15 Best Pool Toys for Your Coolest Summer Ever
Dive, jump, float and shoot hoops all summer long.
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We updated this article in February 2022 to add more information about pool safety and the extensive testing done by the Good Housekeeping Institute. Our original top-rated picks, selected by the GH Institute Parenting Lab, remain the same.
It doesn’t take much to make your pool a fun place to be. All you need is a nice day and a swimsuit, and you can be out there in all your floating, sunbathing and swimming glory. When that gets old, there are races, diving handstands and rounds of Marco Polo and other pool games — even surrounding backyard games — to keep things interesting for those long, summer days.
But that doesn’t mean that your family can’t amp up the action even further with some amazing pool toys. For the littlest swimmers, squirting toys, motorized sharks and a net to capture interesting treasures make up some of the best pool toys for toddlers. As kids get older, they can move on to diving games, which send them searching underwater for various rings, sticks and gems. If you’re an athletic family, you can adapt volleyball, soccer and basketball for the pool — there’s even one version where you can dribble underwater. And if you just want to sit on the sidelines and watch, there are lots of fun pool floats, inflatables and pool toys for adults to choose from, from two-person parrots and tropical drink holders to huge floating islands that can fit the whole family (and a cooler). Put them all together, and it’s going to be hard to get anyone out of the water this summer.
Turn your pool into an underwater obstacle course with this three-pack of swim-through rings. See if you can do all three in one breath!
When this ball is filled with water, it sinks to the bottom of a pool, bounces and rises back up again, so you can dribble it like a basketball or kick it underwater like a soccer ball. There's also a "junior" version for littler ones.
Think you can ride the inflatable bull? The real challenge comes in "rough seas" — see how long you can hang on when your friends are making waves. (If you fall off, though, it's just a refreshing dunk.)
Swimline Giant Shootball Floating Pool Basketball
And if shooting hoops is your thing, this giant basketball hoop makes shooting baskets a fun pool time challenge. It comes with its own inflatable ball, too.
Beach volleyball is fun. Pool volleyball is better. This set comes with an inflatable volleyball, and the pole bases have grommets to add anchor weights.
Intex Inflatable Watermelon Island
This watermelon measures six feet in diameter, so you'll have enough room to spread out and get some sun. Best of all, it's the kind if summer melon that won't attract any ants.
Your little swimmer will have fun releasing these creatures into the pool, and then scooping them back up again with the Mr. Ray net. The animals all float at different depths!
While other toys float lazily underwater, these are far more hydrodynamic and can glide up to 20 feet. The pack of four comes with point values assigned to each one, so you can make an ongoing diving challenge of them.
Robo Alive Junior Sing and Swim Baby Shark
This is technically a bath toy, but it takes on an even more Jaws-like quality in a pool. It's water-activated, meaning it'll start swimming and singing the "Baby Shark" song as soon as it hits the waves. It also turns itself off after four minutes.
If you have littler ones, this hoop might be more their speed. In addition to a basketball hoop and ball, it comes with a ring toss.
Polly wants to take a dip! This colorful, PVC pool float is big enough for two riders, so siblings won't fight over it.
These are also repurposed bath toys, but you can squeeze them and they squirt water, making them great for the little ones in the shallow end. You get Daddy Shark, Mommy Shark, Baby Shark and a little fish all in one set.
Upgrade your beach ball to a BB-8; weights inside make sure the droid stays upright and has realistic movements while your kids are playing.
Kids hang on to the big orca and see if they can gobble up the other floating fish. The fish are numbered one through four, so it's also a counting game for preschoolers.
This toy looks like a harmless pencil — but get too close and you'll get a squirt! Actually, you don't even have to get that close, since it can shoot up to 40 feet. It comes in a set of four, so these are also good pool party favors.
What to consider when shopping for pool toys
While it's a good idea to keep an eye on your child no matter what or where they're playing, when it comes to pool toys, that's even more important. Introducing water to playtime brings a bunch of additional factors to consider. To ensure your children have a fun and safe time, here are a few tips for picking the right pool toys:
✔️Safety: Before you get to the toys, make sure you're abiding by pool safety rules. Always keep an eye on your child while they're in or near water, make sure you have a phone handy in case of emergency and have the right equipment available, like a floatation device. When it comes to toys, looking for ones that adhere to ASTM standards is always a good idea.
✔️Age range: While some bright and exciting toys may appeal to little kids, that doesn't mean they'll be able to use them until they're a little older. Make sure you're only using toys within the proper age range of your children. Large inflatables are particularly dangerous for small children as they pose the risk of flipping over and trapping them underwater.
✔️Swimming skills: Depending on how strong a swimmer your child is, you should pick different toys for their pool playtime. Pick toys that float for those that may not be skilled enough to swim to the bottom of the pool and retrieve them. In general, it's important for any kid that will be spending time around or in a pool to know how to swim.
✔️Materials: These toys will likely be thrown around a pool for years, so they have to do well with less than gentle treatment and lots of contact with water. You definitely don't want your pool toys to be less waterproof than advertised or to fall apart.
Why trust Good Housekeeping?
The Good Housekeeping Institute provides expert reviews and advice on everything parents and children love, including pool toys. As the Senior Parenting & Relationships Editor, Marisa LaScala covers everything from toys to kids' TV shows.
In her role as Parenting & Pets Reviews Analyst, Jamie Spain brings years of experience to the GH Institute, having reviewed products for Good Housekeeping and BuzzFeed; she previously worked in the parenting and pets sphere at People, as well.
Marisa (she/her) has covered all things parenting, from the postpartum period through the empty nest, for Good Housekeeping since 2018; previously, she wrote about parents and families at Parents and Working Mother. She lives with her toy-collecting husband and daughter in Brooklyn, where she can be found helping out her team at bar trivia or posting about movies on Twitter and Bluesky.
Jamie (she/her) is the former parenting and pets reviews analyst at the Good Housekeeping Institute. She has also worked a BuzzFeed and People. She's a graduate of Northwestern University’s Medill School of Journalism, with a bachelor’s degree in journalism and psychology and a master’s degree in journalism.
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