In honor of Water Safety Awareness Month, we will be sharing tips to help your family be safer in and around the water. With summer right around the corner, we hope these skills will help prepare you and your family for the adventures that await.
Here are some easy ways your children can continue to practice their water safety skills and swimming techniques at home!
Blowing Bubbles
During bath time, encourage your child to slowly blow air out of their nose and mouth as they put their faces to the water. Once they're more comfortable with that, let them put their face underwater to blow even bigger bubbles. Make sure to celebrate their progress!
Conditioning
During bath time, use a plastic cup and start by gently pouring water over your child's arm. Make sure they’re ready and turn it into a fun game by saying “Ready, Set, Go!” Once your child is comfortable with this, use the same approach to gently pour water over their head.
Floating
During bath time, adjust the water level to their comfort and have them try laying on their back in a floating position, like a sea otter. Encourage them to look up at the ceiling while you sing “Twinkle Twinkle Little Star” or the “ABCs”.
Kicking Legs
When your little one is in a sitting position, hold their feet or knees and gently move their legs up and down in a kicking motion, while saying "kick, kick, kick". Not only does this help them develop the motor skills they'll need for swimming, but it also supports language development!
Pulling Arms
Does your little one love to splish and splash during bath time? Turn their playful energy into an opportunity to have them practice pulling water. When they're in a secure sitting position, hold their wrists and move their hands toward their bellies under the water while saying "pull, pull, pull."
Breathe Control
This is one of the most important skills we teach at Goldfish Swim School. Here is a fun ball racing game your entire family can play to practice this skill at home. This game helps players practice the proper breath control needed while swimming and strengthens their lungs and diaphragm.
Here's how to play! You will need a ball of some sort; a ping pong ball, ball of string or even balled up tape will work just fine.
Line the balls up at the edge of the table and have players use their breath to blow their ball across the table while racing each other. The first one to cross the goal line on the other side wins! For a fun twist, try having everyone blow through a straw. You can even build obstacles to make it more challenging!
Freestyle Arms
This exercise is just one of many ways they can practice swimming without a pool and work on their freestyle stroke at home.
While standing up, have your child make windmill motions, starting with their right arm up and left arm down. Challenge them to keep their arms straight and close to their head, with their fingers together as if they're ready to pull the water. Repeat 10 times.
Leg Kicks
Here is another skill swimmers can practice on dry land. Have your child lay on their belly, raising their right leg first, then their left. The key is to have them do this without bending their knees! If you practice straight legs at home, it will help when swim class starts again.
We love to see the progress our swimmers are making and want to see how much your little Goldfish is learning while having fun at home. Tag us in your pictures on social media - we’ll be waiting with a virtual high five!
From all of us at Goldfish Swim School Rockland, stay safe and healthy. We can’t wait to see you back at the pool soon!
Goldfish Swim School is located at 180 Weymouth Street, Rockland, MA
