Every child (and every adult) loves to explore the water and especially the animals that dwell in it. So what better opportunity than for kids to learn something about how to swim from ocean dwellers?
You have to admit that there are some pretty awesome swimmers in the ocean. Which of these swimmers are the best
teachers for kids?
Let’s start with what might be the simplest.
Fish
They are great examples – even for beginners – since they illustrate perfectly how to blow bubbles and they use their gills to control their breath – just as our little ones learn to control their breathing. And then they take off with their fins moving their bodies through the water.
Next, let’s learn from the ocean’s cutest.
Sea Otter
Sea Otters are indeed the cutest creatures you see in the ocean. They always look like they’re just chilling in the water. What can they teach kids? Well, while they are chilling, they’re showing anyone that’s watching what floating on their backs is all about. The sea otter float means that kids are floating – heads back and bellies up with arms and legs slightly open. This is natural to otters but not so natural to kids! It’s something new to kids but pretending to be a sea otter helps them relax and do it.
What can we learn from one of the oddest looking?
Octopus
The octopus provides kids with a good example of the front float. While none of us humans have extra appendages, we can let the ones we have go limp while we keep our eyes down and relax to imitate the languid movements that are characteristic of the octopus. The front float is an important swim skill for kids to learn because they will build upon it for future skills. It also reinforces staying calm and in control in the water.
Our next ocean animal may be the craftiest of all.
Crab
It gives little ones a real kick to pretend to use their “crab claws” to help them scoot around the wall of the pool. It may seem like a simple thing for little ones to imagine their hands as grabby pincers, but they must learn how to coordinate their movements so they can maneuver around. These skills help little ones get in and out of the pool as if it is natural to them.
Now let’s look at the elite swimmer in the ocean.
Dolphin
Dolphin are graceful swimmers. But what looks effortless actually takes great agility and power. They show off with antics that give swimmers an example of how to learn the butterfly stroke.
Remember how the dolphin bobs up and down constantly breaking the surface of the water. That’s what kids can mimic as they practice their dolphin kicks with their legs and feet are held together to imitate the dolphin’s tale and their hips press up and down like the dolphin moves his body as he cuts through the water.
One of the best things about encouraging little ones to imitate ocean animals to learn swim skills is that it helps them to relax and concentrate on mimicking the animal’s movements and distracts them from any apprehension that may make them too tense to learn their skills. The added bonus is that everyone has fun!
Our goal, at Little Otter Swim School, is to provide a nurturing and fun place for children to learn to swim.
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