These days at the pool or beach, it is not long before I hear the word, "I'm bored", or "Play with me." The old "go-to", Marco Polo, can be a little difficult in a public pool, so we've had to rely on some other ideas.
1. Jumping Contest - One person plays "judge" while the others go for the best cannonball, biggest splash, furthest distance, etc.
2. TIPS - Players throw the ball to each other, but need to pass it almost as soon as they catch it, to any of the other players. If the receiver misses the ball, they get a letter, "T". If the ball was thrown poorly, than the thrower gets the "T". First player to spell TIPS loses. A player may call "War" while playing, which means the person they pass to can only pass back to them. The two volley back and forth until the person who called "War" calls "Peace" and surprises another player by throwing it to them. Best played with a small rubber ball with some weight to it.
3. Keep It Up - Pretty much self-explanatory. Use a beach ball and try to keep it in the air as long as possible. Spell the alphabet forward and backward, letter by letter, with each successful hit in the air. Try to beat each attempt successively by getting further in the alphabet.
4. Football Jump - One person stands on the edge of the water and one throws the football just out of their reach, which they try to catch mid-air before landing in the water.
5. Catch Me If You Can - One person stands on the edge of the water, the other players are in the water right below. The players in the water conspire to choose a "thing." When they have picked something, they tell the person who is "it", the type of thing they have chosen. For instance, if they have chosen an apple, they would say, "We are a type of fruit." The person who is "it", then needs to guess what they are. Every time they are wrong, the players in the pool can take a step away from them. When they get it right, they must jump in the pool. While the others swim away, they must try and catch one of the other players. Whoever gets caught is the next to be "it."
6. Water Wrestling - While submerged at least to the hip, two opponents stand opposite each other and put the interior of their right, or left, feet against each other. They then clasp each other's right, or left, hands. They then try to throw each other off balance such that one of them falls under the water. Best played at the beach, where the waves are an additional challenge.
