Two Stars and a Wish Cool-Down
An easy cool-down swim followed by each swimmer naming two things that went well and one thing to work on next time.
- Stages
- Swimming – Stage 8, Swimming – Stage 9, Swimming – Stage 10
- Difficulty
- Beginner
- Skills
- Safe Exit, Stroke Efficiency
- Equipment
- None
- Age
- 8–99 years
- Group size
- 1–20 swimmers
- Time
- About 3 minutes
- In a lesson
- Recap / Safe Exit
- Shared by
- SwimShare Resource
Safety notes
- Controlled exit; no running on poolside.
What it develops
- Set and review personal technique challenges
How to run it
- Swimmers swim two easy widths of their choice, focusing on relaxed breathing.
- At the wall, each swimmer tells a partner or the teacher two 'stars' from today and one 'wish'.
- The teacher summarises the group's wishes as the focus for next lesson.
- Swimmers exit safely using the steps or side as directed.
Teaching cues
- Easy swimming to finish.
- Be specific: what exactly went well?
- One clear wish.
Make it easier
- Teacher offers a choice of stars and wishes.
Make it harder
- Swimmers suggest the drill that would help their wish.
Common faults
- Vague reflections like 'it was good'.
Corrections
- 'Which stroke? Which part?'
Assistant / L1 role
- Supervise the exit at the steps, making sure swimmers leave one at a time while the teacher finishes the reflections.