Mirror in the Water

Skill: Swim
Time Required: 10
Activity Type: Physical
Group Size: Large Group, Medium Group, Pair, Small Group
Age Group: 6 - 9yrs, 9 - 12yrs, 13+ yrs
Play area: Classroom (small indoor space), Gymnasium (large indoor space)
Safety Considerations: Ensure all the leaders are watching the participants at all times.
If participants are only allowed in the shallow end, be sure that they remain in the shallow end.
Participants have to wear floatation devices if needed.
Participants are not allowed to push, pull or dunk each other.
Remind participants to always look where they are going and to be aware of other participants and the walls of the pool.
Equipment: A pool filled with water!
Goggles (optional)
Lifejackets or other flotation devices (optional)
Objective:
This activity is to take place in a pool.
Participants will get into pairs and one participant will mirror their partner's actions.
Other Skills:
Coordination
Set up:
Participants will get into pairs. Be sure the partners are at equal levels of swimming abilities or close to being equal.
They will start by standing or swimming face to face with each other.
Step by Step:
1. One participant of each pair will start as the leader and the other participant will have to mirror their actions.
2. The leader could move their hands around, go under the water quickly, make faces, turn around and so on.
3. The other participant has to do those actions as though they were the mirror. If the leader moves their right arm, then the other participant will move their left arm in the same manner.
4. After a minute or two, have the participants switch roles.
5. Follow the Leader: Have participants get into groups of 3-5 participants. One participant will start as the leader. The other participants will follow them in a line. The leader could swim for a bit, go under the water, take big steps, move their arms around and so on. The participants will follow and copy the actions of the leader. After a minute or so, the participant at the front of the line will become the new leader and the leader will go to the end of the line.
Variations:
Tell participants to stay only in the shallow end, or allow them to go to the shallow end and deep end, as long as all the swimmers are strong enough.
Each participant could have a pool noodle, and participants will base their actions on the pool noodles (or another pool object).
Sources: Developed for the Leisure Information Network.