Musical Floats
Swimmers move around freely; when the music or whistle stops they make the float shape the teacher calls.
- Stages
- Stage 2
- Difficulty
- Beginner
- Skills
- Buoyancy, Front Float, Back Float
- Equipment
- None, Noodle
- Age
- 4–9 years
- Group size
- 3–14 swimmers
- Time
- About 5 minutes
- In a lesson
- Introduction / Warm-up, Game / Consolidation
- Shared by
- SwimShare Resource
Safety notes
- Keep the area small enough to watch every swimmer when they are face down.
What it develops
- Float on front and back and return to standing
How to run it
- Swimmers travel around the area while music plays (or the teacher sings).
- When it stops, the teacher calls a float: front star, back star, pencil or mushroom.
- Swimmers hold the float for a count of 3, then stand.
- Nobody is out – the teacher praises the stillest floaters.
Teaching cues
- Still like a statue.
- Big breath before you float.
- Stand up safely.
Make it easier
- Floats with a noodle.
- Only back and front stars.
Make it harder
- Hold for 5.
- Change from one shape to another without standing.
Common faults
- Floats last less than a second.
- Crowding together when the music stops.
Corrections
- Count out loud so swimmers know how long to hold.
- Call 'find a space!' before the float.
Assistant / L1 role
- Move around the edge of the group supporting any swimmer who can't hold the called float yet.