Lets make a splash!
When looking back at my childhood one of my fondest memories is of my going to my friend’s house (who had a swimming pool) where we would spend hours throwing balls to each other.
In the 21st century things have progressed a lot and the toys available today are more sophisticated than a simple ball! They range from the big to the small, inexpensive to expensive and all are designed to help children have fun in the pool.
Swimming pool floating toys help to amuse kids while they are in the pool. Some of them can also help keep small children safe as they are toys and holding devices in one.
A huge appeal of these toys is that they can help encourage play among children, leading to the development of social skills. This is a key skill that kids need to cultivate to help them when they go to school.
Swimming pool floating toys.
A heap of benefits
Swimming pool floating toys have many benefits.
These toys encourage active play. Your child will be building up and developing muscle groups by moving around in the water. It is very important for children to become active from a young age as it will help them in later life.
These toys also help a child gain balance and coordination as this is required to stay upright in a swimming pool.
Swimming pool floating toys encourage cooperative play. Many of the pool toys available require more than one child and this interaction with other children can help the development of crucial social skills. Children are learning from a young age to play together.
Another play area targeted by swimming pool floating toys is manipulative play. Some of the toys available are puzzles or have controls and these require your child to work out how to use them or fit the pieces together. This encourages mental development which is obviously of a benefit to children.
Essential pointers for
Swimming pool floating toys.
- It may seem obvious but check that swimming pool floating toys will actually float! Sometimes the material of such toys can become waterlogged and they will sink to the bottom of the pool! Therefore, check carefully the type of material that the toy is made out of.
Swimming pool safety!
It cannot be stressed enough, how important it is for you to keep a careful eye on your children when they are playing in the pool.
Accidents can happen very quickly and it is important that children are supervised at all times while in the pool. If there are several children then it is important to have more adults to look after the children.
If you pick some of the swimming pool floating toys that are made for climbing on, make sure that the water is deep enough so that if a child fell off they wouldn’t hit their head on the bottom or on the side of the pool as they fell!
Also, remember, your child’s ability in the water is based on their confidence and not how good you think that they should be. Always listen to your child and make sure that they feel as comfortable as possible.
My brother was never much of a water baby and he wore armbands (to help keep him afloat) until he was 8 years old – he only felt comfortable in the water with them on.
Make sure your child is wearing sun protection, hats etc and is kept out of the midday sun. Toddlers’ skins are delicate. A child can burn very quickly in a pool and the cool water prevents them from noticing their skin getting uncomfortable. It is very important to take proper measures to avoid sunburn!
- These toys need to be sturdy. Many of the floating toys available require your child to sit or climb on them and you need to check that they are of a suitable rugged design and materials.
- It is advisable with some of the larger swimming pool floating toys to check if the pool needs to be of a specific length or depth.
- An alarming point I discovered with some of the battery operated toys was that the container where the batteries are kept wasn’t actually waterproof. The toy would only last for about 20 minutes before the water destroyed the batteries. Check that all areas of the toy are waterproof.
- Another thing to check is whether there are any attachments to these toys that your child may become caught up in.
- A feature of many of these toys is that they can be used my more than one child. This is a great idea as it increases the value of your toy and allows kids to play together. Its brilliant for encouraging a child to interact with others. They can certainly enhance family time in the pool are everyone plays together.
- Some of the swimming pools floating toys available require kids to climb on them and this is a valued feature as it helps your child with balance, coordination and helps build strong and healthy muscles.
The evolution of swimming and swimming pools
Swimming is a very popular sport today Yet, this skill has been around for thousands of years.
Assyrian wall drawings and Babylonian bas-reliefs indicate that early humans possessed swimming skills. The most famous depiction of humans swimming dates back nearly 6000 years.
There are references to swimming in the Bible, in Homer’s Iliad and Odyssey. Many of the ancient civilizations swam, including the Persians, Greeks, Phoenicians, Egyptians and Romans.
The ancient civilizations of Rome and Greece used swimming to educate young boys. It was the Romans who built the first swimming pools.
To not be able to swim in ancient times was viewed with contempt and Plato once stated that anyone who could not swim lacked a proper education.
The first heated swimming pools were introduced in Rome during the first century BC. It was built by Gaius Maecenas of Rome, who was a rich Roman lord and is considered to be one of the first patrons of the arts.
In our modern culture, the spread of swimming pools can be linked with the first modern Olympic Games held in 1896. Swimming races were among the original events and the popularity of swimming began to spread after the games.
Ready to go…
The beauty of swimming pool floating toys is that they generally come ready to go into the pool.
If choosing some of the larger floating toys it may be worth investing in an air pump to help you inflate them.
Here are theSwimming Pool floating toys we have reviewed…
Swimways Rainbow Reef Turtles Pool Toy (Colors May Vary)This is an inexpensive toy that will help your toddler swim in a pool.
This turtle realistically swims about your pool. The turtle pool toy is great because it will help your toddler to enjoy their experience in the pool. They can try to catch the turtle – which is always good fun.
Slightly older children can see if they can race the turtle and win, helping improve their swimming and building healthier and stronger muscles.
More than one child can interact with this turtle by having races or swimming after it. This will help enhance your child’s interaction skills.
The turtle pool toy is approximately 10 inches long and it is very realistic looking. It requires 2 batteries (which are not included).
This toy is designed for children of around 4 though younger children can play with it under adult supervision.
While this toy will only swim around your pool there are several games that kids can play including, ‘race the turtle’ and ‘follow the turtle’.
It certainly brightens up the pool and is well priced.
Let’s play ball
A really simple idea for fun in the water is playing ball.
Any ball will do, though inflatable beach balls can be great fun to try and hit.
Everyone should stand in a circle and throw the ball to someone in the circle. If the person fails to catch the ball then they are out!
Children (and grown ups!) of most ages can take part in a game like this. It is a great way to get people interacting and providing the ball is not thrown too hard (another reason why a soft beach ball is a good choice) most children will be able to cope. The last person standing wins the game.
If there are only 3 or 4 children an alternative is to play ‘piggy in the middle’. One person goes in the middle while the others try to throw the ball past theml. If they do manage to catch it then the person who lost the ball is in the middle.
These games are really good fun and the whole family can take part, meaning that everyone can bond together.
Hours of fun for all! The Hide out castle play center is all a kid could wish for!
This large inflatable hide out can be used by children of all ages (under adult supervision). There is an area where kids can sit inside the castle and another where the can paddle in the water but still be hidden inside the castle.
A major plus point for this play center is that it will protect your child from the sun. There is a roof that means they can play in the pool and yet still be shaded.
The great advantage of these swimming pool floating toys is that several children can play in them at once. Keeping them amused and also enabling them to develop social skills.
Kids are able to use this toy in many different fun gaming scenarios: as a secret den, playing tag in the pool (whoever is caught will be imprisoned in the castle); rescuing each other. This toy really encourages imaginative play.
This play center comes equipped with all round barriers and a safety rope helping to keep your kids secure at all times. Two rubber rings and a kids’ boat are included . The toy center measures 79”x60”x73”. Is this the ultimate floating toy for children?
It is reasonably priced and comes with so many extras for kids to play with!
Banzai Motorized Speed Boat Blast Your Friends As You Speed Through The Pool!]
What a cool little mobile. The Wave Cruiser Inflatable Craft uses a motorized engine, to make the craft move across the pool.
Its coloring makes it really attractive to kids. The wave cruiser can be steered forward, left and right.
This is a lifelike toy modelled on a jet ski. As it is motorized, supervision is required at all times. It’s worth having your child wear some type of buoyancy device too. So if they fall off they will have something to keep them afloat.
If some children are not comfortable swimming this provides an exciting alternative. They are still able to go into the pool but don’t have to get wet if they don’t want too.
Your child will have to learn how to manoeuvre the wave cruiser, using the handles. This will help improve their manipulative skills. Navigating this ride on will improve their hand-eye coordination too.
A great game for a child to play on the wave cruiser is negotiating an obstacle course. This should be designed according to how well your child can operate the cruiser. They’ll gain a real sense of achievement as they set new records!
Note that eight batteries are required.
A cool toy .
This review of Swimming Pool Floating toys
was written by ..
Lesley Allen
– Favorite aunt from Ireland. Storyteller and playmaster.
Intex Water Slide Inflatable Play Center,
Top of the range in swimming pool floating toys!
This toy is not for the faint hearted (both price and play wise!!!). For your kids to enjoy this toy they will need a real sense of adventure too!
The Inflatable Play Center is approximately 6’(H)x7’(W)x10’(D) and so requires a large pool.
Your child will be able to jump, slide and climb on this toy. It has an area for kids to climb up and once they get to the top then they can either jump off or slide down into the water.
This is not a toy for very young children but kids from 3 – 4 and upwards, with strict supervision and wearing floatation devices, will have tremendous fun on this floating climber.
It is in very bright shades and kids will really want to play on this climber. It requires physical strength and younger children may find the climbing hard. They will certainly enjoy sliding down into the water though.
This toy is has a high price tag. It’s also necessary to have the proper safety equipment. But it’s a wonderful toy.
The climber appeals to a wide age range and as a child grows up they will still get great fun from this toy. This toy will provide years of active enjoyment.
Is there an alternative to Swimming Pool Floating toys ?
You’ll find some interesting alternatives to Swimming Pool Floating toys in our review of Children Snow toys or you may select another toy category from the sidebar.
Or for something completely different ..
Pool-A-Hoop Obstacle Course
Forget floating, now’s the time to dive deep!
Whilst in Thailand recently I was swimming in the hotel’s pool when I noticed young kids playing at the top of the pool with hoops and stones. These 3-7 year olds were swimming through the hoops and then diving down to retrieve the stone. I thought that this was a rather difficult game for such young kids but as I watched I noticed that the older children would wait at the end of the course so the younger ones could swim to them and they would then hold onto them.
So as long as your child has proper supervision and they are comfortable swimming underwater then this game could be a hit!
This diving game is a great buy for kids. It consists of two hoops, one baton and a hurdle. The aim of the game is to retrieve the baton. The child must swim through the obstacle course and navigate the different parts to find what they are looking for.
It is a great game if there is more than one child in a family as your kids can race each other. This game requires a child to be adequate in the pool and adult supervision should be provided at all times.
An entertaining toy .