Underwater Finger Count
Swimmers look underwater to count how many fingers the teacher or partner is holding up.
- Stages
- Stage 1
- Difficulty
- Beginner
- Skills
- Aquatic Breathing, Submersion
- Equipment
- None
- Age
- 4–99 years
- Group size
- 1–12 swimmers
- Time
- About 3 minutes
- In a lesson
- Skill Development 1, Skill Development 2, Game / Consolidation
- Shared by
- SwimShare Resource
Safety notes
- Goggles are fine for comfort, but also give practice without them for water safety.
What it develops
- Scoop water and wash the face
- Be comfortable with water over the head
- Blow bubbles with mouth and nose in the water
How to run it
- Partner or teacher holds a hand under the water showing some fingers.
- Swimmer puts face in, opens eyes and counts the fingers.
- They come up and call out the number.
- Swap roles if working in pairs.
Teaching cues
- Eyes open – blink if you need to.
- Blow bubbles while you look.
- Take your time.
Make it easier
- Hand just under the surface so only the chin and mouth need to go in.
- Allow goggles.
Make it harder
- Hand held lower so the whole head goes under.
- Show shapes or letters instead of numbers.
Common faults
- Eyes shut – guessing the number.
Corrections
- Make it a game: 'you must tell me the colour of my nail varnish/watch'.
Assistant / L1 role
- Work one-to-one with swimmers who won't open their eyes, using a bright toy as the target.