All of Your Attention, All the Time: Tips for Parents
The continuation for All of Your Attention, All the Time:
Tips for Parents
Royal Life Saving believes that one of the smartest ways to supervise children is to have a designated supervisor. Responsibility can be rotated and if there is a large number of children to supervise, leave an adult stationed at each different place where the children will play, to monitor that area effectively.
Being said that, here are the Tips and advices for Parents:
1. Make your children feel comfortable in water
Show your children how to get used to water. Change simple bath time to activity time so that they will become familiar with the effects and feel of the water they are in.
2. Make swimming as their regular activity
Make swimming your child’s regular activity. Take your whole family to a pool and create swimming time as family time. Let your child feel water as his/her second nature.
The more time you spend with your children in water, the more likely they will feel more relaxed and familiar with it.
3. Practice “touch supervision” for young swimmers
Young children especially the new swimmers, are expected to have a fear of water particularly those who are not used being in a pool. You as a parent need to make your children feel safe whenever they are at the pool.
One measure to make them feel secure and safe in water is by joining them while they swim. Provide them your arms as they’re floaters when they practice, your back as their ride to the other side of the pool and of course your soothing words to encourage them.
It’s a small measure to take but it will be a big difference to your child’s perspective towards water.
Being physically present for them while they face they’re fears is a plus, but emotionally present is probably the best! Show your children that there is nothing to fear when it comes to swimming/water. Let them practice independence, comfortability and discipline and being comfortable in the water. And to learn to respect the water as well.
