What to do in the pool by yourself!

Ideas for a child to do in the pool alone:

• throw different things into the pool to retrieve: find objects to throw that float/ find object to throw that sink. Retrieve one at a time/ retrieve two at a time/ retrieve three at a time
• put hoops into the pool and throw items into the hoops, changing up the distance away to increase the challenge
• fill containers up with water using: small cups/ big cups/ square containers. Count how many big cup fill ups it takes/ how many little cups to fill it up/ how many cups etc.
• Have a bucket of toys on one side of the pool and an empty bucket on the other, swim, get an item and swim to put it into the empty bucket
• walk around the pool: jump in every 10 steps, swim to the side, pull out, walk another 10 steps, jump in, etc.
• float a bowl or bucket in the pool and use it as a target for throwing things into or for squirting with a water gun to fill up
• float a ball in the pool and shoot it with water to push it to the other side: time yourself re getting the ball to the other side of the pool with different water guns
• float a ball in the pool and create waves with your hand/ with a kick board/ with a pool toy and push it to the other side of the pool, float other things and do the same: time yourself re moving the item across the pool with changes in how the waves are made
• fill a bucket with water and then paint with a painters brush: chairs/ deck, etc.
• fill a bucket with water and then fill smaller containers by soaking up water with different size sponges
• approach the pool with different kinds of walks or jumps and then jump into the pool
• using a kick board, change the angle and see how easily pool toys slide into the pool based on the angle of the board
• dunk different sized towels in the pool and then squeeze into buckets. See how many times you need to dunk each towel into the water to fill the bucket. Note the changes in the towel as you dunk it into the water re the color and the weight.
• take a plastic container and different tops, make different number and size holes. Compare how quickly the water comes out of the container
• time yourself re swimming from one place to another/ swimming certain number of laps/ doing different kinds of strokes/ floating/ trying to go really fast/ trying to go really slowly
• fill bucket with a container trying to go slowly, trying to go fast, trying to go medium pace and time how long it takes
• walk around the pool walking very fast and timing it, walking slowly, walking medium paced

The hope is that the child will learn that there are lots and lots of things to do and even more than what was listed as each of the above ideas can be changed in small ways. For example, instead of floating a cup when make waves, float a toy duck. Generating these types of ideas with the child will support cognitive flexibility which will then support play and problem solving.