Swimming Lesson Fun Games
MONKEY WALK DRILL:
Children learning hand by hand to move down the lip of the pool to a safe zone area where they can touch bottom or go to the steps.
GETTING RINGS on the steps or bottom of the pool: Incrementally place the rings a bit deeper throughout the Swim Lesson visits. Offer for the child to grab the ring with one hand while using their other hand to hold your hand for balance. Offer your hand likewise if taking them to the ring on the bottom too.
Whenever going under whether for rings or other swimming or jumping from the wall, QUEING is key. What’s queing?—Saying “Ready… (Child repeats back, “ready”…. One…two…three. <and go under, or jump, etc>
When taking a child under, do so smoothly and then take them back up to the surface smoothly. Explain for the parents to do so too in practice with the child. 100 times over, the parent when taking the child under will be very abrupt going under and coming up, and the child responds to the force of the parent’s movements much more so than the actual going under. Explain once again…. Smooth and calm submersions. A child can hold their breath easily for at least 5-7 seconds. That’s a long time. Give it a try…. A thousand one… a thousand two …a thousand three…a thousand four…a thousand five…a thousand six…a thousand seven (plenty of time to do it smoothly and gently.)
JUMPS FROM THE SIDE: This is self explanatory. Done in the medium
depth of the pool. Reinforce “Toes on the edge” before jumping so the
child has good footing of the side. Reinforce the QUEING . Ready, one, two, three, jump! Allow the child to hold your hand(s) if requested, but progressively through the Swim Lesson visits, move to holding only one hand, then jumping with no hands, then increasing distance and adding the kicking to you.
MIDSWIM LESSON FUN GAME
I give the children milkshakes or wash machine rides. For milkshakes, I hold a child facing me, and swish from side to side while singing the milkshake song with them. Then I go, “1-2-3, and lift them high out of the water to the right, then down and to the left, and once more up to the right and down, height done to their comfort level, sometimes even gently tossing them up into the air. The milkshake song words go: “milkshake, milkshake, chocolate and banana, make ME a MILKSHAKE as fast as you CAN-NA….1-2-3, <and up we go>. I’ll also ask them prior, “what flavor
would you like to be today?” Oh, Strawberry….Good!”
Wash machine Fund game is a variation of the “motorboat game” of Red Cross WSI training. Where by the child is held facing the instructor again, and the child gets to be the inside of the wash machine as we pour in the soap and clothes, and go into wash cycle back and forth and spin cycle, etc.
END OF SWIM SWIM LESSON FUN GAME, OR ALSO 3-5 MINUTES OF THE END OF SWIM LESSON CAN BE THE CHILD DIRECTING WHATEVER THEY’D LIKE TO DO, IF ITHEY’VE LISTENED WELL AND “BEEN GOOD DURING THE SWIM LESSON.”
Along the way with the child, don’t forget to enjoy the love and pride coming forward in the kids for themselves and you as their teacher. You will likely be an integral part of their memories of childhood for the rest of their lives. <<I know I still remember my favorite teacher of swim Swim Lessons, and the fun I had, don’t you?>>
Have a beautiful day,
And know you make a difference in the lives of every child you teach,
John Tyler