Encourage a love for swimming
I am so excited to announce that my new swimming workbook for children is now available to buy on Amazon.
Endorsed by the STA (Swimming Teachers’ Association), the UK’s governing body for swimming, it includes over 30 activities (quizzes, puzzles, colouring, creative challenges and more) that teach swim skills and create a love for swimming. The content educates children about different bodies of water and why we learn to swim. It teaches water safety and has exercises on floating, swimming hats, safety rules and beach flags. Fun activities introduce children to swim language (what is a ‘stroke?’), equipment and how we swim.
The idea to design this all started when last year I decided to make a wordsearch for some of my (STA Level 2) swimmers. I wanted them to understand the actual names of the main swim strokes (front crawl / freestyle, back crawl, breaststroke and butterfly). That night I decided that an extra resource would do the trick – something for them to do at home that gave them some context about what we were doing in the lessons. Half-way through designing the wordsearch, a hundred other activities suddenly popped into my head that would work on paper. I knew straight away that a bigger book was needed!
The world needs a swimming activity book for kids because one doesn’t exist already for this age group. There are some coaching books for teens, aimed at those swimming in a squad but nothing for younger children. As a parent to a 7 year old, I know too well that there are dozens of activity books out there about dinosaurs, nature, superheroes, football, but none about swimming (that I can find!).
This workbook gives children more detail about the things they are learning in their lessons. It encourages engagement and is great for those who might be resisting going to their swimming lessons, feeling nervous about starting or wondering why it’s so important that they learn to swim. It’s vital that children learn to swim and so that means it’s vital that they love learning to swim. The workbook aims to help with that passion if it doesn’t exist yet for your children.
The activities inside support the national curriculum. As a qualified swim teacher who has also worked in primary schools, I understood how to design something that supported their goals for reading, comprehension, handwriting, numeracy and creative learning. It was designed with key stage 1 in mind but will be completed by many children in reception and key stage 2, also.
As writers, we really don’t make a lot financially from Amazon self-publishing, especially for something full colour throughout which has quite high printing cost. I have kept the price as low as I can and really just want to see this in the hands of as many kids as possible! Let’s create a national engagement with swimming and how incredible it is for us.
Buy a copy and help spread the word!
REBECCA GIVENS 