Parents are in the best position to help their child learn the aquatic skills. Teaching your child to kick, jump into the pool and diving to retrieve toys are both educational and great family bonding.
Introduction
One of life greatest joy is seeing our child plays and enjoys the water confidently. Not all the child are born with the natural affinity with water. Thus, teach your young and curious child to love the water.
Here are three activities that you can do with your little one to develop their love for water.
Kicking in the water
The ability to kick parallel to water surface results in a forward movement. This skill is essential to bring a child to safety. A child who is not taught proper kicking will be kicking in a vertical position which pose a drowning risk.
Teaching your child to kick is easy. First, have him seated at the side of the pool with legs in the water. Kick in an alternating up and down movement. Other variations include kicking while he is laying on his tummy or use a kick board while supporting him at his waist.
If your child is below three years old, bring him into the water then have him hold on to your shoulders facing you. Manipulate his legs in an alternating movement while saying kick-kick. This exercise builds muscle memory for independent kicking.
Jumping
Leaping off into the pool is a fun activity for both parents and child. It develops water confidence and helps your child to learn better.
The simplest form is to hop down the steps leading into the pool. If your child is more confident, you can ask him to jump right in from the edge of the pool. Do mind the depth and how the body enters that water. A suitable depth will be 1.2 metres with a feet first entry. Other variations include seated jump, squat jump. For younger children, bring then into the pool from the edge by holding under their arms. You can make the activity interesting by singing to the tune of Humpty Dumpty, encourage your child to fall forward into the pool at the end of the song.
Submersion
If your child is totally new to the water, water conditioning is needed before bringing him under the water. Water conditioning exercises train him to react correctly and positively when water is over his face. Exercises include washing his face and pouring water his head.
See “Helping Children Overcome Fear of Water“
Use toys that sink to encourage him to explore further when he is more ready. Place the toys at different depths for variation. If you do not have a sinking toy, you can use your feet, ask your child to climb down your legs to touch your toes. Be creative!
Conclusion
In conclusion, a child learns well with parental support and when the activities are fun. Hence, be creative in the activities and teach him to love the water. A water confident kid will pick up swim strokes swiftly at a later stage.
Credits: The pictures are from AUSTSWIM Teacher of Preschool and Infant Aquatics.
