Fun games children can play to learn swimming skills

July 27, 2023

Just have fun with it!

Being in the water is enjoyable and exciting. Children that swim for the first-time fear drowning. They need to gain basic swimming skills to prevent this from happening. There are fun games children can play in the water to learn the swimming skills they need.

Talk to the fishies – Children blow bubbles in the water. Then they need to put their ear to the water to hear the imaginary response. This game helps learn breath control because swallowing water by accident is a scary situation. Parents need to encourage children to sink their faces and blow bubbles to increase their comfort level in the water. When parents put their faces in the water, they should come up with a smile on their faces. This way the children see how much fun it is.

Catch the fishies – Parents should sit next to their children on the steps of the shallow part of the water and be eye to eye. The water level should between the child's waist and chest. Parents then need to ask their children to do a forward crawl-like arm stroke by reaching their arms up in the air, then plunging them into the water, and then pulling the water to themselves imagining there were a lot of fishies in the pool. Doing this will get them used to arm movement when swimming. An idea is for parents to sing a song when children move their arms. When the song is finished, parents should ask their children how many fishies they caught. Parents can play the game again with their children.

The swimming skill this game has is developing a fast and strong movement of arms. While doing this, children need to keep their fingers together, this way the fishies can’t escape between their fingers. This helps with their momentum as they swim.

Motorboat front float – Parents need to hold their children firmly under their arms looking at each other. They start walking backwards together in the water picking up speed. The water will gently push children into a front floating position. Parents should then move slowly in a circle saying “Motorboat, Motorboat, Go So Slow.” Parents should pick up speed while saying “Motorboat, Motorboat Go So Fast.” The last line should be “Motorboat, Motorboat Step On the Gas. Parents can either blow bubbles or encourage their children to kick their feet.

This makes children comfortable in the horizontal swimming position. When children get more comfortable with the front float position, parents should hold them so that their outstretched hands are around the back of their necks. Parents should help their children float on their stomachs as if they are taking a nap.

Red Light Green Light – Parents should sit next to their children on the shallow step of the pool. If children are older, they can hold on to the side of the pool facing the wall. When parents say green light, their children need to kick rapidly, yellow light to kick slowly and red light to stop. This encourages the children to propel in the water. During the game, parents can hold their children under their arms. Children should face their parents, begin walking backwards and ask them to kick. If you want to make the game is challenging, have them balance on a flutter board. Parents should have them kicking this way as well.

Taking The Plunge – For this game, it is good to be in the shallow part of the water. Children need to kneel two feet from the wall. Parents must hold their children standing on their knees and hands should be on their waists for support. The first couple of times playing this game children should not be swimming but using force from their jump to get to the wall. This helps children swim on their own. Parents should let their children hang on to the wall for some time. This way they are used to supporting their body weight until parents want them to do it again.

Ring/Coin Toss – Playing these games, children learn to swim deeper and reach the bottom of the water. It is exciting for children to reach things at the bottom and bring them back to the top. If the rings are different colors, parents can let them pick how many and whatever colors they want. Children will want to play the game more if they are involved in the decision making.

Superhero Glides – This is a game for children to learn “streaming” in the water. Children pick the superhero they wish they could be. Children should show parents their superhero arms and begin to glide across the water. This will be fun and make them feel stronger.

Ice Cream Scooping – This game focuses on using their arms. Like Superhero Glides, it is easy and fun for children. They can choose the ice flavor they want to scoop for the day and then they are going to take big scoops of water. Doing this teaches children to keep their fingers together. so the water doesn't go through their hands.

Chop Chop Timber – Some children are scared to jump into the water, so it was turned into a game. Children sit on the edge of the pool in a little seed on the ground, give them water (parents splash a little water on children) and sunshine (make a sun with arms) this way they can grow into a tree. Children can decide what type of tree they want to be and when they get chopped down to their knees getting into the water. Some children get in the water differently by holding both hands, one hand, or no hands.

Face Race – Children become comfortable in shallow water during this game. The requirements needed are a beach ball or another soft object that floats. Parents should stand at one side of the pool from their children and have them push the ball toward them without the use of their hands just their faces. When children finally reach their parents with the ball, they need to be congratulated for their effort.

Ping Pong Float – Parents need to get a lot of ping pong balls and put them into the shallow part of the water. Children need to collect all the balls, one at a time and put them into a bucket that is at the edge of the pool. Parents can set a timer to test the speed of their children.

Underwater Toy Rescue – This is like the Ping Pong game. The only difference is that children swim underwater to collect the toys. Parents should put one or two toys in the shallow water. This game will give children the confidence to hold their breath and keep their eyes open underwater. Children should play this game when they are comfortable in the water.

Shark Attack – This is a game of tag. One child is the shark and counts to ten with their eyes closed. When the child reaches ten, the shark goes looking for the other children. The shark catches one child then he or she takes on the new role of being the shark. This game will help children feel comfortable moving around in the water. As the children get older, they become more confident swimmers. This becomes an exciting and challenging game for sure.

These water games make children better swimmers in the water. The swimmers love playing these games because they’re fun and they can stay cool from the hot sun.Fun p

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Swimming Injuries

September 12, 2023

Swimming Injuries and Treatments for Them The water is a great place to work out. Exercise keeps the body healthy, but while exercising injuries do occur, here are four common swimming injuries and how to treat them: Swimmer’s shoulder – This occurs after repeated energetic sessions as the tendons are being pressed against the bone and eventually get sore. This stretches down to the rotator cuff tendons. If it is ignored, it will result in tears. Treatments include: Resting for long periods after exercising. Icing to reduce inflammation. Warming up before sessions and stretching as a weekly treatment. Lower back pain – The butterfly and breaststroke lower back pain occurs because of vigorous body jerking with the wrong swimming technique. This lower back pain can transform into a stress fracture in the vertebrae. This injury is also commonly found in weightlifters. Treatments include: Avoiding sitting positions because they apply pressure. Gentle stretching to relieve strain in the spine. For acute pain caused by a stress fracture speak with a medical professional. Bicep Tendonitis – This comes with swimmers’ shoulder and is caused by long periods of overexertion. Taking long rest periods can prevent this injury. The symptoms include pain in the shoulder that gets worse when lifting the arm, a shooting pain moving down the upper arm, at times there is a noticeable bulge in the tendon, a warm feeling moving from the point of the pain, as well as a snapping sound coming from the shoulder. Treatments include: Icing the pain to remove swelling. Gently stretching the scapula, posterior capsule, and rotator cuff areas. Taking anti-inflammatory medication provided by a doctor. Swimmers Knee – This is known as a strain in the Medial Collateral Ligament (MCL). It mostly occurs by extreme use of the breaststroke technique, which puts repeated strain on the knee. Symptoms of this injury include swelling, muscle spasms, decreased strength and movement, as well as pain in the quads or the knee. There may be a rough feeling when moving the knee. Treatments include: Gentle stretches to bring back movement. Taping the knee. Icing to reduce swelling. Exercising is the key to keep the body functioning, but doing too much or doing the technique the wrong way can lead to injuries like these. It is important to know how to treat them to get the body back in shape and keep it healthy.

Our kiddos progress thru our child centered curriculum while learning survival skills and having fun

By Melissa Taylor • July 27, 2023

Our kiddo’s progress thru our child centered curriculum while learning survival skills and having fun. Children retain what they learn when they become passionate and enjoy themselves and with repetition. At Small Fish Big Fish Swim School “Small fish become BIG fish by swimming in schools”.

Tips for Getting Your Baby Ready For Swimming Lessons

By Melissa Taylor • July 27, 2023

Splashing water is one of the most enjoyable things for babies to do, whether it is taking a bath or in the pool. But do you know when your baby should start learning how to swim? Children should start learning how to swim as early as possible. Some babies start swimming even at the age of two months. So, if you want your baby to learn how to swim at an early age then here are some tips to prepare them. Make bathing an enjoyable event Whether your baby is interested in playing in the water or not, if you want them to learn swimming as soon as possible then you will have to make it more enjoyable when they are near water. A great way to start is while taking bath. You can increase their interest in water by providing them with a warm environment and water so that they can feel more comfortable than playing with cold water. In order to make bath time a fun experience, you should enjoy it with them so that they can replicate you. To make bath time more fun for your child you can use some rubber or washable toys so that they can enjoy them while taking bath. Splash water Unexpected splashes of water are one the oldest ways to develop the interest of your child towards the water. Though it can be a bit startling for them when water enters their nose, mouth, and eyes but with time they can get used to it while taking bath regularly. You can encourage them to splash water from the bathtub in response to your splash so that they can easily understand its effects and fun. You can also expose your baby to shower nozzle by bringing it down and spraying water on their face as well as on their belly or arms so that they can experience the water’s effects more closely. Make fun after a bath After finishing the bath, instead of rushing out, you should take some time to wrap your baby in a warm towel so that they can enjoy that moment before getting dry. Now pat them gently with a towel to dry them from top to bottom and make them relax with your soft voice or a song. It will give your baby a unique experience after getting out of the water. Blowing Bubbles It can be difficult for children at a young age to understand that they have control over their breathing, making it hard to teach them how to hold their breath while swimming. The best way to show your children how to begin regulating their breathing is by blowing bubbles in the water. Demonstrate the different ways the bubbles appear depending on how hard you exhale and encourage them to do the same. Buoyancy Lessons When bathing with your child, you have an excellent opportunity to safely show them the effects of buoyancy on their body, allowing them to learn how to float. Place your child in the bathtub before it is filled with water, and then begin filling it so they can feel the water start to lift them up. Keep them from sliding under at first, and soon they will figure out how to float on their own without your assistance. Swimming lessons After introducing your baby to water in the bathtub and they feel comfortable it’s time to get some formal swimming lessons. At Small Fish Big Fish Swim School, they can get lessons from experienced Aquatic educators that specialize in working with babies. All instructors are participating in continuing education and will be taking part in an 8 hour workshop given by the United States Swim School Association. But it doesn’t stop there, we teach self-confidence, discipline and well-being through the lifelong sport of swimming. Want your baby to learn how to swim? We offer free classes for babies 6 months old or younger. The free lessons do not include cost of Small Fish Big Fish annual membership fee. Membership is required to qualify for Free lessons. You can also sign up for our Free Trial here https://www.smallfishbigfish.com/free-trial