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Virtual Programming
Parent and Child Programs
Aquatic Resources
Fish out of Water
Join us in our #FishOutOfWater Instagram campaign! Show us how you're being a fish out of water while you are staying at home.
- Take a picture of you or your children wearing your swim attire (goggles, cap, fins, bathing suit if comfortable, paddles, etc) doing anything!
- This can be you working out in this attire, baking, reading, playing video games, or just hanging out! Post your activity on your Instagram account with #VCUFishOutOfWater.
- Each week we will pick our favorite Fish Out of Water and post it on the Rec Sports Instagram
Online course for Water Safety for Parents and Children
Safety Topics
- Hand Washing Experiment for Kids
- Wash Your Hands with Baby Shark
- First Aid/CPR/AED Ready Reference Materials for Providing Care for Adults
- First Aid/CPR/AED Ready Reference Materials for Providing Care for Children
- Germs for Kids
- American Red Cross Apps for Kids: As many of us remain under stay-at-home orders during the COVID-19 pandemic, you may be looking for activities to do with your kids. The American Red Cross has some ideas on how to keep your children engaged while teaching them something valuable at the same time.
Swim lessons don’t have to stop just because the pools are closed. There are many activities that you can do at home in your bathtub and even on land that teach basic water safety and basic swimming techniques. By playing these games and singing these songs each time your child takes a bath, your child will be pool ready, when they open back up!
Most of our games require no equipment and can be modified based on the skill level of your child. These songs and games are suitable for infants- children 6 years of age.
All of our videos are available on our YouTube Virtual Aquatics playlist.
In This Section
Online course for Water Safety for Parents and Children
Water Safety Resources For Families
- Longfellow the Whale Water Safety Videos for parents and children
- Water Safety for Parents and Caregivers: Free on-line training through the Red Cross that teaches parents crucial water safety facts and how to keep children safe in, on, and around the water.
If you are looking for ways to incorporate toys into bathtime, some common equipment that can be used to introduce water comfort are:
- A cup to pour water on their head, arms, belly, legs, etc. Sing the song “This Is The Way” and splash or pour water on them as you “wash” each body part.
- A rubber duck or other floating toy to practice blowing bubbles. Place the toy in the bathtub and have your child blow bubbles behind it to try and blow the object to the other side of the tub. If you have multiple children in the tub, challenge them to a race!
- Have your children get comfortable wearing their goggles by tossing coins or other sinkable objects at the bottom of the bathtub. Start with having them just look at the items and progress to having them pick up the items with their entire head underwater as they become more comfortable.
Games are a fun way to incorporate basic swimming skills into bathtime, our favorite games are:
- Simon Says
- Use prompts such as kick your legs, blow bubbles, get your ___ wet (chin, ears, nose, eyes). If your child does something Simon doesn’t say, gently splash them with water.
- Kids in The Pool
- To the tune of “Wheels on the Bus” we like to say “Kids in the Pool.” You can hold your child as you do the movements, or if they are independent enough, have them do the movements on your own. Common verses you can use are “the kids in the pool go…”
- In and out: have them move to each end of the bathtub
- Up and down: have them stand up and sit down
- Round and round: have them spin in a circle
- Beep beep beep: have them splash the water with their hands
- Kick kick kick: have them kick their legs. Toes should be pointed and their knees should be straight to practice proper technique
- Scoop scoop scoop: have them practice their arms in a circle up around their head.
- Bubble bubble bubble: have them blow bubbles
- To the tune of “Wheels on the Bus” we like to say “Kids in the Pool.” You can hold your child as you do the movements, or if they are independent enough, have them do the movements on your own. Common verses you can use are “the kids in the pool go…”
- Bubble Gum Bubble Gum
- To the tune of the rhyme “Bubble Gum Bubble Gum in a Dish,” replace “how many pieces do you wish” with “how many seconds do you wish” and have your children blow bubbles for that many seconds. Set a time limit for safety, we recommend increments of 5 seconds.
- To the tune of the rhyme “Bubble Gum Bubble Gum in a Dish,” replace “how many pieces do you wish” with “how many seconds do you wish” and have your children blow bubbles for that many seconds. Set a time limit for safety, we recommend increments of 5 seconds.
- Bubbles Game
- Storytime with a twist! Our Graduate Administrator tells a story about his dog “Bubbles” in this video. Each time he says “Bubbles” have your child blow bubbles. Make up your own story to make this game your own.
- Storytime with a twist! Our Graduate Administrator tells a story about his dog “Bubbles” in this video. Each time he says “Bubbles” have your child blow bubbles. Make up your own story to make this game your own.
- Happy Birthday Song
- The “Happy Birthday” song is great for teaching children to blow bubbles. Sing the song and have your child pretend their finger is a candle. Have them place it slightly under the water and when the time comes to blow out the candle, have them blow bubbles onto their finger under the water.
- The “Happy Birthday” song is great for teaching children to blow bubbles. Sing the song and have your child pretend their finger is a candle. Have them place it slightly under the water and when the time comes to blow out the candle, have them blow bubbles onto their finger under the water.
- Hokie Pokie
- This song can be modified to teach basic swim skills, use verses like “You put you _____________ in/out”
- Right/left kicker
- Right/left scooper
- Right/left ear
- Chin
- Bubbles (have them blow bubbles when the put their “bubbles in”)
- Whole self (have them fully submerge if they are able and comfortable doing so)
- This song can be modified to teach basic swim skills, use verses like “You put you _____________ in/out”
- Motor Boat
- Sing the “Motor Boat” song to teach proper kicking technique at different speeds. With your child sitting in the tub, have them point their toes and straighten their knees. Have them kick fast when the motorboat “steps on the gas” and slow when it goes slow.
- Sing the “Motor Boat” song to teach proper kicking technique at different speeds. With your child sitting in the tub, have them point their toes and straighten their knees. Have them kick fast when the motorboat “steps on the gas” and slow when it goes slow.
- Pancake Song
- To the tune of “I’m a Little Teapot” sing “I’m a little pancake on my back, I’m a little pancake nice and flat. I’m a little pancake on my back, just flip me over just like that (have them roll to their tummy). I’m a little pancake on my tummy, I’m a little pancake nice and yummy, I’m a little pancake on my tummy, just flip me over nice & yummy.”
- The pancake song helps children practice the proper position for back floating and rolling from front to back. Have your child lay on their back with their stomach and back rounded, like a “rainbow”, their head back and ears in the water, and their arms and legs relaxed at their side or extended like a “starfish.” If you are adding in rolling over, have them dip their shoulder and roll to their front and float for 3-5 seconds with their face in the water.
- If You’re Happy and You Know It
- This song can be modified to teach basic swim skills, use verses like “If You're Happy and You Know it……”
- Splash your hands
- Kick your feet
- Blow some bubbles
- Scoop your arms
- This song can be modified to teach basic swim skills, use verses like “If You're Happy and You Know it……”
Have your children practice jumping into the pool by placing a hula hoop on the ground and jumping into it. Incorporate safety by teaching the rules of jumping:
If your child needs assistance jumping in they should always ask for permission before jumping
- Place items that could be found at the bottom of the pool and ask if it is safe to jump into the pool if they see these things on the ground.
Your children can become more comfortable wearing their life jacket by having them wear it around the house. For tips on how to purchase a properly fitting life jacket, check out our video about Life Jacket Safety.
Teach your child about helping others who are having an emergency by teaching them Reach or Throw, Don’t Go.
- Watch our video and have children practice offering something to someone who may need assistance. Have them lay on the ground and extend an object, such as a pool noodle to someone else laying on the ground. If you have stairs, you can also have children practice throwing something to a “victim” at the foot of the stairs, a stuffed animal tied to a rope would be a safe option, and pulling them up to safety. Be sure to emphasize that children should be laying down when doing these activities to emphasize their own safety.
Teach your child how to be safe around all types of bodies of water by watching our video In Your House or In Your Yard, Watch for Water, Be on Guard. Set up scavenger hunt/tour around your house with the following items:
Ask your child how they can be safe around a bucket of water
- They can dump out or ask a parent to dump out any buckets of water they see, as they can be a hazard. They should not play in buckets of water, as they never know if any potential hazards are in the bucket and the water in the bucket is a hazard itself
Ask your child how they can be safe around a full bathtub
- Children can be safe around full bathtubs by making sure there is always a parent or guardian present when they are in the tub. Parents can make sure children are safe by draining the tub as soon as bathtime is over
Ask your child how they can be safe around large bodies of water
- Show a picture of a pool or body of water, or visit the body of water if it is safe to do so
- Children can be safe around pools and large bodies of water by staying within arms reach of a parent at all times, wearing a properly fitted lifejacket, listening to lifeguards if they are on duty, and taking frequent rest breaks.
Join our Aquatics Coordinator as she reads books about a variety of aquatics topics.
Read With Jenna
Our favorite books
- ‘Ruby Learns to Swim’ written by Phillip Gwynne
- ‘The Deep End’ by Rebecca Patterson
- ‘Froggy Learns to Swim’ by Jonathan London
- ‘Let’s Talk Swimming’ by Amanda Miller
- ‘Dino-Swimming’ by Lisa Wheeler
More Family-Friendly Virtual Resources
- Kennedy Space Center - science lessons on Facebook Live
- Camp Kindergarten
- Virtual marine biology field camp
- Typing.com
- StorylineOnline - celebrities reading books
- Explore Hidden Worlds of National Parks from Google Arts and Culture
- Virtual Field Trips
- Lunch Doodles with Mo Willems
- MyBayut - learn about Dubai's culture
- For security purposes, we ask that you not use your VCU email address or eID password when creating an account on websites external to VCU.
- All information posted is merely for educational and informational purposes. The links provided are not affiliated with VCU or VCU Recreational Sports.
- If you require accommodations to access this content, please email Jenna Dillon.
Fitness Fun
Free online yoga for kids and teens
Boks Workouts for Kids on Facebook
- For security purposes, we ask that you not use your VCU email address or eID password when creating an account on websites external to VCU.
- All information posted is merely for educational and informational purposes. The links provided are not affiliated with VCU or VCU Recreational Sports.
- If you require accommodations to access this content, please email Jenna Dillon.
- For security purposes, we ask that you not use your VCU email address or eID password when creating an account on websites external to VCU.
- All information posted is merely for educational and informational purposes. The links provided are not affiliated with VCU or VCU Recreational Sports.
- If you require accommodations to access this content, please email Jenna Dillon.
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(804) 827-1100
recwell@vcu.edu
About Recreation and Well-Being
VCU Recreation and Well-Being advances student success by empowering the VCU community to prioritize well-being, connect with others, and learn through play.