Even if you don’t have a pool, you can help your child practice the skills he’s learning at Little Otter at home.
Breath Control
The “basics” of swimming that we teach at Little Otter include breath control. Students take steps each week that help them to learn breath control. They learn to hold their breath. Starting with short time bursts and gradually working up to longer stretches. This is a great skill to practice at home. Make a game of it by adding silly faces or motions and then exhaling slowly. Insert one of your other skills for a break and then try holding your breath again.
Leg Kicks
Practicing tiny kicks outside of the water is important to having effective kicks in the water so practicing this skill at home is perfect reinforcement for the next lesson. To do this, your child needs to lie down on the ground on his belly and raise first the right and then the left leg without bending the knees. Take is slowly at first to make sure that your child is doing this correctly. It’s important to use the right form to make kicks work in the water. Make this into a game as well. Put your hands near the child’s feet to encourage them to kick higher each time. Remembering not to bend the knees in the water is difficult and this is why it’s great for you to help them practice this at home.
Windmill Arms
A strong stroke is important in helping your child move forward in the water. Practicing the stroke motion outside the water helps to reinforce the motion they need to use while in the water. Windmill Arms is perfect for this. To do this, your child should stand. Start with the right arm, having your child swing it back, then up (next to the ear) then back to the starting position. The arms should be kept straight for the entire exercise and kept close to the head on the upper rotation. Fingers should be kept together – ready to cup and push the water. Repeat with the left arm. It will resemble a windmill turning! This is an especially good skill for 3-year-olds and up to practice. You’ll see great results from the home practice when your child hits the water.
Practices Benefits
These exercises are pretty simple and don’t even take up much room so you can help your child practice almost anywhere. Reinforcing their lessons skills enhance his progress and helped him to take on the next skill in his learning progression. Schedule your practice sessions and your child will have an added time that your attention is focused specifically on an activity with them. They can show off the skills they are learning and you can help them celebrate their progress in learning their skills – which are important for your child’s learning process.
Conversations