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Swim to Me

The teacher backs away as the swimmer swims towards them, gently stretching the distance they swim without stopping.

Stages
Stage 3
Difficulty
Developing
Skills
Water Confidence, Forward Travel, Front Crawl
Equipment
None, Noodle
Age
5–99 years
Group size
1–4 swimmers
Time
About 4 minutes
In a lesson
Skill Development 1, Skill Development 2, Recap / Safe Exit
Shared by
SwimShare Resource

Safety notes

  • Only step back as far as the swimmer can manage; stay within reach.

What it develops

  • Swim about 10 metres on the front
  • Swim about 10 metres on the back

How to run it

  1. Teacher stands a few metres from the wall.
  2. Swimmer pushes off and swims to the teacher on the front.
  3. As the swimmer approaches, the teacher steps back a little further.
  4. Finish when the swimmer reaches the teacher's hands, then talk about how far they swam.

Teaching cues

  • Keep going.
  • Breathe and keep swimming.
  • Kick all the way.

Make it easier

  • Teacher steps back only once.
  • Swimmer uses a noodle.

Make it harder

  • Swim on the back to the teacher.
  • Longer distance with side breathing.

Common faults

  • Standing up to breathe.
  • Lifting the head to find the teacher.

Corrections

  • Tell swimmers the teacher will stay close enough to catch them.
  • Practise breathing without stopping first.

Assistant / L1 role

  • Take a second swimmer through Swim to Me at the same time in another space, following the teacher's distances.

Helps with