Fly Swatter Fun for the Swimming Pool

Post by Contributing Writer Amy

“Stop playing with the flyswatter!  You are getting dead bug germs everywhere!”

Yep.  That was me.  I’ve said that so many times. Please don’t tell my kids that “dead bug germs” aren’t actually a thing.

I decided if they are going to play with flyswatter, then they are going to learn something, too.  If you have a kiddie pool, flyswatter, and a set of foam bath letters & numbers, your kids can do the same.  The flyswatter lets water through, so it makes the perfect scoop for catching the bath letters and numbers. The numbers and letters stick to the flyswatter just like they do to the side of the tub, making these activities easy for all ages.  Just add hot weather and kids!

Name the Numbers

• Ask your little one to shout out the names of the numbers before scooping them or swatting them in the pool.

Letter & Number Sort

• Keep in mind what letters and numbers your child is able to identify. For my two year old, I only used the letters in her name and numbers 1-5 so it would challenge her a bit, but not overwhelm her.
• You can ask them to find a specific letter or number or just let them scoop any one they want and tell you what it is.
• Give them two containers, one for letters and one for numbers.  We just used some nearby sand buckets.  make sure to talk about whether it’s a letter or number and sort away!

Sound Splash

• Say a letter sound and ask the kids to swat the letter that matches the sound.
• This was one of the simplest games and my preschoolers loved it!

Scoop & Share

• The kids can scoop any letter they like, and then share as many words as they can think of that start with that letter.
• For a greater challenge, they can share words that end with that latter.

High & Low Double Digits

• Ask kids to scoop two numbers and make a double digit on the flyswatter.
• Help them say the number first. Then, make a new number just by swapping the two numbers.  This game gave us the chance to talk about how 84 and 48 used the same two numbers, but made different amounts depending on which one you put in front.
• After the making the first number, ask them to find two new numbers and see if they can make new high and low two digit number to show you.

There you have it!  Now I can say, “Stop playing with the flyswatter!  That’s for learning in the swimming pool!”

Not one of the kids even cares that the swimming pool is now full of “dead bug germs.” :)

Amy is a former reading and third grade teacher as well as a mother to three little girls with big personalities.  She believes joy can always be found in playing, learning, and ice cream.