Winter Wonderland in the Water

Winter is a magical time of year, filled with snow, ice, and cozy fires. While the cold weather may limit outdoor activities, it doesn’t have to slow down the fun in the pool! By incorporating winter-themed activities into your aquatic therapy or adaptive swim lessons, you can keep your clients engaged and excited, all while working on important skills.

One creative way to bring the winter wonderland indoors is by using reusable water balloons as snowballs! If you haven’t heard of these before, they are made from silicone and feature a magnetic closure that allows them to easily open on impact.

These versatile tools can be used to target a variety of skills, from motor planning and coordination to social interaction and sensory exploration.

We call this sno-wimming instead of swimming and our clients have a blast! Get ready to have fun with these five engaging winter-themed activities that you can incorporate into your aquatic therapy or swim lessons.

Snowball Toss

Improve your balance and coordination with this fun wintery workout. Ask your swimmer to stand in a stable position with one foot on a step and one on the floor. Have them hold two water balloons like snowballs. Challenge them to twist or rotate their body to throw the “snowballs” at a target.

Snowball Shield

For swimmers nervous about getting their face wet- try a snowball fight in the pool. This “Snowball Shield” activity can be a fun and effective way to introduce water to the face in a controlled and playful way. Participants can hold a kickboard in a standing position to block water balloons (snowballs) from hitting their face. While unexpected splashes may occur, this activity is a great way to introduce water on the face. It provides a sense of control for the swimmer and should help them gradually build confidence with getting water on their face.

Snow Cone Race

Looking to work on dynamic balance and core strength? Ask your swimmer to sit on a noodle like a horse while holding the the water balloon on a cone or in a cup. Encourage your swimmer to run (with the noodle still between their legs) holding the midline and balancing the ‘snow cone’ with two hands.

Hold A Snowflake

For swimmers who tend to keep their hands fisted as they swim, a gentle ‘snowflake’ water balloon exercise may be just the treat! By supporting the swimmer’s body and having them gently hold a water balloon in each hand, they’ll naturally practice a cupped hand position. What is extra special about this activity is that they will gently keep their hands in a cupped position without popping the water balloon as they work on freestyle arms!

These activities are ideal for warming up an adaptive swim team and can be tailored for semi-private or private lessons/aquatic therapy.

Ailene Tisser, MA, PT, Founder

Ailene is a pediatric Physical Therapist with more than 25 years of experience treating a variety of diagnoses, both in and out of the water. She is NDT (Neuro-Developmental Treatment) trained in pediatrics and is trained in DIR/Floortime. She is currently certified as an Autism Specialist by IBCCES. Ailene brings all of her Physical Therapy expertise into the water, where she helps children of all abilities feel safe, confident, and independent. She combines her passion and skill for working with children with special needs with the therapeutic properties of the water to achieve amazing results. She enjoys sharing her knowledge and experience by educating other Aquatic Professionals so that they can also make a significant impact on the lives of swimmers with special needs.

Cindy Freedman, MOTR, Founder

Cindy is a recreational therapist and an Occupational therapist. After working for ten years as a recreational therapist in a variety of settings, she pursued a Master’s degree in OT. Her career as an OT includes specialty training in sensory integration, reflex repatterning, and aquatics. She is currently certified as an Autism Specialist by IBCCES. As a swimmer and national champion diver, Her love of the water combined with her education and work experience created them an opportunity for Swim Angelfish to become a reality! “Our mission is to create an aquatic community of trained instructors so that together we can decrease the alarming statistic of drowning being the leading cause of death for children with special needs.”