06/22/2022
Picture of me and M swimming. This his third time this year visiting the pool and he’s already a rockstar at blowing bubbles and recognizing when he is about to go underwater. All of these skills came from his daily bathtub practices.
My goal as a swim instructor is water safety first. I’m teaching maven those skills that are going to save him one day.
Every year, even when I teach, I see parents putting floaties on their kids and letting them go in the water by themselves. Which, I get it, parents want some space. But just last week, I saw a child unzip his own life jacket and was about to slip out in the water - kids are clever and more capable than you think! Most of the time, kids don’t like wearing life jackets/floating because it’s bulky and they feel like they have no control of what they want to do in the water.
Life jackets and floaties are great, I encourage the use of them outside of lessons for play, but it’s not a solution or reason to become unaware of the dangers of the water.
Here are some of my tips for a safe day at the pool.
1. be within arms reach of non-swimming children.
2. Stay in an area where children can stand
2. Plan some family games to play
3. Practice swimming skills - 💦 splashing, blowing bubbles 🫧 , floating…
4. Sing songs (ask me for suggestions)
5. Bring some of their favorite toys 🛻
You can read this article about drowning stats and dangers of floaties:
https://www.handtevy.com/drowning-throw-the-floaties-away-stat/?fbclid=IwAR0Gmn2Af-pPXifkEzchADd2sHA1DV4p3XqJG1nDDbnZ1fiQczLQMPvQhAI&fs=e&s=cl
