Teaching happens year-round, as I am sure it does for several of you, but it looks a little different in the summer than during the school year for me. What I love most about summer is the opportunity to teach kids in the pool by improving their balance, coordination, and motor skill development through swimming. Below, I’ve listed my top 10 must-have items for the pool this summer and ways to use them.
Barbell:
This exercise is excellent for assisting younger children with floating and kicking. Have the child put the barbell under their armpits. As a child becomes more advanced in the water, have the child hold the barbell straight in front of them with arms extended. They can practice putting their face in the water, breathing, and the front crawl arm movement.
Kickboard:
The kickboard can also be used for kicking and breath control, but it can also assist a child with kicking on their back.
Rings:
Hold the rings just below the surface and have the child practice grabbing them with their hands. Hold it a little lower as they get more comfortable, and have the child put their face in while catching the rings. To advance this skill,
Cups:
Using fun cups to pour water on their arms, legs, and eventually, their head can help make water play more fun.
Balls:
These can be motivating and fun to play with while practicing different water skills. Have the child throw the ball in the pool and kick to it on the barbell, practice front crawl arm movements while walking in the pool or swimming, or streamline to the ball.
Hula Hoop:
Kids are always so excited when I bring the hula hoop in the water. It is fun to have the child practice streamlining through the hula hoop. Another fun activity to do with the hula hoop is to have both the child and adult hold onto the outside of the hoop and play “Ring Around the Rosie.”
Toys:
Tap into your child’s preferred interests and use those items in the pool, make sure they can get wet! Several bath and pool toy characters can engage your child in the pool.
Foam Puzzles:
These are awesome to use in the pool and another way to tap into a preferred interest. Throw the different pieces out in the pool and have the child do different skills to collect and assemble the pieces.
Visuals
Just like in the classroom, it is important to utilize visuals when learning to swim. Presenting visuals of the skills/instruction to the child will help them understand what to do. Check out this free visual resource for the pool:
Storage Container:
If you have been following my blog posts for a while, you have probably noticed my love for storage containers. It’s no different in the summer at the pool! Keeping all the toys contained makes it easy to grab things quickly and helps dry everything after each use.
