Perfect for summer: Fun at the pool and water spots! Water play games
When it comes to summer childcare, water play is a must.
Here, we’ll introduce fun games and activities that kids can enjoy at the pool, the beach, or the river.
There are plenty of ways for children who can’t swim to have fun, too—like games with water balloons and races using swim rings.
There are lots of activities that make for wonderful summer memories when enjoyed with friends.
Even kids who aren’t fond of water may grow to love the pool by the end of summer if they get used to it little by little through play.
Use this as a guide and be sure to try these ideas when you head to the beach or the river!
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[Perfect for Summer] Fun at Pools and Water Spots! Water Play Games (11–20)
Tag
Playing tag with water guns is so much fun! Splashing around by the pool or riverside, running away and chasing each other.
Even if you’re not a strong swimmer, no problem—you’ll naturally get comfortable with water just by playing with it.
If you run around with your friends at full speed, you’ll boost both your athletic skills and stamina! You can team up to plan strategies, and you might even make new friends.
It’s perfect for making summer memories.
With teachers watching over you, you can play safely and have a great time.
How about trying waterside tag?
Treasure Hunt Game
A lot of moms and dads probably played treasure-hunting games in the pool when they were kids, right? You scatter shiny stones or plastic gems on the bottom, dive to pick them up, and decide the winner based on size or number—there are so many ways to play.
Even kids who don’t like putting their faces in the water might give it a try with this.
You could write points on the stones and compete on total score, and if you add a jackpot stone that wins a prize, some kids will get super motivated!
Underwater Mounted Battle
It’s about trying a cavalry battle—an athletic meet classic—in a swimming pool.
Since you form the “horse” in the water, it’s easier to lift with less effort, and it’s safer if someone falls, which helps make the game more exciting.
Be sure to emphasize that the rules are strictly about taking each other’s caps, and take care not to let it turn into a game of knocking down the opponent’s mount.
Adding variations like increasing the number of mounts or making it a team match will boost the gameplay, so this approach is also recommended.
Boat Fanning Race
It’s a game where you propel a boat floating in a pool by fanning it with a handheld fan, aiming for the goal.
Prepare boats made from empty plastic bottles or milk cartons, then fan them with a uchiwa to see who can reach the goal the fastest.
You can mark a spot in the pool as the goal, or place a hula hoop in the water and make passing through it the goal.
Since paper fans can tear when they get wet, use nylon or plastic ones instead.
Crawling through a tunnel
A pool game we definitely want your child to try is “tunnel diving.” Have someone stand in the pool, then your child goes underwater and swims through between that person’s legs.
It’s especially recommended for younger kids who are still a bit unsure about submerging.
They might make a big leap in their swimming skills over a single summer.
You can also add variations—have more people stand in a row and see how many “tunnels” your child can pass through.
It’s an easy, playful pool activity that helps kids grow while having fun.
Colored water play
Let’s try a color-water play activity where you make lots of colored water and have fun! Mix watercolor paint into water in containers or basins to prepare many different colors.
Each child can take a bucket or paper cup to scoop their favorite colored water, pretend it’s juice for make-believe play, and enjoy it using their imagination.
It’s also fun to mix several colors of water and watch the colors change.
Putting the colored water into plastic bags or sprinkling it with a watering can also looks like fun.
[Perfect for summer] Fun at pools and watersides! Water play games (21–30)
Number Collecting Competition
A number-collecting race that also helps kids practice addition and subtraction.
For this game, prepare plastic bottles with numbers written on them, fill them with water, and sink them to the bottom of a pool.
Players dive to retrieve the numbered bottles and collect them as a team.
Decide on a target number in advance—for example, make the total add up to 5.
As everyone adds up the numbers on the bottles they’ve brought back, they work together: if the total is short, they go get more; if it’s too high, they return certain numbers.
It’s a cooperative game completed through teamwork.