The use of physical education games in swim teaching

Games have always been the basic activities in the lives of children, consequently, it is important to teach swimming with playful methods. Games are stimulating, motivating, even for those learners, who are shy or withdrawn by nature. Swim sessions can be made more interesting and enjoyable by using games.

The most frequently used games are as follows:

• Splashing around in  water.

Learners sit on the side of the pool and splash the water with their feet.

• Watermill  

Learners sit in knee-high water and make circles in both directions with their arms.

• ’Stork walking’.

Learners walk in hip-high water with highly raised legs without making noise.  

• Splashing battle.

Two teams fight by trying to defeat each other by splashing.  

Ball game.

Five-six learners form a circle in hip-high water. One learner (maybe two )  ins in the middle of the circle and tries to take the ball away from the other who give it to each other. If this child touches or catches the ball, he/she will change place with the one who threw it.  

• Water wrestling.

Pairs stand in waist-high water and try to push each other under the water.

Playing tag .

• Playing tag in  a cap.

The catcher has a cap on his/her head and puts it on the head of another child who will become the catcher.  

• Underwater tag

The catcher can get the child only underwater.

• Getting rid of the ball  

There are two teams with the same number of balls.  The instructor blows his whistle and everybody tries to throw the balls onto the other team’s ground. The team without balls gets the score.  

•  Race and relay games with a variety of tasks
• Playing fish.

Three children hold hands and form a circle. Two of them try to pull the third one through above their arms

• Playing divers.

Smaller items (treasures) are thrown onto the floor of the pool and the learners are to get them and bring them up.

• Tunnel game.

Learners stand in straddle position in a column near each other. The last one swims ahead between the legs and stands in the front.

• Tell me how many you have seen.
• Dribbling the ball with head.
• Playing’ wheelbarrow’ in water.
• Score fight.  

Learners are divided into two teams. The aim of each team is to get the ball and throw it to each other. One member in each team counts the throws within a certain period of time and that team wins, which scores the highest.