Learning to swim can start at any age, however 4-8 months is the perfect time to start formal learn to swim lessons. Parents are more confident interacting with their baby and baby is gaining better neck control and a real interest in new and exciting situations. Baby’s growth and development will determine the suitability of skills in the swimming lesson. Common milestones for this age group include; recognises own name, turns to noise and familiar voices, grasps objects, sits without support, begins to crawl and communicates with gestures. The most important swimming objectives are to teach baby breath control on command, submerge baby underwater and free float baby without ingesting water.
During this stage, babies are like little sponges – soaking up information from their new environment. Learning takes place via baby’s senses so the stimulation of sight, sound, taste, touch and smell becomes vitally important for baby’s development. The baby swim lesson provides a perfect opportunity for stimulating the senses. During the baby first swim, baby’s neonatal reflexes will be in full swing. Parents will delight as they see their baby reacting spontaneously during the swimming lesson to the stimulation of the water by kicking and splashing.
Here are 9 important skills that you need to learn to help your child;
- Introduction to the water,
- Keeping the child feeling safe at all times,
- Predefined Goals we want to achieve,
- Introduction to the pool,
- How to hold your baby in the pool,
- Kicking practice,
- learning to grip,
- How to encourage Independence.
- Conditioning and what it means in learn to swim
Now take a look at this short video to give you an overview of what you need to Know!
Well done, that is the first step to being better prepared and equipped with the knowledge and skills to assist your little one through to becoming a confident and happy little swimmer.