Fitness

Fact-checked

What are the Best Swimming Games?

Dulce Corazon

Last Modified Date: January 28, 2024

Swimming games are for individuals who like being in the water. They are not just for fun but they can also be beneficial to health. Most swimming activities are good cardiovascular exercises and they often help to develop endurance and strength. There are several types of swimming games that anyone of any age can enjoy. Some of the best and most popular swimming games include treasure hunt, London bridge, beach ball race, and swimming races and competitions.

The treasure hunt game is one of the simplest swimming games many children and adults enjoy. Objects like coins, marbles, or stones are important parts of the game and they are regarded as treasures to be thrown in different directions within the pool area. Players' backs are usually turned away from the one who will be throwing the treasures. Once the treasures sink, the thrower will give the go signal for the players to start looking for them. Then the players must swim in order to retrieve the treasures from the bottom of the pool and whoever gets the most number of treasures wins the game.

There are many swimming games that involve diving for flags or other small objects.

London bridge, another famous swimming game, usually needs two persons to form the bridge by facing each other and holding hands. At the start of the game, the bridge is set higher and players need to pass under without touching it. After all the players have passed through the bridge, the bridge will then be lowered down by a few inches. This pattern is repeated several times until the bridge is set very low, so that the remaining players have to swim very close to the bottom of the pool. The last player standing wins.

Racing is popular among competitive swimmers.

Another exciting game is the beach ball race, which can be played individually or as a group. The main objective of the game is for players to push the ball using their noses while swimming towards the other end of the pool. Whoever reaches the end of the pool first wins.

It can also be played as a group relay by having several teams with a few members each. The first player of each team has to push the ball to the end of the pool with his nose, and then turn around, until he reaches the next player in line. The second player then takes over and follows the same routine until all players in the team have had their turns. First team to finish, wins.

Swimming races and competitions are the most popular swimming games anyone with a competitive spirit can enjoy. There are several categories to choose from, such as butterfly, breaststroke and freestyle, among many others. At the sound of the whistle, the players should swim as fast as they can to reach the finish line. Whoever finishes first gets the gold, second the silver, and the third gets the bronze medal.

AS FEATURED ON:

Discussion Comments

KoiwiGal

January 8, 2014

@Iluviaporos - That's one of the reasons when kids play swimming games I always get a little bit nervous, especially when they are in a concrete pool. It's far too easy for one of them to knock themselves in the head or get held under for too long.

It's so important to have an adult around to make sure that everyone is OK. I'd never let my kids swim unsupervised.

lluviaporos

January 7, 2014

@bythewell - Actually goggles are a good idea for almost any kind of swimming pool game. Most of them seem to involve a lot of splashing and dunking so they can be an added layer of protection for the eyes.

I used to love playing jousting games, where pairs of people would climb on each other's shoulders and try to knock the other person off.

I don't know if I'd recommend that to all age groups though, as it can be pretty dangerous.

bythewell

January 6, 2014

I used to love to play the treasure hunt game when I was a kid. You have to have the right stuff to play it though. You need something that will sink, but won't be ruined by water and will be big enough to see without being too easy to find. You don't want to use something like a ring or other jewelry (as my parents have done in the past!) which might not end up being easy to find.

And I would also recommend goggles, particularly if the water is chlorinated.

Even if you can see well enough to find the object without them, you'll have your eyes open for a long time, so the goggles will prevent your eyes from getting too sore.