When the pool is set up and filled in the garden, it doesn't take much to provide entertainment suitable for children. While adults water rats relax in the cool water and remain passive, children develop tremendous energies with daring jumps in the garden pool. In the second part of our summer special, we present some of the best water toys for children so that they don't get bored even on long summer days.
Don't forget: make the swimming pool child-proof
If you need help with the purchase of a garden pool, you will find basic tips in our Summer Special - Part 1: The best swimming pools for water games in the garden. A swimming pool in your own garden is usually quick to set up, but not automatically child-proof. In order to make a swimming pool child safe, some safety measures are required. Small children in particular should not be left alone in open (and therefore accessible) garden pools. Similar to garden ponds, low-walled pools in particular represent a safety risk for children. Because even removing the pool ladder, including the high pool wall, does not protect against daredevil climbing, upgrading with a sturdy protective cover is essential. Qualitatively high quality tarpaulin* help make the swimming pool child safe. Fixed tarpaulins, the dimensions of which are precisely adapted to the pool dimensions, can even be walked on and prevent a break-in even during spontaneous crawling actions.
Pointed or sharp objects (such as damaged plastic toys), which can cause injuries when jumping, should also not be near the pool (or even in the garden pool). Stinging animals such as bees or wasps should always be fished out of the water, and children are of course happy to help. The control of the concentration of possible chemical cleaning agents is also not unimportant. Properly prepared, a child-safe swimming pool is the perfect place to use great water toys.
Water toys for kids: learn to dive
When it comes to their first dive, children can be very ambitious. In order to learn the right movement and breathing techniques, children should learn to dive step by step and through play. An easy exercise to learn to dive is to push off the edge of the pool and dive through the parents' legs. The distance from the "underwater gate" to the edge of the pool can be gradually increased in order to lengthen the diving phases. A smooth movement is just as important as a calm breathing technique. This gives the child the necessary security when the pelvic floor seems unreachably deep. Alternating a few strokes above and then diving under water improves swimming and diving technique. In order to maintain motivation, water toys can also be used to learn to dive. A highlight (and cheap to buy) among the water toys for children are the handy ones Toy pedos*, which cost less than 10 euros in a pack of four. The underwater projectiles do not have their own drive, but must be “thrown” through the water by hand. The material properties and shape allow the Toypedos to glide through the water like fish, creating exciting turbulence. After a few meters, the toy torpedoes fall to the bottom of the pool and can be recovered by the children with targeted diving maneuvers.
Intex diving balls work in a similar way. The Dive Aquatic Balls cost around eight euros and are therefore extremely attractive in terms of price for parents who want to teach their children to dive. The heavy balls sink to the ground and remain there until diving children have successfully saved them from the water. Streaming snakes attached to the balls provide additional underwater effects. Due to the light neoprene material, the snakes always rise to the surface and thus ensure wild movements underwater. A set of diving balls consists of three Dive Aquatic Balls in three different light colors, which are easily recognizable under water. The floating straps on the balls are also easy to grip. Thanks to the good workmanship, the diving balls withstand many dives, but can be bought cheaply if necessary.
The best water toys: hand-eye coordination
Standing in waist-high water, throwing exercises can be used perfectly to promote motor skills and coordination. Accurate throwing movements are enormous challenges for children. From a biomechanical point of view, the perfect throw is like a complex sequence of movements. Throwing balls made of neoprene, such as those from Schildkröt, are suitable for use in the water. The set of three Fun sports neoprene mini fun balls* costs approx. 14 euros. The easily visible balls have a diameter of 5 cm and can therefore be easily grasped by children's hands. The weight of 40 grams per ball supports the feel of the ball.
It can be thrown from person to person, into a floating hoop, or simply onto the surface of the water to really make the water splash. There are no limits to the imagination during the "throw training". Advanced launchers use special floating targets to further increase the level of challenge.
Throwing balls at floating targets requires practice and good hand-eye coordination. In addition, the amount of force used when throwing must be measured by the children. The water toy is ideal for sporty ball games Floating hoops* for around five euros. The floating basketball hoop with dimensions of 67 x 55 cm is a fair target for new and advanced throwers. The difficulty can of course be changed by changing the distance between the thrower and the basket. Because water sports are also suitable for adults, this water toy, which was actually designed for children, can develop an undreamt-of attraction for older water rats. The floating basketball hoop is available as a complete set including an inflatable ball and repair patches. Because different projectiles have different flight characteristics due to their shapes and material properties, it is worthwhile to exhaust the possibilities of throwable water toys for children.
Learn to swim with water toys for children
In addition to diving, swimming is one of the most important movements in water - perhaps even one of the most important movement sequences for children. Swimming trains and moves the entire body and helps children develop their body awareness. Swimming boards are one of the classics among water toys for children. The lightweight swimming aid with strong buoyancy enables beginners to learn the correct leg movement and provides safety in the water. Once children have internalized the basic movements, they can move around in the water on their own. This is the ideal time to swim short distances. Short hunting games in which children have to swim after a moving object are motivating. Water toys for children that have a mechanical drive are suitable for this. Colorful, glowing, battery-powered fish are the perfect targets for aspiring swimmers. The Goliath robo-fish are qualitatively interesting. The fast LED fish even glow in the dark and imitate the swimming movements of fish in a lifelike manner. Due to the bright colors, the Robo Fish from Goliath* Can also be seen clearly from the surface of the water. At around 15 euros, the costs are within a fair range for small toys.
The video shows Goliath Toys' robo-fish in moving pictures. Six different models are also suitable for collecting and can even be used as a "fish substitute" in an aquarium. Thanks to the sleep mode after four minutes, the robotic fish save energy. Through water contact or touch, the fish pick up speed again and swim through the water, including up and down movements.
