Swimming Unit Study for Elementary Students

Introduce your elementary students to the fun sport of swimming with this swimming unit study!

With more and more communities having indoor pools, swimming isn’t just for summer anymore.  Swimming can be a great way to add some physical activity to your homeschool schedule all year round.

This swimming unit study includes swimming history, language arts, science, art, field trip ideas, and much more! Your students will learn about the history of swimming, pools and swimwear; the Olympic sport of swimming: Missy Franklin and Joni Eareckson Tada; how to swim; and many more multi-subject activities including encouragement for reluctant swimmers.

Some links in this post may be affiliate links. This means that if you click on them, I may make a tiny commission, at no extra cost to you. For more info, check our privacy policy.

Swimming Unit Study: Recommended Resources

Here a variety of books at different levels, depending on your child’s interests and abilities

Swimmy by Leo Leonni

Froggy Learns to Swim by Jonathan London

Let’s Talk Swimming by Amanda Miller

Saturday is Swimming Day by Hyewon Yum

In the Swim by Douglas Florian

The Deep by Tim Winton

Winter’s Tail: How One Little Dolphin Learned to Swim Again: How One Little Dolphin Learned to Swim Again by Craig Hatkoff

America’s Champion Swimmer: Gertrude Ederle by David A Adler

Joni Eareckson Tada: Swimming Against the Tide (Trail Blazers) by Catherine MacKenzie

Swimming with Faith: The Missy Franklin Story by Natalie Davis Miller

Activities for the Swimming Unit Study

History of Swimming

• Learn about the history of swimming.
• Read about the history of pools.
• Learn about the history of swimwear. This site has Victorian swimwear and a link for 20th-century swimwear.
• Research famous swimmers. Read America’s Champion Swimmer.
•  Find out who the most recent Olympic swimmers were. Read Swimming with Faith: The Missy Franklin Story

Language Arts

• Write a letter to an Olympic swimmer telling them how they have inspired you and why you love to swim.
• Read Swimmy.
• Complete the Swimming Word Search.

Science

• Read Winter’s Tail – Learn more about the true story of Winter.
• Write down as many animals you can think of that swim. This could be a game between children to see who comes up with the most animals.

Field Trip

• Attend a local swim meet.
• Go to a beach or pool. Play Marco Polo and other swimming games.

PE

• Read Let’s Talk Swimming.
• Practice swimming or sign up for swimming lessons if you don’t know how to swim.
• Use this swimming notebooking page to describe some of the basic swim strokes.

For Reluctant Swimmers

• Read The Deep & Saturday is Swimming Day.

Art

• Read and study the paintings in the book In the Swim.
• Create some of your own swimming paintings. Try these salt & watercolor resist technique from Hannah’s Art Club or this art lesson in the style of David Hockney from Kids’ Artists.
• Design some futuristic swimwear.

Bible

• Read Isaiah 25:9-12.
• Read Joni Eareckson Tada: Swimming Against the Tide

More Summer Homeschooling Resources

Be sure to pin this post to your favorite Pinterest board so you can find it again later.

And be sure to follow Homeschool Helper Online on Pinterest for 1000s more free homeschooling resources!