This swimming lessons game works best in a zero-depth pool; a pool that simulates a beach. There are a number of swimming skills that it works on, and many more depending on how creative your instructors or you are.

Treasure Hunt:

Get a kickboard. This will be your “boat.”
Every child in your class is a pirate or a treasure hunter. The instructor is the Captain. The captain steers the boat, the children go around it.
Instructor does an alligator walk while pushing the “boat.”
Children do alligator walks behind or around instructor and “boat” while hunting for treasure.
When instructor / Captain gets to a certain point, throw toys or rings, out into the water and have the pirates/children/hunters go find treasure.
Put rules on children, can only get treasure if they go underwater, or do a front float, or blow bubbles.
Bring 1 piece of treasure back to the boat at a time. Stack the treasure on the boat.
Alligator walk with bubbles on the way back, to help the boat laden with treasure move faster.
OPTIONAL! Run into a storm and lose the treasure and find it again with new activity: back floats/underwater 2x/etc.
Pull into harbor/where class began and give rewards for treasure; exmp: Buckethead!

This game works REALLY well to do alligator walks, underwater, and blowing bubbles IF the instructor is willing to suspend their disbelief and play with the children.

Excellent game for 2-5 years.

Additional information added 4/3/2023:

Swimming Lesson Game: Treasure Hunt

Are you looking for a fun and effective way to teach your students how to swim? If so, you might want to try the treasure hunt game. This game is a great way to motivate your students, practice different skills, and have a lot of fun in the water. Here is how it works:

How is it played?

The treasure hunt game is simple to set up and play. All you need are some small objects that can sink to the bottom of the pool, such as coins, rings, or toys. You can also use pool noodles or kickboards to mark the boundaries of the treasure area. Before the game starts, scatter the objects in the designated area and make sure they are visible from the surface.

To play the game, divide your students into two teams and assign them a color or a symbol. Each team has to collect as many objects of their color or symbol as possible within a certain time limit. You can also assign different points to different objects depending on their difficulty or value. For example, a coin might be worth one point, while a ring might be worth two points.

The students can use any swimming technique they want to retrieve the objects, but they have to follow some rules:

They have to stay within the treasure area and not cross the boundaries.
They have to return to their team’s base (a wall or a lane marker) after each dive and place their object in a bucket or a basket.
They have to take turns diving and not interfere with the other team’s divers.

The game ends when the time is up or when all the objects are collected. The team with the most points wins.

Who is the game for?

The treasure hunt game is suitable for students of different ages and levels. However, you should make sure that your students are comfortable with diving underwater and holding their breath for a few seconds. You should also adjust the depth and size of the treasure area according to your students’ abilities and safety.

The game can be played with small or large groups, but you should try to balance the teams in terms of number and skill. You can also modify the game by adding more or less objects, changing the time limit, or introducing different challenges or rewards.

What skills does it work on?

The treasure hunt game is a great way to work on various swimming skills, such as:

Breath control: The students have to exhale underwater and inhale at the surface.
Diving: The students have to dive down to reach the objects.
Streamlining: The students have to keep their body in a straight line while diving and swimming.
Kicking: The students have to use their legs to propel themselves underwater and on the surface.
Arm strokes: The students have to use their arms to pull themselves underwater and on the surface.
Buoyancy: The students have to adjust their buoyancy to sink or float.
Coordination: The students have to coordinate their breathing, diving, swimming, and grabbing skills.
Endurance: The students have to swim back and forth between their base and the treasure area multiple times.
Teamwork: The students have to cooperate with their teammates and follow the rules.

The treasure hunt game is a fun and effective way to teach your students how to swim. It can help them improve their skills, confidence, and enjoyment in the water. Try it out in your next swimming lesson and see how your students react!