Good Idea / Bad Idea
A quick poolside quiz game that teaches pool rules without a lecture.
- Stages
- Stage 1
- Difficulty
- Beginner
- Skills
- Water Safety
- Equipment
- None
- Age
- 4–11 years
- Group size
- 2–15 swimmers
- Time
- About 3 minutes
- In a lesson
- Introduction / Warm-up, Recap / Safe Exit
- Shared by
- SwimShare Resource
Safety notes
- Keep swimmers holding the wall or seated so attention stays on the game, not on staying afloat.
What it develops
- Understand basic pool safety
How to run it
- Swimmers stand in the water holding the wall (or sit on the edge).
- Call out a pool scenario, e.g. 'Running on poolside', 'Waiting for the teacher before getting in', 'Pushing a friend under'.
- If it is a good idea swimmers give a big thumbs up and make a splash; if it is a bad idea they cross their arms.
- Ask one swimmer to explain why after each answer.
Teaching cues
- Keep it quick – 5 or 6 scenarios.
- Always ask 'why?' to check understanding.
- Finish on a positive rule, like 'always swim with an adult'.
Make it easier
- Use pictures or actions instead of words.
- Answer together as a group first.
Make it harder
- Ask swimmers to invent their own 'good idea' for the group to judge.
- Link answers to the open water safety code.
Common faults
- Swimmers copying each other without thinking.
Corrections
- Ask them to close their eyes before showing their answer.
Assistant / L1 role
- The assistant can act out the scenarios on poolside while the teacher calls them.