These days it is making a tremendous heat in Spain, so it seems almost obligatory to visit the pool (or the sea) to cool off and for the children to cool down a bit and play, that staying at home is fine not to see the sun , but children go crazy between so much wall.
If we go with the baby (recommended in hours of less heat) we can bathe him and also, if he likes water, take advantage to play with him. And not only doing the "fly" like a plane or a wonderful and expert fish that swims on the surface, but play games with which, in addition to having fun, we can stimulate their psychomotrocity and thus improve their skills and physical abilities. If our son is older, the same, because there are games for all ages.
The first thing, before entering the heart of the matter, is to emphasize that the main objective of the games that we are going to explain to you is that the baby and the children have a good time. The secondary objectives are to strengthen the musculture, improve flexibility, respiratory capacity, balance and coordination and become familiar with the aquatic environment. I repeat: secondary. If they get bored or tired, we leave it for another time.
1. Make bubbles
The first is a game that can help children begin to know the water. As many children fear or are bothered that the water touches their faces, it can be a good resource to make the bubbles do it, and not us throwing them water, putting water with their hands or directly putting their heads in, which will be much more traumatic.
The game is about put your face in the water and blow (us), making bubbles, noises and movements, so that they also try to do it. So the bubbles catch their attention and splash them a little while they watch or laugh.
2. The starfish (or "the dead")
The intention is also that lose the fear of water. This time the idea is that they notice the water in the back of the head and even cover their ears. They open their legs and arms and let themselves be caught by us, relaxing and noticing how the water wets part of their head and neck, leaving their faces out to breathe.
3. Picking up colored balls
If we want the baby not only to get carried away, but also try to swim a little, even in our arms, we can motivate him to do so with some game like pick up colored balls.
The game consists of putting colored balls around and a cube to leave them. We approach one, take it, take it to the bucket and leave it there. And we keep repeating until you have them all. Surely he will do his best to try to reach them.
If the child is older and already knows how to swim a little, they can play the same without our help. Since you will be using the arms and moving them, a churro to float can be dangerous, so it is advisable to use some safer element. The bubbles that are attached to the body are best used when the child already dominates the swimming position a little and the cuffs limit the movement of the arms, so the most recommended for games like this are the vests, which holds them without compromising the movement of the arms.
4. Collecting ice cubes
This is only for children and perhaps for those who swim already without flotation methods, because that way they go faster. The idea is to use ice cubes instead of colored balls, adding difficulty to the story, because they look less and are falling apart.
5. Surrounding ourselves
When children are starting to swim, even with the help of muffs or similar, but they are afraid, they tend to grab the curb and not let go. One way to encourage them to do so is by putting us at their side, also on the curb, urging them to surround us to reach the other side.
It is a way to let them go and start moving, or take a few seconds, until they get back to their "home" or safe place. After this, the next game would be to throw a toy nearby, so that they recover it and return.
6. Swimming with a churro
The next exercise that we propose is to make the child swim, to move through the water, but with a churro surrounding the body. Thanks to the churro it will not sink and with the use of the arms and legs it can move. If you have never done so, because of the risk that the churro escapes or moves, we must accompany the child at all times.
7. Playing with a ball
This is a lifelong game and an excellent swimming motivator. The child He has to swim to get to the ball that we threw and then he has to give it back to us. In addition, he trains the three-dimensional perception when calculating the moment in which the ball is going to reach his hands and the coordination to try to catch it.
8. Racing with a ball
This is already for children with some autonomy when swimming. Following the thread of the previous one, with the intention of swimming a little but having fun, is this game in which we do racing with a ball, to see who arrives before. The ball must float, and both the child and the adult must have one. The ball must be pushed with the head, or with the nose, to use the arms and legs to swim. The winner is the one who gets his ball to reach the curb of the pool before.
9. The shark
Who has never played shark in a pool? Well that's what needs to be done. When children do not dominate much it is better that they be sharks and that the adult be the prey. Pursuing is much more "relaxed" than being persecuted. When they control swimming better, we can be the shark.
More games
The rest I leave to you, because I don't want this to seem like a "how to get your son to exercise without realizing that he is doing it." If the proposed games seem interesting and fun, go ahead. If not, invent others. The interesting thing about everything is play, have fun, enjoy and that you, parents, also enjoy with them, that after a year in which you have seen them less than you would have liked, you have to take advantage of the summer to recover the lost time.
Photos | iStock
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