PLANNING
The Importance of Fun and Games
Goal: To reinforce to your Water Safety instructor team the importance of incorporating fun and games into swim
lessons
Recommended Group Size: At least 6
Approximate Time: 45 minutes
Materials, Equipment and Supplies:
• Kickboards (one for each instructor)
• Hoop for instructors to swim through
• Set-ups for at least 3 stations
• Cards with 2 games for each station
Leader’s Note: Prior to this in-service training, create 2 cards for each station. Each card should have a game
and its purpose written on it. Suggestions for games can be found on Instructor’s Corner or you may choose other
games.
Location: Pool or other aquatic facility
Activity Leader: Swim program coordinator, facility manager or Water Safety instructor trainer
Key Points
• Much of a child’s early learning takes place while playing games.
• Images, games and rhymes make use of a child’s natural ability to imagine and pretend while
learning safety and swimming skills.
• The use of images, games and rhymes can enhance a young child’s willingness to participate
and enjoy aquatic activities.
• To be successful, images should be:
cc Simple and concrete.
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Something from the child’s experience.
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Amusing or interesting.
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Designed to actively engage the child in movement or participation.
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Activity
• Explain to instructors that the purpose of this activity is to give them examples of how to encourage children
to use images to learn.
• Explain that the next 5 minutes, in 20-second intervals, you are going to call out images. They are to pretend
to “be” the image until the next one is called out.
• Call out the following in 20-second intervals:
1. Kneel at the edge of the pool like a frog to blow bubbles (water adjustment).
2. Move hands in and out of the water like a porpoise jumping in the waves (water adjustment).
3. Using a kickboard, kick and be a motorboat (kicking).
4. Kick to become a water fountain and see how low or high you can make the water go (kicking).
5. Be a leaf floating on a pond (back float).
6. Float like a boat or a log (back float).
7. Pretend it is nighttime and quietly count the stars (lights) while lying in your bed (back float).
8. Pretend to be a seed. Go under water and spread out your leaves or flowers (arms) when you surface
(underwater exploration).
9. Open your eyes to see the fish and talk to the fish by blowing bubbles under water; turn your face to the
side with one ear left in the water to listen to the fish (underwater exploration).
10. Be a dog burying its bones by “digging in” with “big paws” (arm stroke).
11. Be a rocket ship with arms overhead, and carefully blast off across the pool (front glide).
12. Pretend to be a superhero flying through the air (front glide).
13. B
e a dog burying bones and growling to keep people away: look (turn head to side to breathe) and
growl (place head in water and blow bubbles) (combination skills).
14. P
retend to be a parachute jumper. Jump in the water, turn, level off and return to the edge of the pool
(combination skills).
15. B
e an alligator and swim on your front, using any combination of arm and leg actions (combination
skills).
Key Points
• It seems obvious when we watch young children that they need to play. Their play is their life,
the way they grow and learn.
• Play is just as important for adolescents and adults.
• You can, and should, adapt favorite games and activities for water fun throughout your lessons.
• Games and other activities must be selected with care. They need to be appropriate to the level
of ability of participants, and they should be safe and fun.
• Games and activities can be educational or recreational in nature. They can be selected to teach
new skills or practice skills already mastered.
• Some games are simply not appropriate due to safety concerns.
• What kinds of games should be avoided due to safety concerns?
Answer: Responses should include the following:
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Breath-holding contests
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Underwater distance swimming
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Games that involve anyone holding or pushing anyone else under water
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Activities in which participants run on the deck or other slippery surfaces (e.g., running to the end of the line in
a relay race)
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• Most activities can be made safe and suitable for everyone by adding rules or changing the
game as needed, but you should plan ahead.
• If you need any special equipment, keep it in a secure place until it is used.
• Another type of game to avoid is elimination games, such as musical chairs.
• Why should you avoid elimination games?
Answer: Participants eliminated early are probably the ones who need the practice the most. Even if the
elimination is based on luck rather than skill, those eliminated early are left idle until the end of the game.
These games also cause hurt feelings when elimination occurs.
• When you choose a game or activity, be clear about the purpose you want it to serve.
• Consider the following:
cc Is the goal primarily instructional, to practice and help master skills already learned?
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Is the goal primarily recreational, to help cool down and ease stress and tension built up
after a lesson or workout?
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Is the goal primarily social, to provide an atmosphere where participants can converse with
one another in an aquatic setting?
• Whatever your goal, you can find a fun way to achieve it.
Activity
• Have instructors form at least 3 groups and assign them to a station.
• Each station should have instruction for two different games. Be sure that all of the necessary equipment is
also at the stations.
• Explain to instructors that you are going to give them facts about the participants in their lessons and that
they will need to choose a game and modify it to be sure that the game or activity is appropriate.
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Station 1: Preschool Aquatics, Level 2, children ages 4 and 5
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Station 2: Learn-to-Swim Level 3, adults
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Station 3: Learn-to-Swim Level 5, children ages 8 to 11
• Allow instructors no more than 5 minutes to discuss how to select and modify their game.
• After 5 minutes, have one instructor from each group lead the rest of the in-service training participants in
their games.
• After each game, briefly discuss what other modifications could have been made.
Wrap-Up
• It is important to keep swim lessons motivating, challenging and fun.
• Games and activities integrated into your lessons are a great way to accomplish this.
• Be sure to always keep safety in the forefront.
• Be certain all your games and activities have a purpose.
• Instructor’s Corner is an excellent resource for a wide selection of parent and child aquatics
images, games, songs and rhymes as well as learning activities, games and drills.
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