Swimming and other water sports are great ways for kids and adults to get the exercise that they need. Even when children are simply playing games and having fun in the pool, they are exercising their muscles, raising their heart rates and gaining the other benefits of aerobic activity. Always supervise your children well whenever they are in the pool, even if they are good swimmers.
Water Sports
Set up a floating volleyball net or basketball hoop in your pool and let the kids a tournament. Nearly any sport can be modified to be played in a swimming pool. Use a soft rubber ball and a plastic bat for an impromptu game of water baseball. Get your kids to kick up their heels in a hilarious game of water soccer or kickball. Give two children each a small raft to sit on, and have them use pool noodles to joust. The player left sitting on his raft gets to play against the next person in line.
Scavenger Hunt
Throw a variety of small objects that do not float into the deep end of the pool. Some suggestions are marbles, coins, spoons and metal beads. Divide the children up into teams, and let them swim down to retrieve as many items as they can. For more of a challenge, specify that they only receive points for one type of item, or that they lose points for bringing up a specific type of object. Younger children can play in the shallow end; simply make a rule that they must use their hands, and not their feet, to pick up items.
Whirlpool
Line up the children along the inside edge of the pool. Have them all run in a clockwise direction for two minutes or so. At this point, the water should be flowing strongly enough to carry them along. When you give the command, have them turn around and try to swim in the opposite direction. This will take some time and a substantial amount of effort. If desired, have them build up the whirlpool again in the counter-clockwise direction before attempting to turn around. This type of activity should never be attempted in an inflatable pool, as it could cause the sides to collapse, causing severe injury.
Relay Race
Encourage the children to swim laps without realizing that they are exercising. Line up all of the kids into two teams at the shallow end of the pool. Give one child in each team a small floating ring or other buoyant object. When you say "go," the child should swim down to the other end of the pool, touch the side, and swim back. He should pass the object to the next child in line, and each child should take his turn. The first team to have all players back to the starting line wins. An alternative to using a floating object is to give the first child a T-shirt to put on. When he returns to the starting line, he should take off the wet T-shirt and the next child should put it on before beginning his swim.
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