Learning to swim from a young age is important for many reasons; not only does it teach vital life skills but it also develops children in other ways, such as helping them to build confidence and social skills. It’s therefore important to make sure that however they learn that they always enjoy themselves when doing so. We teamed up with our friends at Zoggs to bring you some handy advice on how to ensure that you and your kids always have fun in the water.
Make it Familiar
For babies, getting in the water is a new and sometimes daunting experience. It is important to make them feel safe and happy so you can build a relationship between you, your baby and the water. This way they will feel comfortable in their new surroundings, increasing their confidence and speeding up their progress. Try singing songs, blowing bubbles and reassuring them through lots of smiles, splashing and laughter. They will soon be joining in with you.
Fun & Games
Young children learn more effectively through play so as they start to move on to the next stage of their swim development make everything into a game to keep their interest. For example see who can ‘scoop out the most ice cream’ from the water to develop their stroke whilst wearing the Zoggs Water Wing vest or use one of the pool toys to engage them. The more fun they have the more they will enjoy their time in the water and the quicker they’ll start to develop their technique. You’ll also enjoy it more too.
Encourage Competition
As children get older and more confident they may develop a tendency to get bored in the pool but by introducing competition in a fun way you can keep them motivated and active. Using Dive Sticks to play games is a great way to have fun whilst building confidence, and encouraging competent swimmers to dive under the water, either individually or with others. Ask them to try and beat their previous best time to collect all the Dive Sticks from the bottom of the pool or team up with their friends for a sink and retrieve relay race.
Many people see the ultimate goal of learning to swim as repetitive length swimming, keeping fit or just a survival technique but it can be so much more than this. Being in the pool can be social, stress relieving and most importantly a chance to enjoy yourself! For many people lane swimming is fun but the water has so much more to offer whether it be playing water polo, diving or synchronised swimming. Teaching your little ones how to have fun from an early age and throughout their swim development will mean they get the most out of being in the water and will reap the rewards later on.