It’s Olympic season again, and while the pool doesn’t play a role in the Winter Olympics, there’s no reason we can’t make up our own Winter-Olympic themed fun and games, right? In fact, making the pool FUN for kids is a major way to boost their confidence and skills in the water.
At SwimWest, safety is a huge priority, and supporting kids as they learn to swim is our mission. The more comfortable kids feel in the water, the more prepared they will be for lessons. In making the pool a place of fun, kids are able to take part in their lessons each week ready to blow bubbles, put their faces in the water and kick, kick, KICK.
In celebration of the enormous feats athletes around the globe are performing this month, let’s get our kiddos in the water for some fun and games. Grab your family, and a few fun swim accessories, and find a pool with open swim.
Here are 5 Fun Games to Play with your Family – prizes not necessary but definitely a bonus! 🙂 Enjoy!
- Relays. Skip, Jump or swim through the water. Use a “baton” (cut up pool noodles work great!) to pass to your teammate, and then cheer them on as they make their way across, too! If you have enough people, split into teams and race.
- Diving for rings or other items. See who can collect the most items in a certain amount of time, or how many rings you can scoop up with one breath.
- Jumps! Who can jump the farthest? The highest? Who can jump under water the farthest?
- Play water “basketball”. Use a real water basketball hoop, or make your own with a pool ring or noodle. See who can score the most points.
- Throw pool noodles as a target. Pretend you’re using a javelin and try to launch your pool noodle at an object in the water. Whoever hits it first, wins!
We hope you enjoy watching the Winter Olympics this month, and we hope you get a chance to try a few of your own mini-Olympic games! If you have other ideas or suggestions, please share them below.