Safety Detectives
Swimmers become detectives spotting safety clues around the pool: depth signs, the lifeguard, the steps and the deep end.
- Stages
- Stage 2
- 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 seated or holding the wall so attention stays on the game.
What it develops
- Know simple ways to stay safe in water
How to run it
- Before getting in (or holding the wall), give swimmers a list of clues to find.
- Clues: a depth sign, where the lifeguard sits, the nearest steps, the shallow end, a sign they don't understand.
- Swimmers point to each clue and say what it tells them.
- Finish by asking: 'Where is the safest place to get out right now?'
Teaching cues
- Look before you get in.
- Find the steps and the shallow end.
- Know where the lifeguard is.
Make it easier
- Point to the clues together as a group.
Make it harder
- Ask swimmers to explain what the number on a depth sign means for them.
- Discuss how rivers and the sea don't have signs or lifeguards.
Common faults
- Swimmers guess without looking.
Corrections
- Ask them to walk (or point) to the clue before answering.
Assistant / L1 role
- Lead a small group of the younger swimmers around the clues on poolside while the teacher runs the rest of the group.