Parents are in the best position to help their child overcome the fear of water. Child trusts their parents and parents know their child’s temperament. Here are three activities that you, as a parent, can do with your child without a swim teacher.
Moving around in knee-deep water
The feeling of weightlessness can be intimidating to some children. Have your child walking in a knee to hip deep water will help him acquaint to the sensation . Encourage him to walk forward, sideways and backwards using support such as holding his hands, flotation noodle or the ledge of the pool. As he becomes more confident, try hopping or running across the shallow pool.
Blowing bubbles
A beginner will hold his breath when submerging his head. This is a reactive response to protect the airway. However, children will need to learn correct breath management to swim well, which is to inhale through his mouth and exhale through his nose. One essential skill is to exhale through the nose (nose bubbles). To do that make the sound of the letter ‘M’ with mouth closed and head above the water. Try to extend the tail-end of ‘M’ for 3 counts. Next, perform the same exercise with his nose on the lip of a filled cup. Do away with the cup and perform the exercise on the water surface when he is more confident.
Water over various of the body parts
The aim of this exercise is for your child to be comfortable with water over his face. My favourite exercise is a game of scissors-paper-stones where the winner will get to empty a cup of water over the other person’s head. If he is uncomfortable, do water over ears or the back of his head first.
Another activity is to have him cover his face with his palms before putting his face into the water. Encourage him to go deeper each time.
That’s it. Practice these activities with your child and enjoy the process. A happy kid who enjoys the water learns well.
