Games to play in the water

The other day, the kids were bored… again… And, for some reason, they need to be entertained. It’s just toooo much effort for them to come up with something fun to do here… I mean, other than fishing, swimming, playing ball, playing a game… you know, normal, BORING kid stuff…

So we decided to get into the lake… we started giving them challenges like swimming to the bottom of the lake and bringing up rocks or dirt as “proof”. They enjoyed the challenges, so we got a little creative. And, thus, Lake Olympics was born. Before I share these ideas, let me give this disclaimer: my kids are GREAT swimmers. They are 9 and 11, and parents were within a safe distance!

You will need 1 ring float for each kid.. you know, the cheap ones you can get for $2 anywhere. Here are the challenges:

1. Ride ‘em cowboy… Put one leg through the float and hold it up, perpendicular to the water. Hold it on top of your shoulder. Swim like this to the finish line. If the float falls over, you have to get back on correctly before swimming again.
2. Lay on your back and paddle backwards, racing to the finish line. (like a parent’s float)
3. Stand on the shore, holding the float in front of you. Jump onto the float (on your stomach) and paddle forwards to the finish line.
4. Stand on the float for 5 seconds… or see who can stand the longest. This is a LOT harder than it sounds!
5. Start with your rear end in the hole. Jump off, get back on with your rear end in the hole 5 times. First one to finish wins.
6. Lay on your back in the float. Without kicking or paddling, float while a parent counts to 500. See who drifts the farthest. (Obviously, this only works in a lake, pond, or river when the wind is blowing.)
7. Get on your knees on the float, straddling the hole. Jump into the hole, climb back into it, get on your knees, and repeat 5 times. First one to complete the challenge wins.
8. Spin around in a circle inside the float as many times as you can. (My kids amazed me with this- one did it 197 times, and the other did it 184! I mean, holy cow!)
9. Toss the float a little ways, swim into the center, jump off, toss it again, and repeat all the way to the finish line.
10. See who can float on their back the longest (no ring needed).
11. Stand on shore and see who can hula hoop their float the longest.
12. Hook your knees around the float. Lay back, and do “sit-ups”. See who can do the most in 1 minute.
13. Hold a float still in the water. See who can toss a ball into the hole the most times in one minute.
14. Same game as above, but hold the float up, perpendicular to the water this time.
15. If you have an extra float per kid, try this: Put one leg into each float and race to the finish line.

We had a total blast doing this… a great use of $4, IMO. In fact, now every time we get in the water, the kids are asking for more challenges… my creativity is running dry! What ideas do YOU have for water fun?