DIVING

If you and your kids love to play ring toss, play this game with a little twist! To play this game, toss in some rings in the kiddie pool. Then, play a game to see who can gather the most rings! The twist? You can only pick up the rings with your toes!

20. DRIP DRIP DROP

drip drip drop kiddie pool games

You’ve probably played duck, duck, goose at some point with your kids, but play a kiddie pool version of this game this summer! Instead of simply tapping the heads of the players, one child goes around with a bucket of water. The player who’s it will say drip, drip, drip… until they choose a player to dump the bucket of water on top and say, “Drop”! And just like in duck, duck, goose, the player who got wet must try to chase the player who is it and tag them before they can steal their seat!

21. WATER DANCE PARTY

dance party kiddie pool games

Why not have a little dance party in the kiddie pool with your kids? Just put on some music and have a splash around in the pool! If you want to play this game with a little twist, you can even play musical statues, where you pause the music every now and then, and everyone must pause like a statue! Whoever moves is out for the round until a winner remains!

22. APPLE BOBBING

apple bobbing kiddie pool games

A classic summer camp game you can bring into your backyard is apple bobbing. Put some apples into the kiddie pool, and it’s time to get started! All players must bob for the apples using only their mouths to pick them up! Whoever picks up the most apples wins!

23. WATER BALLOON STOMP

water balloon stomp kiddie pool games

To play this game in a kiddie pool this summer, don’t fill up the kiddie pool with water just yet! Instead, fill up as many water balloons as possible with water. Then, put them in the pool. Once ready, release the children and allow them to stomp on the water balloons in the pool! How fun!

Looking for some games to play in a standard-sized swimming pool? Make sure to check out our 15 favorite pool party games!

Mia Kim