Underwater Rock, Paper, Scissors
Pairs play rock, paper, scissors under the water – swimmers must open their eyes and stay under calmly to see who won.
- Stages
- Stage 2, Stage 3
- Difficulty
- Beginner
- Skills
- Aquatic Breathing, Submersion
- Equipment
- None
- Age
- 5–12 years
- Group size
- 2–14 swimmers
- Time
- About 3 minutes
- In a lesson
- Introduction / Warm-up, Game / Consolidation
- Shared by
- SwimShare Resource
Safety notes
- Pairs should be similar in confidence; nobody holds anybody under.
What it develops
- Go fully under and pick up an object
- Submerge confidently and retrieve objects
How to run it
- Pairs face each other in standing depth.
- Count '1, 2, 3', take a breath and both go under.
- Show rock, paper or scissors underwater, look, then come up and say who won.
- Best of five.
Teaching cues
- Eyes open.
- Blow bubbles while you play.
- Come up, then wipe your face.
Make it easier
- Only faces go in, hands just under the surface.
- Play with the teacher.
Make it harder
- Sit on the bottom to play.
- Play two rounds on one breath.
Common faults
- Eyes shut, guessing the result.
- Coming up spluttering.
Corrections
- Winners must describe the partner's hand to claim the point.
- Remind them to blow out gently while under.
Assistant / L1 role
- Partner the swimmer who is least happy opening their eyes, keeping the game slow and praising every look.