Counting Songs - Swimming

More counting songs for: Climbing Classes

Counting songs are fabulous because kids can see the end.  This helps when they are practicing a skill that they equate to a root canal.  I use these ones in toddler & preschool classes with kids in the 1-4 year old range.

5 in the Bed (and the little one said)

2-4 year olds like to "stand up, spin around, and lay down" rather than rolling "flat like a pancake" to take a breath.  It takes a lot of energy to recover from a standing position, so we want swimmers to act as if they are lying in bed.  The 5 in the Bed song is a great drill to isolate the roll and practice proper positioning.

I will usually start off this song with one hand on the child's back and one hand on the chest so that I can flip the swimmer myself.  As the (teddy bears, monkeys?) fall out of the bed I provide less and less support until the swimmer is roll-over over independently.
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You can progress from full support to an independent back-to-front roll and then a fully independent roll as the song goes on.

Sing
There were 5 in the bed and the little one said

Roll over,roll over (I usually skip the second "roll over" to avoid confusion)

So they all rolled over

and one fell out!

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Repeat with numbers 4-2

There was 1 in the bed and the little one said

Ahhhh, finally all alone
Goodnight
(Sing a lullaby, twinkle twinkle, etc)

Do
Float on back


Roll onto belly with eyes looking down at floor

Roll onto back

Lift child high in the air and splash back down

​Provide less support on each roll

Float on back


​Continue back float and gradually remove support until swimmer is floating independently

5 Little Ducks (went out one day)

This is the sexist version but the kids like the voice change in the end, so I go with it.  I usually use this one to extend back floats for hesitant swimmers.  We get to relax into a long back float but there is a foreseeable end to the torture as we count down the ducks.

Sing
5 little ducks went out one day

Over the hills and far away

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Mama duck came with a "quack, quack, quack"
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But only 4 little duckies came waddling back

Repeat with numbers 4-1

Daddy duck came with a "QUACK, QUACK, QUACK"

and 5 little duckies came wad...dling

BACK!

Do
Float on back

Lift child slightly up and down while floating

​Just keep floating, just keep floating


Sway child slightly side to side while floating

Slowly decrease support as you go

Just keep floating, just keep floating


Sway child side to side
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Pop child up into the air