Swimming Skills to practice out side of lessons
The first behavior your child must master is to never enter the water or jump of a wall unless they have been cued to enter. Always, count to three before entering the water. Always, work from the stairs or wall and have your child turn back to where the started . You want to condition your child to return to the wall or stairs after they swim to you.
Step 1 – Preparation for underwater swimming
Begin with small amounts using small amounts of water and progress to cups and buckets of water. Pour the water after counting to 3, the water should run over the crown of the head and over the child’s mouth. With older children that have some fear of water you should begin pours on the back of the head and over ears before the face. You can teach older children growling and humming to keep water out of the nose and mouth.
Step 2 – Orientation to the buoyancy of the water.
Hold your child under their arms and let them float in your hands with their shoulders in the water. Keep your child in the prone position with their legs behind, don’t let them crawl or stand up while practicing swimming.
Step 3 – Back float
Back floating is an essential swimming safety skills, however, most children are reluctant to stay on their backs. Start with the students head resting on your shoulder and begin to sing with the student or count. The child should be sitting up with their head on your shoulder when you begin the back float. Slowly dip back with your child and when the sit up don’t hold them down, sit them up and do it again the same way.
Step 4 – Underwater swimming
Underwater preparation cueing transition to submersion. After you count to three you gently submerge the child completely underwater then return to the surface. Cuing can be done with lifting and you can also blow in the child face before submersion.
Cue techniques: Lifts and blowing in the face. You should ever force a child underwater younger children will never fight, however, as they get older and develop anxiety they will. With children reluctant to go under then you must get them to growl or hum into the water before you help them under the water.
Always condition safe behavior
Don’t allow your student to enter the water or jump of a wall unless they have been cued to enter. Count to 3 before entering the water and every time you leave the stairs or wall. Make sure to turn the child right back to where they started every time!
1 Hold your child in a way that allows them to feel the buoyancy of the water. Small children under the arms and older children by the hand and glide arms.
2 Never too much water pouring when you are practicing. Teach exhaling underwater with humming or growling and look up to the sky to catch a cloud.
3 Back floating use the cheek to cheek and make sure to support the students head with your shoulder. Don’t fight when they attempt to sit up. Just redirect and try it again.
4 Use the lifting method and counting to prepare a child to swim underwater. Make sure to hold the child under their arms lifted high and slowly and consistently go underwater on three. Never force a child underwater. Most importantly have fun. Do you feel like you can practice swimming with your kids now?
Step 1 Begin with small amounts using small amounts of water and progress to cups and buckets of water. Pour the water after counting to 3
Step 2 Hold your child under their arms and let them float in your hands with their shoulders in the water. Keep your child in the prone position with their legs behind.
Step 3 Back float – Start with the students head resting on your shoulder and begin to sing with the student or count.
Step 4 Underwater swimming – Cue techniques
