Follow instructions and play a three step game like “Treasure Hunt.”

What it is

A multi-step imaginary game (like "Treasure Hunt") that tests whether a toddler can follow directions beyond simple one-step commands. It is the bridge skill showing readiness for more complex instruction such as streamlines and front crawl.

Essentials

• The game must involve multiple steps — more than simple "Do this. Do that."
• The game should be fun, imaginary, and captivating (e.g., sailors on a ship finding treasure and bringing it back to port).
• Swimmers should be engaged, captivated, and enjoying the game throughout.
• Embed cued skills at each stage: put face in, kiss the water when picking up a toy, make big splashes and little splashes.
• Capture attention by being FUN and interesting.
• Add complexity progressively as the swimmer demonstrates readiness.

Progression

1. Think of a skill you want to work on.
2. Look at the toys and tools you have available during the lesson.
3. Create an objective or goal — what should the swimmers WANT to do?
4. Put a roadblock, using the skill you want to work on, in front of that goal.

Example (Treasure Hunt):

1. Pile as many floating toys as you can on a kickboard. Sail it out to sea together.
2. Have a storm strike with waves and splashing. Spread the toys around the pool.
3. Do supported front glides to collect toys and return to the kickboard (boat).

What goes wrong

• A game that is just "go here, pick up this, put it there" does not test multi-step following and does not build the skill.
• If the swimmer loses engagement mid-game, the narrative or complexity has drifted; re-anchor with the imaginary story or simplify a step.
• If the toddler cannot follow along in a controlled way, they are not yet ready for the next tier of skill instruction — do not push to streamlines or front crawl yet.

How you know it worked

The swimmer stays engaged throughout the game and completes the tasks at each stage. Bonus: the swimmer anticipates the next step (because you have played it before) or asks to play the game again, or comes up with a strategy to complete or win the game that the instructor did not think of.

How you teach it

This skill sits in Guppies Toddler (ages 2–4, zero-depth water) as the bridge between Parent Tot and Level 1. The purpose is not the game itself but what the game reveals: can the toddler follow instruction and feedback that is a little more complicated than a single command, and do so in a controlled way? If yes, they are ready for more complex skill instruction like streamlines and front crawl.

The imaginary narrative is the vehicle. You are not saying "now do a front glide." You are saying "the storm hit, the treasure scattered, sail your boat over and grab it." The cued skills (face in, kiss the water, big splashes, little splashes) are embedded in the story so the child experiences them as play rather than correction.

When designing or adapting a game, start from the skill you want to work on, inventory the toys and tools in front of you, define what the child should WANT to do, then place the skill as a roadblock between them and that want. The Mushroom Man Game (get to the mushroom without falling water touching you; go underwater for the reward; dance while being rained on) and the Alligator Walk Race (one person alligator-walks in shallow water, one runs in deeper water; the lesson is that pushing the water is not faster than gliding) follow the same structure.

Feedback strategy: keep it in the narrative. "The storm is getting bigger — make BIG splashes!" rather than "splash harder." If a child is struggling with a step, simplify within the story ("the boat is close, just one more toy") rather than breaking character. If a child is dominating the group or showing anxiety, pull them into a supported role ("you are the captain, you steer the boat") to keep them participating without pressure.

Lesson integration: this game typically appears alongside alligator walks and Bake a Cake in the Guppies Toddler rotation. It is the skill that tells you whether to advance a child to deeper-water group lessons. Play it repeatedly across sessions so the child builds anticipation — the bonus goal is that they ask to play it before you do.