Games for Teaching Swimming

Water Acclimation

• When teaching children to swim by themselves or with parental assistance, water games that include songs help children acclimate to the water. One group game involves adults holding their children in a circle or children standing on the tot water dock or at zero entry level in the pool. Teach children to splash and move about comfortably while singing a song like "The Wheels on the Bus" or "This Is the Way We Wash Our Clothes."

Underwater Swimming

• When swimmers feel comfortable enough to swim alone, they are ready for more challenging swimming games. In a deep-water environment such as a diving well, teach underwater swimming, including the ability to hold one's breath underwater for longer periods of time, with the Sharks and Minnows game. All swimmers but one should dive into the water from one end of the pool. The shark must try to tap swimmers (the Minnows) on the head when they surface for air. Once a swimmer is tapped on the head, he transforms from a Minnow to a Shark. When swimmers reach the other end of the pool successfully, they get to swim across underwater in the next round of the game. All Sharks must stay in the water. The last swimmer left at the end of the game is the winner. He or she becomes the new Shark for the next game.

Kicking and Pulling Skills

• Kickboard races are another way to teach swimmers of various ages and ability levels how to swim. With a kickboard, swimmers can race by performing a certain kick, such as the flutter kick or the dolphin kick, from one end of the pool to the other. The kickboard can also be used for teaching pulling skills. Swimmers can sit on the kickboard and pull using one of the stroke techniques, such as the freestyle (front crawl arm movements) or the breaststroke pull. Once swimmers practice these skills, they can have kickboard races by pulling their way across the pool while balancing their bottoms on their kickboards.