It's time for my annual get your child in swim lesson post. Oh? I don't write one of these every year? Well gee, I should because an average of nine children die every day from drowning. Did you catch that.. NINE CHILDREN A DAY. And here you are reading my blog instead of getting those kids in swim lessons...
Okay, maybe that was a little harsh but you must understand how serious this issue is. Just the other day, I was talking with a parent whose child was not comfortable in the water. I was giving her some simple tips that I really believed would help her 4 year old daughter. She did not want any advice and claimed that I had no experience in the area...
Before I pass on some summer swimming tips, let me tell you that I am a certified American Red Cross Water Safety Instructor {fancy words...} pretty much I am a swim instructor and I have been for years now. I can teach anyone, any age, any experience, and with any disabilities. So let's dive in with some of my tips.
1- Swimming begins at home, in the bath tub. This is the biggest mistake that parents make, they often look over this vital teaching tool. In the bath tub, your child can learn breath control, blowing bubbles, and kicks. The main thing that I encourage my parents is breath control and blowing bubbles. Your child no matter how young {6 months even!} can learn to hold their breath. You need to have "cue words" like "1,2,3" or "Ready, Set, Go" Something that teaches the child that at the last word you will be dumping water on their face. It will take some time before your child starts to hold their breath but it will come. The next thing is DO NOT WIPE OFF THEIR FACE! Ugh, as a swim teacher, I HATE kids who need to run to Mom to wipe their face off. Make it a game, tell them to shake the water off, tell them that the water isn't going to hurt them, but please don't get them into a pattern of wiping off their eyes. After your child learns how to hold their breath, they need to learn how to blow bubbles because this translates into rudimentary breathing for freestyle later on. Get some ping pong balls or little animals, anything that floats and have them blow bubbles next to it so that the ball will move. If your child is old enough and understands how to blow out their birthday candles, emphasize that it is the same thing. If they are young say a year, you have to show them. {Lucky you!} If your child can master these skills before they enter a formal swim program, they will be doing great.
2- My second tip is about if you or a loved one will be teaching your child to swim. {I personally recommend formal lessons but I understand that not everyone can afford it.} A lot of times I see parents bring in their child and try to teach them how to swim but they really don't know what they are doing. I personal do NOT recommend swimming arms, full body suits, or bubbles. Parents think this is a great way to get their child to swim but there are two problems with that. The first, is that it creates a false hope of security in the water for BOTH the child and the parent. They are not safe. I have seen dozens upon dozens of children flip over in these things and cannot get themselves back up. My second problem with these floatation devices is that it forces the child to swim as if he or she is walking. It makes the child swim vertically instead of horizontally which keeps their head out of the water, creating improper alignment in their neck and back. I do understand if you have a few children and need something on them so you can hold your little one but I do not recommend them for teaching swimming. So what do I recommend?
3- I recommend that you use a noodle. It gives just enough support but still forces your child to swim. The noodle can be held by their hands with the arms straight and face in or you can rest it under their arms and you hold the child's hands. Like you see in this picture.
The child should be able to kick using a straight leg kicked called the flutter kick. I often have to tell kids not to ride their bicycles in the pool but to keep their legs straight and kick. Once the child can kick, I recommend adding in the arms. Overhand arms. The saying I use goes like this, "Pocket, Sky, Reach" During the "pocket" motion they are reaching for their pockets, "sky" puts their hand behind them and "reach" allows them to reach all the way around out of the water for either your hand or the noodle. And honestly let them get really comfortable doing that, of course with their head in the water, and then remove the noodle. It's not going to work instantly but it will work eventually. {Of course, I have a thousand tips if it doesn't work...}
4- My fourth tip is that you need to teach your child water safety. You as a parent should have a clear set of rules about water. Such as: Don't swim alone, Swim with a Lifeguard, Look before you leap, and about head firsts entries. You want to create a healthy fear about water for your child. They need to know how dangerous it can be for them if they are not safe.
5- These leads into my last tip. If you have a tragic story about a near drowning or you are terrified of the water, I wouldn't share these. I know many kids who won't get in the water because their dad is scared of the water or he always thinks it's too cold. I strongly believe that if you have had tragic experiences or are scared yourself to get into Adult Swim Lessons. I cannot even begin to tell you about the number of teenage and adult lessons that I do because they were too scared when they were younger. If you don't like water running down your face and you need to run for to a towel, try not to make that known to your child. Your child will pick up on these things.
I honestly could go on forever about swimming and lessons but I would bore you guys to death. If you have questions about this sort of thing, please ask me. We need to keep our children safe this summer. I think that is something we all can agree on.
- A homemade dinner beats going out to eat almost anytime. It is so wonderful to be able to make Roger a meal that he truly looks forward to. Dinner time is a great time to just sit and chat about the day and what's to come the following days. (Pictured on the right is the homemade Bruschetta I made the other day)
