Indoor Pool Games

Watercolor

• One player is selected to be "it" and will remain in the center of the pool. The rest of the players gather on one side of the pool. The person who is it will call out any color. Players who are wearing any shade of that color on their bathing suits must cross to the other side of the pool without being tagged by the player who is it. The player who is it must remain in the center of the pool he calls a color. If tagged, a player will join the "it" player in the middle and will help him tag other players in the next round. Multiple players can be tagged in each round and play continues until only one player remains untagged. That player is declared the winner and will be the beginning tagger next round.

Torpedo

• This game is played much like the pool game Marco Polo, with a few variations. The person designated "it" is called the submarine and she will try to tag the "torpedoes" while keeping her eyes closed the whole time. At the beginning of the round, the submarine must turn around 10 times with her eyes closed to give the torpedoes time to move. The torpedoes can move anywhere in the pool. After the submarine finishes turning, she may begin moving around with her eyes closed trying to tag a torpedo. While this is happening, torpedoes are not allowed to move. If the submarine gets too close, they may shout out the word "torpedo" and swim underwater to a safe destination away from the submarine. Torpedoes are only allowed to use their "torpedo shout" once per round. If a torpedo is touched at any time, a new round starts with the tagged torpedo being the new submarine. This game is much better suited for indoor pools because the submarine must rely on their ears to find the torpedoes. An outdoor pool usually is affected by the sound of weather, traffic among other things.

Popcorn

• This game requires three beach balls and two teams of at least five players on each team. This game is especially great for indoor pools because there is no wind to move the beach balls. The object of popcorn is simple. The two teams take turns trying to keep all three balls in the air for as long as they can by hitting them upwards. If at any point during the turn one of the balls touches the water or falls out of the pool, it signals the end of the turn for that team. You can use a stopwatch to time the teams or count out loud to see which team can keep the balls in the air the longest. The game can be played any number of rounds to determine a champion.

Steal The Bacon

• You will need a clear, two-liter bottle to play this game, filled to the top with pool water so it sinks. Divide the swimmers into two teams and assign each team a side. After assigning sides, all swimmers need to face away from the center of the pool with their eyes closed. After they all have their eyes closed, a person who is not playing may throw the bottle into the pool. The swimmers must then count to five, open their eyes and swim to find the bottle. Since the bottle is clear, it is hard to see in the water. Teams can use strategies to keep the bottle hidden. After a player has picked up the bottle, he will try to return it to his side without being tagged by a member of the other team. If he is tagged, the bottle must be dropped and the round is over. Also, if the opposing team tags a player on the opposite team who doesn't have the bottle, the team with the bottle wins that round. This game may be played until one team has reached five wins, or it can be played any number of rounds.