December 9, 2024
Get your child or children to your local pool at least once per week to assist in the development of confidence and skills. Sutherland, Engadine, Caringbah and Sans Souci all have beautiful pools! Have fun with the kids and encourage the younger children to play and explore the water. When possible, keep the flotation aids off the swimmers, so that they can practice their independence in the water. Obviously, this means that adult supervision is an absolute must! Flotation aids build in a false form of independence and will interfere with the body position that we are aiming for, so unless you need to, let's keep these aids off our little swimmers. For our little Squids and Starfish swimmers who have baths in the night, sit with them and practice their conditioning buckets and also make this part of their normal routine. We are aiming for a slow count to ten seconds with water trickling over their face. Ensure that you give the children their verbal cue of Name, Ready, Go, and slowly count as the water trickles over their face. Building up this count will ensure your child learns to hold their breath for longer so that they are able to stay under the water for longer. Ensure you stay nice and relaxed and always give lots and lots of praise. For our Turtles and Penguins who have baths, let's get these kids practicing putting their eyes in the water independently and blowing really slow, extended bubbles. The longer the child can keep their eyes down for with slow bubbles, the easier their swimming will become at lesson time. For our swimmers in Orcas, Sharks and Mini Squad, get down to that 50m pool for some practice. Building confidence over the 50m is so important and so doable. Ensure you stay with your child the whole time, and give them praise and confidence as they swim down the 50m pool. Tell them to get their chins down, stay nice and relaxed, focus on their beautiful long stroke, their fast little kicks and “Just keep swimming”. Making this part of your child’s regular week will make things so easy for them when they get to their school swimming carnivals.
