Among the first things a kid must learn in order to swim is going underwater. While the high-level goal of being able to swim is to allow you to choose to go underwater, it is a necessary part of learning to swim. In fact, getting kids comfortable with going underwater is a focus early in swimming lessons.
Some kids are naturals at this and have no issues whatsoever with immediately submerging themselves and popping back above water giggling. Others require some coaxing, and perhaps even tricking, to get them comfortable with submerging themselves.
Instructors have techniques that help to accomplish this important milestone. There are multiple points in these techniques that start by getting a kid to put his face in the water, and then graduate to submerging his head. Parents can help too. Here are a few games that help to introduce your kid to going underwater:
Bobs with Rings
Beginners can do this activity in shallow water to practice going underwater in small increments and coming back to the surface. (More experienced swimmers can do this activity in deeper water as a breathing control exercise.)
- Swimmers stand in chest deep water or stand on a bench. Place different colored rings on the bottom at the swimmer’s feet.
- Require swimmers to pick up only their rings.
- Demonstrate dropping a ring in the water, allowing it to sink to the bottom, submerging your whole head and lowering your whole body to the bottom to pick up the ring.
- Return to the surface with the ring.
- Tell your little swimmer that “Your goal is to go underwater and get the ring. Drop the ring and pick it up five times. If you can’t put your whole head in the water try to put your nose or lips in the water to reach the bottom. If you can’t, ask and I’ll show you how to do it. Are you ready? OK, ready, go.”
- Do this activity 5 times for each child.
Superman through Hula Hoop
Beginners who can walk in chest or shoulder deep water can do this activity.
This game focuses on going underwater in small steps. Beginning with the shoulders or chin, ask for the child to make a new underwater progression.
Hold the hula hoop with a small portion (6 inches) of it extending above the water’s surface. Swimmers take turns moving through the hula hoop as they walk in a circle. The first few times through, the swimmers should only have to put their shoulder or chin in the water, but subsequent trips will make the hula hoop lower in the water and require the swimmer to submerge more of their bodies to make it through the hoop.
It should progress something like this:
Rounds 1-3 – Chin in the water as swimmers pass under/through hoop
Rounds 4-5 – Lips in the water as swimmers pass under/through hoop; possibly blowing bubbles
Round 6 – Nose in the water as swimmers pass under-through hoop.
Round 7-8 – Eyes or entire head under the water as swimmers pass under-through hoop.
If your swimmers get anxious at first, you can raise the hoop until they get the feel for it.
Your more daring swimmers can jump through the hula hoop like superman flying through the water (which is essentially doing a front glide). The glide is the real goal in all of this.
Underwater Picture Game
This is an individual challenge game that can be played with your youngest swimmer. It requires him to go underwater and come back to the surface. Goggles are needed as the game is a great way to encourage your swimmer to put his face in the water and begin to open his eyes behind goggles.
Your swimmer practices standing up from bending over and goes underwater on his own. The swimmer must get his feet underneath himself to stand up unassisted.
The picture distracts them from the scary underwater experience and the questions she asks helps motivate swimmers to look at the pictures remembering details.
You need to prepare for this game by:
- Downloading, drawing, or creating an underwater scene.
- Writing some questions about the scene on the reverse side of the picture.
- Laminating the picture.
Hold the picture against the wall so they have to go underwater to look at it.
Ask a question about the picture. (Can you count the bubbles? Can you point to the starfish?)
For beginners who refuse to participate, require them to put something (shoulder, chin, lips, nose, eyes) underwater as you ask them questions about the picture. You may give them hints about the picture to entice them to put more and more of the body underwater.
Bake a Cake
This is a multi-step came for a group of beginners who don’t put their faces in the water. The game’s success is determined by how enthusiastic and imagination you are when you’re describing the different steps. If you pretend like you’re making an actual cake your swimmers will join in your imaginary cake baking – and put their faces in the water.
This game takes about 7-10 minutes when played well and includes an intermission activity while the cake “bakes” in the oven. The game gives swimmers multiple opportunities to go underwater with various parts of the face.
- Get a hula hoop or a circular object.
- Have swimmers circle around the hula hoop and hold the sides.
- Take turns asking each swimmer what they would like in their cake – saying something like “What would you like in your cake? CHOCOLATE! Ok, let’s put some chocolate in the cake!”
- Take turns splashing water into the hula hoop and repeat “Put some chocolate into our cake!”
- After each swimmer has put their own ingredient into the cake, have each swimmer grab the edge of the hula hoop and push it down to their feet to “put the cake in the oven.”
- Encourage each swimmer to put their nose, mouth or face in the water while doing so.
- Do another short activity while the cake “bakes.” For example, do 3 front floats with the group.
- Have a swimmer or swimmers check the cake by putting their face, lips, or nose in the water. Ask, “Is the cake done? Is it ready to eat?”
- Have swimmers reach down to the sunken hula hoop to their shoulders, or noses if they can, and slowly, heavily, lift the “cake” to the surface.
- Have swimmers blow bubbles on the cake (inside the hula hoop) to cool it off so you can eat it.
- Eat the cake by either smashing faces into the water inside the cake.
- Be enthusiastic, and exclaim how delicious it is!
Little Otter Swim Schools offers a fun and supportive learning environment that starts your kid’s swimming experience off with positivity that will encourage them to maintain it for a lifetime! Contact us for more information about swimming lessons for your children.
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