Wash Your Face
A simple routine where swimmers scoop water and 'wash' their face, building up one feature at a time.
- Stages
- Stage 1
- Difficulty
- Beginner
- Skills
- Water Confidence, Aquatic Breathing
- Equipment
- None
- Age
- 2–7 years
- Group size
- 1–15 swimmers
- Time
- About 3 minutes
- In a lesson
- Introduction / Warm-up
- Shared by
- SwimShare Resource
Safety notes
- Allow a swimmer to stop at any point – progress at their pace.
What it develops
- Scoop water and wash the face
- Be comfortable with water over the head
How to run it
- Swimmers stand with hands cupped in the water.
- Scoop water and wash the chin, then the cheeks, then the nose, then the eyes, then the whole face.
- Add a song or rhyme to set the pace.
- Finish with 'wash your hair' – scoop water over the head.
Teaching cues
- Blow out gently as water touches your face.
- Wipe with hands if you want – that's fine.
- Blink – eyes are fine with water.
Make it easier
- Use a wet sponge or flannel instead of scooping.
- Wash an assistant's or toy's face first.
Make it harder
- Put the face in the water to wash it.
- Wash with eyes open looking at the teacher.
Common faults
- Holding breath and gasping.
- Rubbing eyes hard.
Corrections
- Hum while washing.
- Pat, don't rub.
Assistant / L1 role
- Sit with a nervous swimmer and wash your own face first, then theirs if they want.