Name
Give a Gift, Take a Swim (Valentine's Day Practice)
Core Skill
Coach's choice – any swimming skill or fun activity can be used.
Who
This game is designed for developmental swim team groups (ages 5–13). Swimmers should have a basic understanding of activities and be able to read a whiteboard. It can also work with regular swim lesson groups if the instructor adapts it.
What
Swimmers give each other 'gifts' of swimming activities. The receiver can accept the gift and do the activity, or reject it and do an alternate activity from a 'rejection' column. This game focuses on whatever skills the coach wants to work on, and it adds a social, holiday-themed twist.
How
Write two columns on a whiteboard: 'Gift' (fun or challenging activities) and 'Rejection' (alternate activities). Swimmers pair up and take turns giving a gift to their partner. The partner chooses to accept (do the gift activity) or reject (do the rejection activity). Rotate pairs so everyone gives a gift to everyone in their lane or group. Example: Sally gives John '5 front flips.' John accepts and does 5 front flips. Then John gives Sally '25 FREE with fins.' Sally rejects and does '25 Backstroke' from the rejection column. Continue until all pairs have exchanged. Spend about 10 minutes on this activity.
Difficulties Instructors Might Face
Kids may be awkward about pairing with the opposite gender. To manage this, assign partners and rotate systematically. Some swimmers might be shy about rejecting a gift; encourage them that saying 'no' is okay. Also, ensure the rejection column has activities that are roughly equal in effort to the gift column to keep the game balanced.