Pool Party Games for Kids, All in Standing-Depth Water

Every water game is played standing in the shallow end, with an adult water watcher at the edge.

Pool Party Games for Kids, All in Standing-Depth Water

  1. Foil Boat Cargo ContestGive each child a square of kitchen foil and five minutes to fold a boat. Float the boats in a tub of water on the grass and load them with pennies, one at a time, in turns. The boat that holds the most before it sinks wins. Play it on the grass, away from the pool edge, and an adult still watches the water. Players: 2 to 10, ages 7 and up. Time: 15 min. Props: kitchen foil, a tub of water and pennies.
  2. Numbered Duck ScoopWrite a number from 1 to 5 under each rubber duck and float them all. On the whistle, players walk out, bring back one duck at a time and stand it on the pool edge by their team's towel. Add up the numbers, not the ducks. Play where the water is waist-deep on the shortest child, with an adult water watcher at the edge. Players: 4 to 16, ages 6 and up. Time: 10 min. Props: rubber ducks and a waterproof marker.
  3. Noodle Pony RaceRiders sit astride a pool noodle with both feet on the floor of the pool and gallop it across the shallow end. Feet stay down and hands stay on the reins, which are the front of the noodle. Run heats of three. Play where the water is waist-deep on the shortest child, with an adult water watcher at the edge. Players: 3 to 12, ages 5 and up. Time: 10 min. Props: a pool noodle each.

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How it works

These pool party games for kids keep heads above water: nobody swims, dives or holds their breath. Each game says how deep the water should be and where the adult stands. Others are played on the grass.

Read the full guide

Before anyone gets in

Name one adult as the water watcher for each game. Water safety guidance asks for close and constant attention however shallow the water, with no phone in hand. Children who are not strong swimmers wear a life jacket and stay within arm's reach of an adult.

Mix wet and dry

Choose Walking races in the shallow end or Ball, duck and circle games in the water in the All games menu, then press Pick 3 new games. Follow two water games with one from Games out of the water, so everyone warms up and the watcher can change over.

Tips
  • Count heads before and after every game, and again when the last child is out of the pool.
  • No running on the deck: every dry game here is set on grass.

Questions and answers

What are good pool party games for 12 year olds?

Choose Good for 10 to 12 year olds in the menu. P-O-O-L Shootaround, Catch-and-Throw Beach Ball Volley and Kickboard Cup Carry reward aim and patience, not strength, and the Foil Boat Cargo Contest runs on the grass.

What if some children cannot swim?

Every water game here is played standing, where the water is no deeper than the shortest child's waist. A child who cannot swim wears a life jacket, stays within arm's reach of an adult, and can join any game out of the water.

Which pool games are left out?

Anything that puts a head under water or sends a child to the deep end: breath-holding contests, diving for rings, dunking, jumping in and chasing games. A slower list is the price of a calm afternoon.

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All 29 games

Walking races in the shallow end 9

  • Beach Ball Pairs Walk Pairs hold a beach ball between their shoulders, with no hands, and walk it across the shallow end and back. If the ball pops out, stop, put it back and carry on from there. Pairs of about the same height do best. Play where the water is waist-deep on the shortest child, with an adult water watcher at the edge. Players: 4 to 16, ages 6 and up. Time: 10 min. Props: a beach ball for each pair.
  • Dry Sun Hat Relay The first walker in each team wears a floppy sun hat across the shallow end and back, and hands it to the next. The team is timed, and five seconds are added if the hat comes back wet. Splashing the other team's hat is the whole game. Play where the water is waist-deep on the shortest child, with an adult water watcher at the edge. Players: 6 to 16, ages 6 and up. Time: 10 min. Props: two floppy sun hats.
  • Kickboard Cup Carry Stand a plastic cup of water on a kickboard and push the board across the shallow end without tipping it. Measure what is left in the cup at the far wall. The fullest cup wins, so slow walkers beat fast ones. Play where the water is waist-deep on the shortest child, with an adult water watcher at the edge. Players: 2 to 12, ages 7 and up. Time: 10 min. Props: kickboards and plastic cups.
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Walking races in the shallow end, continued

  • Noodle Duck Herding Float twenty rubber ducks in the middle of the shallow end. Two teams stand on opposite sides with a pool noodle each and sweep ducks back to their own wall, never touching one by hand. Count the ducks at each wall after two minutes. Play where the water is waist-deep on the shortest child, with an adult water watcher at the edge. Players: 4 to 12, ages 5 and up. Time: 10 min. Props: rubber ducks and a pool noodle each.
  • Noodle Pony Race Riders sit astride a pool noodle with both feet on the floor of the pool and gallop it across the shallow end. Feet stay down and hands stay on the reins, which are the front of the noodle. Run heats of three. Play where the water is waist-deep on the shortest child, with an adult water watcher at the edge. Players: 3 to 12, ages 5 and up. Time: 10 min. Props: a pool noodle each.
  • Silly Walk Water Race Walk, never swim, across the shallow end in the style the caller shouts: giant steps, backward, sideways like a crab, on tiptoe. The caller changes the style twice in each crossing. Anyone still doing the old walk goes back two steps. Play where the water is waist-deep on the shortest child, with an adult water watcher at the edge. Players: 3 to 16, ages 5 and up. Time: 10 min. Props: none.
  • Spell It on the Edge Float foam letters across the shallow end and give each team a word of five letters, such as SWIMS. Walkers fetch one letter at a time and lay it on the pool edge. A wrong letter goes back in. The first team to spell its word wins. Play where the water is waist-deep on the shortest child, with an adult water watcher at the edge. Players: 4 to 12, ages 6 and up. Time: 10 min. Props: two sets of floating foam letters.
  • Splash the Ball Home Float a beach ball in the middle of the shallow end between two teams. Nobody may touch it. Each team splashes with open hands to drive the ball to the other team's wall. First ball to touch a wall scores, then start again from the middle. Play where the water is waist-deep on the shortest child, with an adult water watcher at the edge. Players: 4 to 12, ages 7 and up. Time: 10 min. Props: a beach ball.
  • Spoon and Ball Water Walk Walkers carry a table tennis ball on a big spoon from one side of the shallow end to the other, one hand behind their back. A ball that falls is scooped up with the spoon, not picked up. Run it as a relay, passing the spoon. Play where the water is waist-deep on the shortest child, with an adult water watcher at the edge. Players: 4 to 16, ages 5 and up. Time: 10 min. Props: big spoons and table tennis balls.

Ball, duck and circle games in the water 11

  • Catch-and-Throw Beach Ball Volley Tie a rope across the shallow end at head height. Two teams throw a beach ball over it and catch it, with no hitting. A ball that lands on the water on your side gives the other team a point. Play to 10 and rotate places after every point. Play where the water is waist-deep on the shortest child, with an adult water watcher at the edge. Players: 6 to 12, ages 8 and up. Time: 15 min. Props: a rope and a beach ball.
  • Conduct the Rainstorm Children stand in a ring in the shallow end and watch the conductor's hand. Low means drizzle, which is fingertips tapping the water. Middle means rain, with flat pats. High means a storm of big splashes. A fist means stop, and the last child still splashing conducts next. Play where the water is waist-deep on the shortest child, with an adult water watcher at the edge. Players: 4 to 16, ages 5 and up. Time: 5 min. Props: none.
  • Floating Basket Toss Float a laundry basket in the shallow end and stand in a ring round it, three big steps back. Take turns throwing soft balls in. Each ball in the basket scores a point for the whole group, and the group tries to beat its own count in round two. Play where the water is waist-deep on the shortest child, with an adult water watcher at the edge. Players: 3 to 12, ages 5 and up. Time: 10 min. Props: a laundry basket and soft balls.
  • Floating Treasure by Color Float sixty plastic bottle caps or table tennis balls in four colors. Each child has a color and a cup, and collects only that color, one piece at a time. When all of one color is in, that child helps the youngest player finish. Play where the water is waist-deep on the shortest child, with an adult water watcher at the edge. Players: 3 to 8, ages 5 and up. Time: 10 min. Props: floating caps or balls in four colors and a cup each.
  • Follow the Leader Water Parade The leader walks a winding path through the shallow end doing one move: airplane arms, a hop, a slow spin. The line copies. When the adult claps, the leader goes to the back and the next child leads. It ends when everyone has led once. Play where the water is waist-deep on the shortest child, with an adult water watcher at the edge. Players: 3 to 12, ages 5 and up. Time: 10 min. Props: none.
  • How Many Splashes Players stand in a ring in the shallow end and shut their eyes. The adult points to one child, who slaps the water a number of times. Everyone opens their eyes and holds up fingers for the count. Right guessers take one step toward the splasher's place. Play where the water is waist-deep on the shortest child, with an adult water watcher at the edge. Players: 4 to 12, ages 5 and up. Time: 5 min. Props: none.
  • Melt the Ice Cube Everyone stands in the shallow end with one ice cube and makes it vanish as fast as they can, using hands and pool water only. No mouths. Hold up empty hands when it is gone. The adult with the ice tray judges the photo finish. Play where the water is waist-deep on the shortest child, with an adult water watcher at the edge. Players: 2 to 20, ages 5 and up. Time: 5 min. Props: an ice cube each.
  • Numbered Duck Scoop Write a number from 1 to 5 under each rubber duck and float them all. On the whistle, players walk out, bring back one duck at a time and stand it on the pool edge by their team's towel. Add up the numbers, not the ducks. Play where the water is waist-deep on the shortest child, with an adult water watcher at the edge. Players: 4 to 16, ages 6 and up. Time: 10 min. Props: rubber ducks and a waterproof marker.
  • P-O-O-L Shootaround Stand a laundry basket on the pool edge for a hoop. The first player picks a spot in the shallow end and a style of throw, such as one-handed or backward. If it goes in, everyone else has to match it. A miss earns a letter, and four letters spell pool. Play where the water is waist-deep on the shortest child, with an adult water watcher at the edge. Players: 2 to 8, ages 8 and up. Time: 15 min. Props: a laundry basket and a soft ball.
  • Squirt the Duck Home Each player has a small water squirter and a rubber duck floating at the starting wall. Squirt the duck across the shallow end to the far wall without touching it. Refill from the pool as often as you like. Aim at ducks, never at faces. Play where the water is waist-deep on the shortest child, with an adult water watcher at the edge. Players: 2 to 8, ages 6 and up. Time: 10 min. Props: water squirters and rubber ducks.
  • Through the Hoop Passes Float a plastic hoop between two players standing three steps apart. Pass a soft ball back and forth through the hoop, on the bounce off the water or in the air, and count the passes in a row. A ball that misses the hoop starts the count again. Play where the water is waist-deep on the shortest child, with an adult water watcher at the edge. Players: 2 to 12, ages 5 and up. Time: 10 min. Props: a plastic hoop and a soft ball for each pair.

Games out of the water 9

  • Beach Towel Flip Three children stand on one beach towel spread on the grass. Without anyone stepping off, the team has to turn the towel completely over. A foot on the grass means start again. Time each team and let the fastest show how they did it. Play it on the grass, away from the pool edge, and an adult still watches the water. Players: 3 to 12, ages 7 and up. Time: 10 min. Props: a beach towel for each team.
  • Flipper Walk Relay Walkers put on swim flippers, goggles pushed up on the forehead and a towel for a cape, walk round a cone on the grass and back, and hand the kit to the next in line. Lift the knees high: flippers trip anyone who shuffles. Play it on the grass, away from the pool edge, and an adult still watches the water. Players: 6 to 16, ages 6 and up. Time: 10 min. Props: two pairs of flippers, two pairs of goggles, two towels and two cones.
  • Foil Boat Cargo Contest Give each child a square of kitchen foil and five minutes to fold a boat. Float the boats in a tub of water on the grass and load them with pennies, one at a time, in turns. The boat that holds the most before it sinks wins. Play it on the grass, away from the pool edge, and an adult still watches the water. Players: 2 to 10, ages 7 and up. Time: 15 min. Props: kitchen foil, a tub of water and pennies.
  • Pack Up the Pool Toys Relay At the end of the party, pile every pool toy on the grass and set out three bins: balls, floats, everything else. Walkers take one toy at a time to the right bin and tag the next. Time the whole group and tell them the record to beat next time. Play it on the grass, away from the pool edge, and an adult still watches the water. Players: 4 to 16, ages 5 and up. Time: 5 min. Props: the pool toys and three bins.
  • Pass the Wet Sponge Sit in a circle on towels and pass a dripping sponge while an adult plays music with their back turned. When the music stops, whoever holds the sponge squeezes it over their own head and dips it in the bucket again. Nobody is out. Play it on the grass, away from the pool edge, and an adult still watches the water. Players: 5 to 16, ages 5 and up. Time: 10 min. Props: a big sponge, a bucket of water and music.
  • Pool Noodle Throw for Distance Throw a pool noodle like a javelin from a line on the grass, three throws each. Mark each child's best with one of their own flip-flops. Foam flies oddly, so the smallest thrower often wins. Everyone else stands behind the line. Play it on the grass, away from the pool edge, and an adult still watches the water. Players: 2 to 12, ages 5 and up. Time: 10 min. Props: a pool noodle and flip-flops for markers.
  • Poolside Waiter Walk Each waiter carries a tray with three full plastic cups round two cones on the grass and back, walking, and hands the tray on. Top up the cups to a marked line between walkers and count how many top-ups each team needed. The fewest wins. Play it on the grass, away from the pool edge, and an adult still watches the water. Players: 4 to 12, ages 6 and up. Time: 10 min. Props: two trays, plastic cups, a jug of water and two cones.
  • Which Float Is Gone Line up eight pool toys on the grass. Children look for ten seconds, then turn their backs while an adult takes one away and closes the gap. The first to name the missing toy takes the next one away. Add toys to make it harder. Play it on the grass, away from the pool edge, and an adult still watches the water. Players: 3 to 12, ages 5 and up. Time: 10 min. Props: eight pool toys.
  • Wring Out the Towel Each team gets a small towel soaked in a bucket and an empty cup. Teams twist the towel together over the cup for thirty seconds. Hold the cups side by side: the fullest wins. Soak and go again, with a different child holding the cup. Play it on the grass, away from the pool edge, and an adult still watches the water. Players: 4 to 12, ages 5 and up. Time: 5 min. Props: small towels, a bucket of water and cups.

How this list was compiled: Written for this site for a children's pool party at a home or community pool, in our own words; ages, player counts and times are our estimates. Every water game is played standing where the water is waist-deep on the shortest child, and none asks a child to swim, dive, jump in, hold their breath or put their head under. The safety lines follow the American Red Cross water safety pages, read on 2026-10-01: https://www.redcross.org/get-help/how-to-prepare-for-emergencies/types-of-emergencies/water-safety.html, its swim-safety page and its home-pool-safety page (close and constant attention however shallow the water, a water watcher, arm's reach for weak swimmers, life jackets for young or inexperienced swimmers, no head-first entry, keep away from drains). Licence: own work