Ruthie Zarren – Little Fishes Swim School
Your baby’s swimming skill building doesn’t end when you leave the pool at Little Fishes Swim School. There are many opportunities to expand on the water skills your child is developing that you can do at home to help them acclimate to the water and further their learning.
Here are a couple of water activities that we recommend parents try at home to help your little fish get more excited about their time in the water!
Blowing Bubbles – Blowing bubbles is an essential beginning swimming skill that helps your child learn breath control so they can comfortably and safely submerge their face in the water. At home you can work on bubble skills by bringing a straw to bath time and letting them blow bubbles, gradually reducing the length of the straw until they are blowing bubbles directly into the water. You can also bring bubble solution and a wand into the bathtub where cleanup is easy. Show your child how to blow through the wand to create a bubble.
Underwater Sightseeing – After your child has mastered bubbles bring a pair
of goggles into the tub and place interesting toys, trinkets or even a diving stick at the bottom of the tub. Let your child use the goggles to do a little underwater treasure hunt while lying on their stomach. Keep raising the water level to encourage them to put their face under the water and blow bubbles.
Floating – Floating is another important skill we teach our students at Little Fishes. The goal is for a child to be comfortable on their back with water in their ears. You can help your child develop their floating skills by filling the bathtub just high enough so that your child can lay on the bottom of the tub and the water covers their ears while leaving their face above the water line. Once comfortable, you can raise the water level and support their head so they can feel the buoyancy of the water as it lifts their legs and body.
For more suggestions on how to nurture your child’s love of the water, check out our blog post with tips on how to provide a comfortable atmosphere and how to develop your child’s comfort levels in the water.
There are many activities you can do at home to develop your child’s love of the water, but even if your child is acing their swimming classes, an adult who is comfortable working with the child in the water should closely supervise all activities.
Ruthie Zarren is the owner of Little Fishes Swim School, in St Louis, Missouri.