Enjoying summertime with the family is a pastime many Australians treasure. And if you’re lucky enough to have a swimming pool in the backyard, the fun factor can be turned up even more! If you’re looking to find new ways to make your pool more family-friendly and enjoyable then you’re in luck. Pool accessories have become even more innovative and entertaining, with the emergence of novelty pool floaties, pool games and more. Discover some fun and creative ways to make your pool more family-friendly in time for summer!
1. Inflatable movie screen
Take your family movie night outdoors - and into the pool! This inflatable movie screen is designed to float in your swimming pool for the ultimate movie night. It has front and rear projection so the kids can swim and play while watching. Better yet, gather some floating lounge chairs and snacks and invite the friends for a backyard BBQ and movie night!
2. Novelty inflatables
Instagram-worthy floaties and inflatables have become all the rage lately. You can find life-sized donuts, pineapples and zoo animals to keep the backyard pool looking fun and inviting over summer. Get the family together for a poolside ‘selfie’ while posing with your favourite inflatable and share it to social media or slap it into the family album for a funny memory to look back on! There’s even a Homeslice giant floatable where each member of the family can lounge back on their own designated slice of pizza! What could be more fun and draw more laughter over summer than that?!
3. Dive sticks/rings
Playing games in water can help children to develop their water confidence while having tons of fun. Improve their diving skills by throwing some diving sticks or rings onto the pool floor and make it a race to see who can swim to reach it and come back to the surface first! Always remember that safety comes first. So before you play any games in or around the pool, remember to keep constant supervision on the kids.
4. Floating picnic table
Too hot to go anywhere? Make a date for a family picnic in the pool! Floating picnic tables are a fantastic idea to get the entire family together for some fun in the sun. Bring some snacks and drinks or a waterproof boardgame and sit around the table as you float on the water.
5. Volleyball net
Volleyball nets easily transform an ordinary pool into an outdoor water court where ball sports and the list of fun ball games are endless. You and your family will have a blast spending hours participating in your own pool volleyball tournament or by simply hitting a beach ball back and forth over the net. It’s not only fun but a great workout, too! Check out these 10 best swimming pool volleyball sets for inspiration.
6. Water features
Not only do they look good, but they can also provide additional poolside entertainment for the family. Water features such as fountains, fake waterfalls and jet streams offer another dimension to your backyard swimming pool. Deck jets are a great add-on to any size pool. They are installed on the edge of your pool, spraying out an arc of water which can be particularly fun to swim under!
7. Floating LED balls
Just because the daylight is fading doesn’t mean it has to mark the end of a pool day! Turn your pool into a night-time oasis with these magical and colourful floating LED balls. These balls transition to every colour of the rainbow, making your pool look like a colourful ball pit once night sets in. For another cool glow-in-the-dark idea, why not try throwing some glowsticks into the water for a colourful backdrop while you enjoy an outdoor BBQ with family & friends.
8. Pool games
Get the kids off the screen and outside for some entertaining pool games! Pool games are loads of fun for the entire family and can be tailored to suit the age group of your kids. Get two teams together, grab your pool inflatable and try noodle jousting! All you need is some pool noodles to act as jousting sticks and a floatation device to act as your noble steed. The first one to get knocked off loses! For families with younger children, you may want to try a pool game such as Ping Pong Catch. Someone throws a bunch of ping pong balls in the pool and then on the whistle, all participants race and swim to collect as many balls as they can!
More tips to make the most of your pool
Want more tips like these? Check out our Tips of the Trade blog to discover our latest product tips and tricks or to learn about how you can use glass fencing for your pool.
