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Paint Your Face Wet –Preschool Swimming Pool Activities
Help preschoolers get their face wet with a water adjustment activity that requires only a simple paintbrush. Swimming is an excellent physical fitness activity for preschoolers, but many preschoolers have anxiety about putting their face in the water. Some preschoolers like to warm up slowly to healthy exercise activities involving water or a swimming pool. Let preschoolers paint their face and the faces of others with water and then paint your preschooler’s face with water. Start slowly painting other body parts first and work up to the face according to each preschooler’s comfort level.
What You Need
A Clean Paint Brush
Paint Your Face Wet Instructions
Use the following activities in order over a long period of time. Going through all of the steps may take a few days or a few weeks depending on the comfort level of both the adult and the preschooler.
1. Encourage Your Preschooler to Paint a Doll or Plastic Animal – Add a paintbrush to water toys either in the pool or bath tub and ask preschoolers to paint the dolls or animals with water.2. Let Your Preschooler Paint Your Face with Water – Wait for a calm moment and offer to let a preschooler paint your face with water. Timing is very important for this first step. If a preschooler is over stimulated, nervous or very excited, they might be too rough with the paintbrush on another person’s face.
3. A Preschooler Paints Their Own Face with Water – Again, wait for a calm moment and encourage your preschooler to paint their own face with water. If your preschooler doesn’t take the lead, adults can ask questions such as, “What would you like to paint first? Your chin or your cheek?”
4. An Adult Paints a Preschooler’s Face with Water
Phase 1
Give the Preschooler some Control – Ask the preschooler which part of the face they want you to paint. You can also offer two choices and let the preschooler choose. Example - “What do you want me to paint first? Your nose or your chin?”
Phase 2
Adult’s Choice to Paint – Explain that now you will choose which part to paint and tell the preschooler ahead of time.
Example – “I’m going to paint your cheek.” (Paint the cheek.) “Now I’m going to paint your nose.” (Paint the nose.)
Phase 3
“Which Part am I Painting” Game – Tell preschoolers to close their eyes. You paint a part of their face and they have to guess which part of their face you painted.
All of the activities above will help preschoolers feel more comfortable with water on their face and bring them closer to putting their face in the water.
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