Description
An aquatic environment can often be overwhelming for swimmers, with noise, the sheer size of the space, new faces, combined with any emotions and nervousness about being in the water, can lead to a child being easily distracted.
Swimmers who focus and listen promote good behaviour for others to copy, which in turn produces a more productive lesson. This award is designed for children who initially struggle to focus and stay focused in the pool environment. From a safety point of view it is essential to maintain the child’s attention span throughout the lesson, ensuring they to listen to all adult instruction (which can include Lifeguards, teachers, assistants as well as other swimmers.
Additional needs
To be able to listen in class setting or 1:1 lesson shows the swimmer is in a relaxed manner and enjoys being in the water. Due to a change in environment a children can struggle to listen to instructions due to the anxiety they feel in a new environment and especially if they are with a new face. The acoustics of the swimming pool area can drastically change how a noise is heard, including the volume, which some swimmers may be frightened of.
For children with additional needs they may require additional support of being near the water and playing games with the water before being able to get into the water and be comfortable with it and following instructions safely. This also celebrates the forming of the relationship between the swimmer and the swimming teacher showing more confidence in the pool environment.
Lesson ideas
Games can be made fun with different volumes of voice, from very quiet whispers to loud words.
We suggest for those who have an hearing impediment that actions always accompany instructions.
This award is not always about listening to the instructions to play games or develop strokes, but also about listening to important instructions and following them through regarding safety eg, hold on to the side, correct use of aids or waiting for their turn.
Keep instructions short, sharp and to the point to maintain the swimmers attention. Remember they are little and need to be kept occupied, regularly introduce new ideas and ways to learn as bored children start to lose interest.
Songs where there is a crescendo in the tune
Name games,
Shouting a name and throwing a ball to the named individual, making them focus on your lesson and not surrounding elements
