One of the biggest complaints I get from parents is the fact their kid will listen and practice swim skills with me, but will not with them. So if your child can swim but you want them to practice more, or you’re just curious how strong and smart they really are in the water, using games disguised as water safety assessment tests is fun and satisfying way for you both to get what you want.
Safety Game #1: Chase Toys Until Tired
When 5-year old Aimee’s* mom told me Aimee’s summer goal was to be able to go to the day-camp pool with just counselors and a lifeguard on duty, but no mom-supervision, I knew I needed to give Aimee a dose of a real-life pool scenario. The pool would be full of fun and games and objects and friends, and I wanted to figure what she would do if she put safety second and let distractions literally take her away.
One of the best ways to figure out a child’s limits — and what they do when they are faced with them — is to throw an object they are attracted to, like a noodle or ball, into the middle of the pool and tell them to bring it back. The more difficult or numerous the objects, the more energy and time they exhaust trying to reel them in. Desire begins to compete with ability, and that’s your test in action.
I have used this safety test many times since its invention, standing outside the pool and watching. A goal would be if they can bring in two volleyball-sized balls plus a tennis ball all at once. Believe me, figuring out how to haul in all that gear can have you chasing the objects around for a long time. Plus, they must prove they can turn over on their back whenever scared or tired or just because.
Additional Swim Safety Tests or “Games” to assess skills:
- #2: Diving for rings. Toss a set of sinkable toys for your kids to retrieve. I use this to check and see if they have a strong kick, can bob, hold a breath for long periods. This also serves as a great lesson about how well a body floats, as it is very difficult to reach the bottom.
- #3: Jumping in from the side & swimming back without assistant. How far they jump tells you how comfortable they are. Every kid should be able to climb out of a pool.
- #4: Treading for 20 Questions. I modify this by asking a kid as many questions as I can think of (ie. your favorite color? Best friend?) while we swim with our heads up. The idea is to tread for 1:30 minutes without assistance.
- #5: “Peanut Butter & Jelly.” This imitates a swim-float-swim sequence. Explain to your child their belly is “jelly” and their back, peanut butter. Now as they swim to you with “peanut butter up” (belly down), with your hand underwater where they can see it turn from palm down to palm up indicating it is time to turn to “jelly” or roll over onto the back. Repeat for yards or side-to-side.
Do you have any safety games to share? What are they?
