SNZ Events
Epic Swim
High Performance
SNZ Events
Epic Swim
High Performance
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To celebrate Te Wiki o te Reo Māori 2016 (Māori Language Week), here is the Hokey Tokey song in te reo. Can you add it to your lessons this week? "To ringa ki roto (put your hand ini), To ringa ki waho (Take your hand out), To ringa ki roto (put your hand in), Ka ruiruihia (shake your hand around), Kei te hopehope au (swing your hips) , Kei te hurihuri au (turn around), Kei te pakipaki aue! (clap your hands)" Ringa = hands, Waewae = legs, Nono = bottom
Build confidence in the water by walking with a kickboard and encourage eyes in and bubbles. A good idea is to put a fun toy/animal on top of the kickboard. You could build a farm, make some friends or teach them to swim too.
Crossing centre lines and moving both sides of the body are imperative for successful swimming. Catching bubbles is an excellent way to work on crossing centre lines and hand eye co ordination. Challenge your swimmers to catch bubbles with certain parts of their bodies, pop them between their fingers or catch them gently without making any pop! Bubbles could be used as a game at the end of a class or as an activity to break up a skill set. You could even use them to teach beginner swimmers to blow their air out as they blow their own bubbles through a bubble wand.
Use a small sponge for the swimmers to get water on their cheeks, chin, nose forehead etc, perhaps to the tune of "this is the way we wash our …". A great way to start getting used to having water on the face.
A cheap water toy for the sink, bath or pool. Make holes in the bottom of a water bottle that has a valve to open and close it. Fill the water bottle and replace the lid with the valve closed. When lifted out of the water the bottle won’t let water out of the holes. When the valve is opened the water will sprinkle out the holes like a shower (Water tightness will depend on the number and size of the holes).
Learn water familiarisation, confidence and cues in the bath with a watering can. You can also talk about different body parts as you go. A good song to sing is 'this is the way we wash our …'
Encourage playtime with your children in the shower - place a non-slip mat on the floor of the shower remove the shower head and allow your child to experience the joy of water splashing, trickling, dripping over them. Extra towels on the floor to absorb any excess water will prevent any slips. Ensure 100% supervision at bath and shower time.
Not keen on filling the bath for some fun time in the water? Use a bucket! Remember whether bathing your baby in a bucket, bath or shower 100% supervision is required.
Encourage water confidence and making water play fun by having an outside shower.
