Swimming has been ranked the number one indoor activity for parents and families. It’s fun for everyone and a vital life skill too.
From family fun sessions to children’s swimming lessons, we have it all at Barrow Park Leisure Centre, where our two pools are the only public swimming pools in the Barrow area.
Swimming and water safety have been a statutory element of the National Curriculum for PE for 30 years but a recent figure from Swim England, swimming’s governing body, highlighted some worrying statistics.
• Almost 25% of children cannot swim the statutory 25 metres when they leave primary school.
• The ability to swim 25 metres is affected by both family affluence and location (school years 1-11).
• Less than half (42%) of children and young people with a low family affluence score can swim 25 metres unaided, compared to 86 per cent of those with a high family affluence score.
• Only 45% of children and young people going to school in the most deprived areas of the country – of which Barrow is one – can swim 25 metres, compared to 76% in the least deprived areas.
Our swimming classes cater for all ages and abilities and teach more than 600 people to swim every year, most of them children.
So, with swimming being such a vital life skill, and great exercise and fun for all ages, we have some ideas so you can you get the best out of our pools.
Creative pool games and activities for children
An online search for fun pool games for children produces plenty of results, some more suitable than others for an indoor public pool.
Many of them are water-based versions of tig, or tag, where one child is ‘it’ and has to tig (or tag) his or her playmates.
Perhaps the most common version of this is Marco Polo, a classic pool game that seems to have been around forever. Any number can play – but the more the merrier!
Marco Polo is basically a game of tag in the pool, but the person who’s ‘it’ has to keep their eyes closed. When the ‘it’ player shouts ‘Marco’, everyone else answers back with ‘Polo’. The ‘it’ player has to listen carefully and then move around the pool and try to tag one of the other players. Once he or she successfully tags a player, they become ‘it’ for the next round.
Another variation on a theme here is sharks and minnows, which works best with a big group.
It starts with one person, the shark, in the middle of the pool, who has boundaries they can’t cross to get the minnows. The rest of the swimmers, the minnows, line up along one side of the pool. When the shark says ‘go’ all the minnows have to try to make it to the other side of the pool without getting tagged by the shark. Anyone who is tagged becomes a shark. The last minnow standing becomes the shark for the next game.
Away from tig and tag, one push across the pool is great for swimmers with strong legs and lungs.
The aim is to make it all the way across the pool with one push off the side and one breath. Push off the side with all your might, hold your breath and see how far you can go before coming up for air. The next person can either try to beat the first player’s effort or better their previous attempt.
Another suggestion is the ‘atomic whirlpool’. Everyone starts in a large circle and walks slowly in the circle, all in the same direction. Then start walking faster and faster until everyone is running in the water. Keep running until you make a whirlpool and when the water’s really moving, everyone turns around and tries to run in the opposite direction for an extra challenge.
These are just some examples of simple ideas that don’t need any props that could fire your children’s imagination making a trip to the pool even more entertaining.
How to organise a fun pool party for children
This is simple! Look no further than our Pool Party package – £115 for up to 25 children, or £190 including food.
These are available on Friday tea times (4pm and 5.45pm) and provide 45 minutes playtime in our leisure pool followed by 45 minutes for food in the party area.
We have our pirate cove interactive splash zone for a pirate party, an all-action, swashbuckling adventure in our pirate-themed leisure pool. Party-goers can take a shark shower, climb to the crow’s nest, ride the slide, sail the high seas and conquer the waves!
Safety tips for parents and children in the pool
With all those fun and games going on, don’t ever forget that any expanse of water can be dangerous, even a children’s pool.
This is what the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents (RoSPA) has to say:
“Constant supervision of children whilst at the swimming pool is essential. Although drownings in pools are extremely rare, evidence suggests that children under the age of 11 years are most at risk and toddlers are the most vulnerable.
“It is not sufficient to rely solely on the supervision of the lifeguard at the poolside.
“Ensure that you are familiar with the pool environment, recognise particular hazards, like changes in depth and check out where the points of help are and the location of rescue equipment. Be particularly vigilant in ‘leisure pools’ where there may be a number of features within the pool, like flumes, fountains and waves.
“If you are supervising more than one child, do not leave one child in the pool whilst taking the other into the changing rooms, unless you are confident of their swimming ability and maturity.
“Whether you need to be in the pool with the children you are supervising will depend on their age and swimming ability. Generally, it is better to support non-swimmers by being in the pool with them.
“Younger children who are out of their depth in all, or most of, the pool will need physical support. Because supervision does need to be constant recognise that you will not have the opportunity to swim and exercise yourself.”
Benefits of swimming for children’s physical and mental health
We began this blog on a serious note by highlighting how swimming can play a vital role in the life of a child or family.
Guidelines from the UK’s Chief Medical Officer recommend that children and young people take part in 60 minutes or more of sport and physical activity a day, on average.
The NHS says children and young people aged up to 18 need to do two types of physical activity each week:
- Aerobic exercise.
- Exercises to strengthen their muscles and bones.
Physically, swimming ticks those boxes. And it’s no secret that being active is good for the mind too.
The latest Active Lives Children and Young People survey by Sport England that covered the 2022-23 academic year revealed that 43% of children and young people ARE meeting the Chief Medical Officer’s recommendation.
Although it’s less than half, it’s actually good news as it shows the figure holding firm following a slump during the Covid-19 pandemic.
And at the risk of repeating ourselves, being active is good for the mind too.
The Children’s Society’s ‘The Good Childhood Report’ 2024 youth section found that most wellbeing scores were down on those in the 2009/10 report. Overall, 15-year-olds in the UK had lower wellbeing on average than 15-year-olds across 27 European countries.
The report has prompted the Children’s Society to call on the government to prevent a mental health crisis among young people.
Committed to your health and wellness – regardless of age
Barrow Park Leisure Centre is dedicated to providing our local community with outstanding, cost-effective leisure, pastime and wellbeing facilities and activities to influence healthier lifestyles across Barrow-in-Furness.
We offer a great range of swimming classes to cater for all ages and abilities. Our aim is to make everyone feel safe, confident and happy in the water.
Our sessions cover the full range of the Swim England framework from the Adult and Child Award to Learn to Swim Stage 7 – the final stage.
We have classes for youngsters aged between 4 and 16 and focus on two abilities – beginners (Barrow Park swimmers on levels 1, 2 and 3) and intermediate (level 4+).
Lessons come with a swimming cap, and when your child completes one level and moves to the next, they are given a badge.
Keep an eye out for our school holiday courses too.
For more info – https://barrowleisure.co.uk/swimming/
Testimonial
Here’s what one mum has to say about her 8-year-old son’s swimming lessons at Barrow Park Leisure Centre…
“Since starting his lessons 15 months ago, he is currently on Stage 4 and is now on the verge of moving into Stage 5. His confidence in the water has soared, and I am immensely proud of his achievements.
“As a parent, I feel completely assured of his abilities to swim safely and confidently, especially when we go on holiday.
“The instructors have been nothing short of amazing. Their expertise, patience, and dedication have played a crucial role in my son’s development. They have created a supportive and encouraging environment that has allowed him to thrive.
“I highly recommend this swimming programme to any parent looking to build their child’s confidence and skills in the water.
“Thank you for making such a significant impact on my son’s swimming journey.”