Got a Child Afraid of Water on the Face?
Got a child afraid of water on the face? Meet Abram. I am currently working on getting Abram to put his face in the water. The goal is to have him hold his breath and keep his whole face in the water for ten seconds.
More specifically with consistency and without hesitation. This skill is called breath control. Once he has mastered breath control, the next step in the learn to swim process is floating.
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This video will show you how easy it is to get kids as young as 2-years-old to put their face in the water with four simple activities. And without goggles or a nose clip which is the recommended approach. Goggles can be introduced after they have mastered this first step.
Abram is two months shy of 4-years-old and is not comfortable with water on his face, yet he is willing to try everything that I present to him.
The reason for this is simple. He’s in control. And as long as he is in control, he feels comfortable and relaxed.
By staying in the shallow end of the pool or on the steps, he knows that he’s safe, so that relaxes him and when he’s relaxed he’s willing to challenge himself.
As a swim instructor or parent, your job is to motivate and encourage your child or student with activities like the ones in the video. And to never force the child’s head under the water. It will only prolong the process. It’s also dangerous and irresponsible.
And finally, when your kid or student pours water down his face or puts his face in the water for a split second all by himself, remember to praise his accomplishments. (Check out this blog post for more on this subject.)
I hope that you have the opportunity to try some of the suggestions in the video. And if you do, let me know how it went. I would love to hear all about it.
Update: A month has passed since I wrote this post. If you would like to see Abram’s progress, click here.
Love the water but fence it in, so
Tessa so
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P.P.S. Join my private Facebook group. If you need to help your child overcome their fear of water or if you’re a swim instructor and would like to share some tips and tricks on the subject, please join my private Facebook group here.
P.P.P.S. To start your child on the path to becoming water safe, click here.
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