One of the best ways to spend your summers is with friends and family, next to your sparkling pool. While every weekend doesn’t have to be a planned party, it can be really fun to have a themed celebration. Here are two ideas for a summery good time around the pool.
1. Pirate pool party.
What kid wouldn’t love an excuse to run around shouting, “Arrrr, maytey!” and generally acting like an outlaw? Supply your pirate guests with cheap eye patches and bandanas or felt hats.
What Games to Play: “Board the Float” or “Pirates vs. Royal Navy”
For these two games, you’ll need a supply of pool floats and a noodle for each kid.
How to play “Board the Float”:
Kids form teams of four. Two kids per team stay on “land” and wait to be called into play. The other two get on their float and head into open water. When one team “boards” another team’s float, the team that gets boarded is out, and the kids on the land from the boarding team take the boarded team’s float. The objective is to board as many floats as possible. More floats and more kids make this game more fun!
How to play “Pirates vs. Royal Navy”:
Split the kids into two teams. Give each team noodles—“swords”— and maybe some squirt guns, and explain that the soldiers and pirates are enemies. Watch as things dissolve into chaos.
If you have a diving board, the losing team can walk the plank.
Provide “grog” for kids to drink. Any kind of fruit punch or juice will work, just serve it in a bucket that kids can dunk their cups into. Pirate food is any kind of food that can be eaten somewhat uncivilly, like grilled chicken drumsticks or big watermelon slices, which can be gnawed on and summarily discarded.
Tip: Keep your pool clean by having the little pirates hose off between eating and boarding floats.
2. The Olympics.
Come up with a series of games kids can compete in. Some ideas include: relay races played in teams, diving and jumping contests, lap races and even standard pool games like giant pool hoops basketball or volleyball. Adults or kids can “score” the participants on dives or races. Provide a legal pad and a few magic markers to write scores and hold them up.
The party host can hand out dollar-store medals or small prizes for placing participants at the awards ceremony at the end of the party.
Feed the Olympic competitors healthy finger foods to help fuel their athleticism. Carrot and celery sticks with hummus or dip, grilled chicken bites, fruit salad and frozen yogurt pops are packed with energy and are cool enough for a hot summer day.
Tip: Wrap tiki torches in foil to transform them into official Olympic torches.
Keep an eye out for more pool party ideas from Doheny throughout the summer!
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