It’s that time of year again.  You can almost smell the chlorine and hear the grill sizzle.  We know you’re excited to have the friends and family over for those relaxing days by the pool. If you are in need of some ideas to entertain certain groups you might have over to your pool, we've compiled a short list of games that are sure to be more exciting than your 42nd game of Marco Polo.

F-I-S-H.  

Similar to P-I-G or H-O-R-S-E, F-I-S-H is the water version and doesn't necessarily need to be played using a ball.  F-I-S-H starts with one person doing a trick or some kind of move in the water or off the diving board.  It can be a handstand, a dive, cannon ball, or even a belly flop.  Just explain what you’re attempting, and if the following participant can imitate it, they are fine, but if they cannot then they receive a letter. Popsicle.  This is like freeze tag in a way.  It involves one person who is “it” while others are trying to swim and avoid the tag.  If you are tagged, you become “frozen” like a Popsicle and must hold both hands straight into the air.  You must remain frozen until another player swims between your legs to “thaw” you out.  While you are underwater, you cannot be tagged.  Switch up who is it as often as you like.

Bobbing Heads.  

This is a simple game that is ideal for competitive individuals.  All you need is a soft foam ball and some friends.  Divide the pool in half with one person elected to throw the ball.  The others go to the other half of the pool.  The object of the game is for the thrower to hit one of the other swimmers while the “bob” up out of the water.  The swimmers ideally want to pop up at an irregular rate in order to throw off the timing of the thrower.  If the thrower misses, they must retrieve the ball and swim back to their side to try again.  Once a player is hit, they become the thrower.  This is a simple game that can become pretty competitive. 

Numbers Crunch.  

This is a pretty fun one, pretty competitive as well.  You will need a couple packs of ping pong balls (10-20 is ideal if you only have a handful of swimmers).  Number the balls from 1 to however many you have.  Set a plastic bucket at each end of the pool, or each team’s “side”.  When the game starts, swimmers must race to the ping pong balls and can only retrieve one at a time.  Keep racing until all balls are accounted for, then each team just adds up the numbers.  Whoever has the most points wins the game.

Water Home Run Derby.  

This is one that my buddies and I played as kids.  It is fun for all ages, however, especially baseball fans.  All you need is one of the floating noodles and a foam ball.  The pitcher can throw whatever pitch they like and the hitter’s goal is to just knock as many out of the pool in the designated “fair” territory.  This one gets fun as mixing up the speed of pitches increases difficulty, while also having to control a noodle for a bat.  A swing and a miss is an “out”.  Play to 5 or 10 outs and tally who hits the most homers!

Have fun out there this year folks.  Drink plenty of water and never forget the sunscreen! And don't forget your extra thick beach towels! Thanks for making us a part of your day…Here’s to Summer!!