Content

• Steps
• Method 1 of 2: Teaching Your Child to Move Correctly
• Method 2 of 2: Practice in the water
• Tips

While not everyone has a pool and not everyone lives by the water, it is important to teach your child how to stay afloat. In a child's life, a situation may arise in which swimming skills will be useful to him so as not to drown. To teach your child to stay afloat, make a lesson plan, teach the child the correct movement on land, and give him the opportunity to try movement in the water.

Steps

Method 1 of 2: Teaching Your Child to Move Correctly

1. 1 Teach your child to stay afloat as early as possible. Children should be taught to stay afloat before they learn to swim. Try to teach your child these skills as soon as they are ready to follow the instructions and example of adults.
   • Since young children are more prone to accidents in the water, teach your child the necessary survival skills.
2. 2 Remember to teach your child on land before moving on to teaching in the water. Instead of teaching your child everything related to swimming skills in water, it is best to show the correct movements while on land. In addition to slowing breathing, attention should be paid to the movements of the arms and legs.
   • The playground is the ideal place to practice. In fact, children will quickly and with great enthusiasm learn to stay afloat on the playground, and playing outside of school will help them learn the necessary skills as soon as possible.
3. 3 Make sure your child knows to stand upright. If your child is not upright in the water, he will simply float. Although it is also important to teach your child to swim, first of all, you need to teach him to stay afloat.
   • Help your child stay calm and slow their breathing, which is central to learning these skills.
4. 4 Show your child how to move the arms and legs correctly. The arm movements can be practiced on the ground so that the child has the opportunity to extend his arms to both sides. You can play a game involving hand movements, for example, you can ask your child to imagine walking through tall grass or vines.
   • It is necessary to show the child that the arms should be spread apart, and the shoulders should be turned in front of the body, after which it is necessary to turn the shoulders towards the back, up and down. The palms of the hands should be towards the shoulders, as if you are climbing through the grass or raking with your hands a vine to get through.
   • While moving the shoulders, the child should turn the arms so that the palms are facing forward. These movements must be done slowly and evenly to conserve energy.
5. 5 Place the child in the right position to teach him the correct movement of the legs. Once your child is comfortable with hand movements, move on to leg movements. There are several different leg movements that can help your child learn to stay afloat. Some of them may seem difficult depending on the child's age, balance and other factors.
   • It is important to teach your child to move their legs slowly and gradually so that they can then learn to stay afloat. If the child jerks his legs wildly, he will quickly be exhausted.
   • It is best to practice on the playground to help the child get into position. You can use horizontal bars or hanging rings to teach your child the correct leg movements.
   • To demonstrate movement, push off the ground, grasp the bars or rings, and show your child the correct movement.
6. 6 Show your child different leg movements. One of the simplest leg movements is a scissor kick, in which the child simply spreads his legs, one forward, the other back, and then twists and moves them like scissors.
   • There is also a frog strike, in which the child bends both legs with the knees apart and simultaneously stretches both legs like a jumping frog.
   • The most effective leg movements are spinning and shaking, but children often find it difficult to learn how to perform these movements. In this case, you need to make slow circular movements clockwise with one foot, and move the other counterclockwise.
   • The movement of the legs should be calculated so that the right leg is deflected backward from the neutral position, and the left leg moves forward, and vice versa.

Method 2 of 2: Practice in the water

1. 1 Let your child practice swimming in the pool. After the child learns to make the correct movements with his hands and feet, you can continue learning in the water. The pool is great for this purpose as it is safer than the ocean or lake.
   • The pool should be deep enough so that the child does not touch the bottom with their feet. So he can learn to stay on the water.
2. 2 Enter the water with your child. For safety, it is necessary to accompany the child during training. If your child has never been to the pool, it will take longer for him to get used to the new environment.
   • Since there is a possibility that the child will dive headlong into the water, you must ensure his safety and protect him from panic. Have the child hold their breath and cover their nose. Then dip it headlong into the water and release it immediately.
3. 3 Start at the edge of the pool. Start your activity at the edge of the pool to provide extra protection for your child. With one hand, he will hold on to the wall of the pool, and with the other, he will make movements.
   • As soon as your child learns to stay on the water, sticking to the wall, ask him to let go and swim away from it.
4. 4 Provide additional protection for your child if needed. If your child is afraid of being left without support, support him by the waist while he moves his arms and legs.
   • You can also use special protective equipment such as armbands or a rubber ring. You can also use a protective vest. This will protect your baby and not interfere with his movements in the water.
   • When the child gets used to the current situation, he will be able to do without any means of protection.
5. 5 Encourage your child to work out longer. You don't know how long he will have to stay afloat if necessary. Depending on the terrain, help may only be available in a few hours. Therefore, it is best to increase the amount of time spent training in the pool. This will increase not only efficiency but also endurance.
   • Depending on your toddler's ability, you can devote two to five minutes to an unsupported workout and increase this time to ten minutes on subsequent workouts.

Tips

• Stand next to your child in the water and ask them to pretend they are drilling holes with both hands while riding a bicycle.