Fun & Games
Bath time is a great time to have some fun and keep your swimmer confidence high so they can enjoy being in the water.
​
Here are some simple games that you can play with your swimmer in the bath that can help. You don’t have to practise every skill every night – just pick the one/s that you’ll enjoy playing together and every little practise helps.
​
There’s 3 key things that you can work with your child on:
1. Feeling comfortable with water on their face and head/putting their face in water
2. Breathing
3. Kicking and scooping
​
​
​
​
Incy Wincy Spider
If your child is unsure about water on their face – try Incy wincy spider. You’ll need a toy watering can, bucket or just a plastic cup or a sponge to pour or drip water.
Singing incy, wincy, spider climbed the water spout – child pretends one hand is the spider and mimes the spider climbing up their other arm starting from hand, walking up towards shoulders.
​
Down came the rain and washed the spider out – parent uses watering can etc to pour water onto the ‘spider’ however far up the arm it is.
​
Out comes the sunshine and dries up all the rain - parent/child mimes sunshine.
​
Incy wincy spider climbs up the spout again – child mimes spider on arm again.
The aim is to make it a fun challenge to see if the spider can get as far as the child’s head before the rain comes – from their arm, to their shoulder, neck and head.
​
​
​
​
Raindrops Keep Falling On My Head
Raindrops keep falling on my head - make it rain experiments
You’ll need 3 or 4 items that can ‘make rain’. So for example a kitchen colander, a plastic bottle with holes poked in it and drips from a sponge.
​
Question: What makes the best rain on your head?
​
Have 3 or four items and ask the child what makes the best rain when it rains over their head. Remember to use a cue to your child before pouring eg ‘here comes the rain, 1, 2, 3!’ Ask your child for ideas of what would make good rain and try these out too.
​
​
​
What Animal Is Under The Water?
​
This is to help children to put their ears in the water, and no equipment is needed.
Noise sounds different underwater. Ask your child to put one ear in the water and use their hand to block the sound in the other ear – or get them to lie back in the bath so that both their ears are under water (depending on age you may need to support their head or have a bath pillow they can use to support their head).
​
You make the noise of various animals and ask them if they can guess which animal it was.
​
​
PAINT YOUR FACE AND HAIR​
​
You don’t need any equipment for this game.
​
Ask your child what their favourite colour is and get them to mix it in the water and ‘paint’ their cheeks, chin, forehead etc with it, then their hair. Then you, or your child, can ‘wash it off’ with a watering can.
​
​
Toy Race​
​
If you have floating toys that will move when you blow them – you can make a ‘finishing line’ at one end of the bath and ask your child to see how many blows it takes to get their toy across the line. Then see if they can do it fewer blows. Or if you have two children and the space, get them to race their toys across the line.
​
​
Happy Birthday Ducky​
​
Have a pretend birthday party in the bath, including singing happy birthday and asking your child to blow out the candles on the cake. Then see if they can blow out the candles. You can start by making sure they can blow out the candles above the water, then you can put the ‘cake’ underwater. Practise with your child breathing in above water, putting their mouth in the water and blowing the candles out.
​
​
Scoop Race ​
Children naturally tend to open their fingers (like a starfish) when they start in the water. For swimming water needs to be scooped by hands. To encourage a scoop shape, sit your child in the middle of the bath with all their floating toys in front of them. Ask them to make ‘ice cream scoops’ with their hands and see how many toys they can scoop behind them, eg 30 seconds, or one verse of a nursery rhyme or song.
Happy and you know it.
An old favourite which is easy to adapt for bath time and swim skills.
Try verses that include things like:
"If you are happy and you know it splash the water"
"If you are happy and you know it kick your feet"
"If you are happy and you know it blow some bubbles"
Bubble Toes
​
Most children like to get a little splashy in the bath. So if your bathroom can take it, get them to lean back in the bath and squeeze a little bubble bath liquid at their feet and ask them to kick their legs – keeping them as straight as they can – because straight legs makes better bubbles. They should have the bath full of bubbles in no time.