Dry Land Readiness & Skill Building Activities: OT Foundations for Confident Swimming

Swimming is not only about what happens in the water and many children need time, practice, and foundational skills on land before they feel ready to participate confidently in lessons. For children with low muscle tone, coordination challenges, sensory needs, or anxiety, building these skills beforehand can make swimming feel much more achievable.

The Dry Land Readiness & Skill Building Activities booklet offers a set of simple, engaging OT informed exercises to help children warm up their bodies and strengthen the skills that support safe and confident swimming. These activities improve core stability, motor planning, bilateral coordination, balance, endurance, and body awareness, all essential building blocks for swimming success.

Use this flyer to:

Build your child’s strength and confidence before entering the water

Support children who need warm up time to regulate their bodies

Practice motor skills that translate directly to swimming movements

Reduce anxiety by creating a predictable pre swim routine

Help instructors understand your child’s strengths and needs

Families can use these activities at home, before lessons, or as part of a weekly routine. Those activities are designed to be achievable, low pressure, and fun with no equipment, no overwhelm.

This resource is ideal for:

Children with coordination or motor planning challenges

Children who need movement to regulate before swimming

Kids who benefit from warming up their bodies and brains

Therapists and swim instructors who want supportive prep materials.