Kid’s Birthday Pool Party Ideas

by Becky Flanigan on July 11th, 2019 | No Comments »

You have kids and you have a pool – if you combine the two, you can have a really fun party! The kids play with their buddies at the local pool all summer, so they’re used to entertaining themselves and making up games. But to get invited to a private party at someone’s home – now that’s a special treat.

Kids's Birthday Pool Party Ideas

Here are some party ideas:

The invitation process -This is the same as for any party, but with a twist. You need to check to see if the kids invited are able to swim. If they all can, great. If not, you’ll have to designate an area for them in the shallow end. When you call parents to confirm addresses, diplomatically confirm that their child can swim. Then mail out invitations – don’t just count on your child to hand them out at school, because some would get lost. Don’t forget to invite the parents to stay. Here are some great party planning resources for the pool:

What time of day - Think through this item before you go very far with the planning. If it’s July in Texas, maybe an afternoon party will be a little too much. Have the party in the evening, and everyone will be glad. On the other hand, if it’s spring, and the evenings are still chilly – an afternoon party will be more comfortable. When you decide on the time, the plans for lighting, decorations and providing shade can all fall into place.

You can have a theme if you’d like, but if you just fancy up your pool area, the kids will think that’s great. Put up some lighting in the trees for the evening, maybe some inflatable palm trees around the pool. This is the point to get creative and use all the ideas you’ve collected from going to pool parties over the years. Put tables for the parents in a well shaded area, where they can gather, watch the kids and visit.

The safety issue - With Mom trying to play hostess, and Dad visiting with his friends or maybe cooking, they aren’t the greatest candidates to be watching out for the safety of the kids. Consider hiring that teenager down the block who works as a lifeguard all summer. The kids know and obey him – he’s the guy who can pull them out of the pool if necessary – so Mom won’t be having to get into power struggles with rambunctious kids. It could be the most relaxing thing for the parents, to see that lifeguard patrolling the pool.

Take care of food - For a good idea of what the kids want to eat, ask your kids to take a survey among their friends. They’ll love being given the choice. Most likely the answer will come back either burgers or pizza. If it’s burgers, have your husband fire up the back yard grill. If it’s pizza, order out before meal time, so the kids can see the food delivered – that will get them out of the pool promptly and with a big cheer.

You’ll want to keep the kids out of the water for a while after the meal, so have some fun set up in the back yard. Maybe a Frisbee golf hole or two, or some other toys like a croquet set. While they’re in the pool, you know how the kids love to make up their own entertainment, so you might not have to do much. If they seem to slow, just yell out “Marco,” and hear the chorus of “Polo,” or start a game of water tag.

When your kids come home from playing with their friends the next day and report that the pool party was “the coolest ever,” you can smile knowing you did a great job!

What activities do you like to do at your pool parties?

Photo courtesy of Pigtails and Crew Cuts

Becky Flanigan write for AnApplePerDay.com to further her passion for a family friendly, green living lifestyle. She has 3 kids with her wonderful husband—two boys and a girl— and two lovely golden retrievers. She is also an avid runner, and is diligently training for her first half marathon,