Follow the Leader
Swimmers copy a leader's way of moving – an easy way to practise lots of travel skills in one activity.
- Stages
- Stage 1
- Difficulty
- Beginner
- Skills
- Water Confidence, Forward Travel, Backward Travel
- Equipment
- None, Noodle
- Age
- 3–10 years
- Group size
- 3–12 swimmers
- Time
- About 4 minutes
- In a lesson
- Introduction / Warm-up, Game / Consolidation
- Shared by
- SwimShare Resource
Safety notes
- Plan the route so the line never goes into deeper water.
What it develops
- Move forwards about 5 metres
- Move backwards about 5 metres
- Move sideways along the wall
How to run it
- Teacher or a swimmer leads a line around the teaching area.
- The leader changes how they move: big steps, tiptoes, bouncing, walking backwards, pulling with arms.
- Everyone copies. Change leader every 30–60 seconds.
- Finish by leading everyone back to the wall.
Teaching cues
- Use your arms to pull the water.
- Keep a gap in front of you.
- Watch the leader, not your feet.
Make it easier
- Everyone holds a noodle.
- Travel along the wall only.
Make it harder
- Leader adds bubbles, face in, or a short float.
- Travel with feet off the floor using a float.
Common faults
- Bunching up and bumping into each other.
Corrections
- Ask swimmers to keep 'a noodle length' between them.
Assistant / L1 role
- The assistant goes at the back of the line to encourage the slower swimmers.