Overcome fear of water Archives - Page 2 of 4

Secrets to a More Family-Friendly Yard

August 22, 2021 by Tessa Rhodes Leave a Comment

By: Anya Willis of fitkids.info

Could your home’s outdoor space use an upgrade? More families are spending time together these days, and a yard that’s ready for various activities and pleasures can be a joy. We’ve compiled some of our favorite resources to guide you toward the family-friendly yard of your dreams.

Safety First

First thing’s first. Make sure there is nothing harmful in your yard and everything is in good repair.

Talk with your kids about safety guidelines.
Carefully remove any poisonous plants lurking in your yard and teach your children how to identify them to be safe.
Put away any dangerous equipment, hoses, or other tools laying out.
Fencing boosts privacy and security; find reputable and well-reviewed fence installers on Angi.

Picture the Possibilities

Now that you have a safe, clean slate, think about all the activities and pastimes that your family might enjoy in the backyard. Then list your priorities to guide the rest of your decisions.

A family garden provides fresh veggies, along with wholesome fun. Get started by learning the basics, such as when to plant and what tools you’ll need.
The outdoors can be an engaging classroom for kids. Teach them how to identify rocks, insects, and animal tracks.
Your yard can also be a gym.
A swimming pool provides loads of entertainment and exercise.
Join Tessa Rhodes’ Online Swim Academy to teach your kids how to swim and to develop a love of water.

Gear, Tools, and More

Once you decide on more ways to enjoy your yard, look for ways to bring your ideas to fruition.

Outfit your workout area with appropriate equipment.
Include a play area for youngsters.
Improve the pool area with great landscaping.
Don’t forget some water-friendly fun!
New to gardening? These resources will tell you all you need to know.

Does your yard improve your family’s quality of life? It should be a safe, comfortable, and fun environment for the whole family. Look for ways to tweak it, and enjoy!

About Anya Willis: For most of her childhood Anya struggled with her weight. In school, she was bullied because of it, and it wasn’t until she took a yoga class in college that things started to change. Anya now uses her knowledge and love for yoga to help kids find physical activities to keep them happy and moving.

What Is Breath Control in Swimming?

December 18, 2018 by Tessa Rhodes Leave a Comment

What Is Breath Control?

Remember Abram from about a month ago? In case you missed it, here are Abram’s first two lessons. Well, now he’s one month shy of 4-years-old and has officially mastered breath control.

I was working on helping him get comfortable with putting his face in the water which is the first step in the learn to swim process. This skill is known as breath control. And to be able to do this for 10 seconds is the goal.

(This post contains affiliate links. This means if you click on an affiliate link and purchase the item, we will receive an affiliate commission at no extra cost to you. Full disclaimer.)

Once he has mastered breath control, the next step is floating on the front (prone float).

Most children can’t float immediately after becoming proficient with breath control. They don’t trust that the water will hold them, so it takes a little bit more time with appropriate activities and games that will help them to feel the water’s buoyancy and ultimately convince them that the water will float them.

Abram is the exception to the rule. He’s floating with ease and even propelling himself through the water with some basic arm and leg actions.

Check out the video. You’ll laugh, you’ll cry! It’s a must-see!

I hope you enjoyed the video. Until next time.

Love the water but fence it in,
Tessa

P.S. Test your knowledge of water safety. Take the quiz. You don’t have to enter any personal information. Get instant results.

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.

This Is How to Get Your Child to Put Their Face in the Water

May 10, 2018 by Tessa Rhodes Leave a Comment

put their face in the water

Can you believe it’s May already? It seems like the year just started. May is one of my favorite months of the year for two reasons.

First, it’s Mother’s day. I love Mother’s day. It’s like a birthday but even better because you’re still the same age that you were the day before Mother’s day.

And secondly, my husband and I celebrate our wedding anniversary! And this year marks 20 beautiful years together! Wow! Where did the time go?

(This post contains affiliate links. This means if you click on an affiliate link and purchase the item, we will receive an affiliate commission at no extra cost to you. Full disclaimer.)

Another event that happens every year in May is International Water Safety Day (IWSD)

IWSD takes place on the 15th. And in recognition of IWSD, I thought that it would be a good idea to update the first blog post that I ever wrote. Because before you can be water safe, you need to address the fear of water first.

The first blog post that I ever wrote is entitled Fear of Water? Help Your Child Learn to put Their Face in the Water.

I was also inspired to beef up my post by a swim instructor from my online community who contacted me recently asking for my help. After following the steps outlined in my blog post, their 7-year-old student still couldn’t put their face in the water. So, I thought it was time to make some changes.

Since I first wrote the blog post, I have discovered more innovative ways to help children to want to put their face in the water. And I am going to share them with you today.

So if you have a child or a swim student that is 4+ years old and they still can’t put their face in the water, then this is for you.

I haven’t updated my blog post yet. So I’m just going to include the updates here in this newsletter for the time being.

Some children may be so fearful that they can’t even sit on the steps of the pool.

So before even thinking about motivating them to put their face in the water, work on just getting them comfortable with putting their feet in the water.

To get comfortable with putting their feet in the water, they may need to observe other children enjoying themselves at a swimming pool first before even thinking about dipping a toe in the water. And then when they’re ready to sit on the steps (don’t force it. Let them go at their own pace), you can try the following suggestions:

Your child will not want to try to put his face in the water if he’s not comfortable with water being poured down his face. This is the first step. He can practice during bathtime. You can also try to get him comfortable with showers.
Then you can encourage your child or student to practice putting his face in the water with a washcloth covering his whole face during bath time or even just into a large bowl of water.
The same can be done during a swim lesson on the steps of the pool. The bowl of water is less intimidating than a large body of water. A swimming pool full of water is terrifying for children with a fear of water. The smaller the body of water, the more comfortable he will feel. The washcloth will also give him a sense of security. And If this isn’t working for him, you can have him cover his chin with the washcloth first and dip only his chin in the water. Then work his way up to the whole face.
If your child is not willing to try the above; then have him hold the washcloth over his face, and then pour water over his head or have him pour the water over his head. The more control he has, the more comfortable he will be. Then have him try it without the washcloth. If he’s comfortable with copious amounts of water spilling over his head, he might now be willing to put his washcloth-covered face in the water. Maybe even without the washcloth. If he’s still not ready, I find motivational games go a long way. I have a lot of success with the following activities.

I use the Melissa and Doug Sunny Patch Undersea Treasure Hunt.

Have your student sit on the steps of the pool. You will reach into the treasure chest and pull out one piece of treasure (don’t let him see it). Now you hold the hidden piece of treasure under the water between his feet.

Now tell him to hold his breath and hold the washcloth over his mouth and nose then put his face in the water (while wearing goggles) until you count to 1 or 2. At that point, you will lift your hand to reveal the treasure.

Repeat this with all the pieces of treasure, encouraging him to keep his face in 1-second longer if it went well or keep it at the same length of time if he needs more practice at 1 or 2 seconds. You can also turn it into a guessing game. My students love guessing which piece of treasure I have hidden under my hand.

See it action. This video includes some other activities not included in this blog post, so be sure to watch it.

These turtle eggs are an enormous hit with my students.

I introduced them to my students the week leading up to Easter. And now, every week, all my students want are the eggs. The eggs have motivated my students to try their best with all skills, even the skills they don’t like. They’re progressing more quickly now than ever before. And it’s all thanks to the eggs.

So, to use the turtle eggs to motivate your child to want to put their face in the water, all you have to do is the same activity that you do with the treasure.

After he puts his face in the water, you open the egg to reveal the baby turtle. But before you open the egg, ask him to guess the color of the turtle in the egg (6 eggs in all, with 5 green turtles and 1 red turtle). So there’s even a guessing element. You couldn’t ask for anything more. The children love the baby turtles. “They’re so cute!” is the usual response.

Click here for more specific instructions to encourage your child to want to put his face in the water. And for even more games to motivate him, click here.

So, if any of you are struggling with this issue, I hope that I have helped to shed some light on the subject. And I would love to know if any of my suggestions worked. Please, enter your comments below. I would love to hear from you.

Love the water but fence it in,
Tessa

P.S. Get the FREE water safety app to help ensure your family stays safe in, on and around the water. It includes kid-friendly videos and quizzes. Search the iTunes app store for Swim by American Red Cross or click here. For Google Play you can use the same search parameters or click here. It provides the latest in water safety guidance to help ensure your family stays safe in, on and around the water.

P.P.S. To start your child on the path to becoming water safe, click here.

Teach Your Child to Propel through the Water

August 14, 2016 by Tessa Rhodes 2 Comments

Before you teach your child to glide through water, make sure she can put her face in the water for at least ten seconds, front float for at least five seconds independently, back float for at least ten seconds unaided, roll and retrieve objects from the bottom, before teaching her to propel or glide through the water.

(This post contains affiliate links. This means if you click on an affiliate link and purchase the item, we will receive an affiliate commission at no extra cost to you. Full disclaimer.)

If she’s ready to propel through the water, you can start with floating face down in a streamlined position. Glide through water.

Floating face down in a streamlined position

To accomplish a streamlined position, have your child stand with her legs together and straight.

For the arms, I always tell my students to superglue their arms to their ears, then while reaching up to the sky, place one flat hand in front of the other flat hand.

Holding this position have her bend at the hips, hold her breath, put her face in the water and stretch her legs behind her, pointing her toes.

At this point, she should be floating in a straight line from her fingertips to the tip of her toes. Give her a gentle little push. Have her float like this for five or more seconds, then stand up. The goal is to maintain a streamlined position for ten seconds.

Perfect practice makes perfect

Some children can hold this position easily while others may lose their balance. Either scenario is correct. With practice, they will be able to maintain the correct position for the full ten seconds.

Have her try it again and, this time, experiment with the placement of the arms and legs.

Have her move her hands apart. It might be enough to stabilize her. If not, have her open her legs slightly or until she’s balanced. All the while making sure that her head is in a neutral position. By experimenting with the placement of arms and legs, the children are learning about buoyancy and their relationship with the water.

The more relaxed your child is, the easier it will be for her to balance while floating face down in a streamlined position. Once she has accomplished this for ten seconds, move on to the front glide. Glide through water.

Front glide through water

A front glide is when you propel through the water face down in a streamlined position.

Have your child assume the streamlined position while standing, as described above.

Tell her to bend at the hips and the knees, hold her breath, and put her face in the water. Place her feet on the wall and push off and glide in a streamlined position.

Some children won’t bend at the hips, and they’ll just fall into it. Then there are the kids who eventually get how to bend at the hips, but they won’t bend their knees, so they can’t push off with their feet.

It’s like jumping. Have your child stand on the bottom and then jump as high as she can. Now try from the wall.

Sometimes it’s easier to pick up your child and place her feet on the wall. Then tell her to put her face in and push off. Just like jumping off the bottom.

Now have your child place her arms behind her ears. She’ll need to tuck her chin to her chest to accomplish this. This is the actual standard arm placement for the streamlined position. It is essential that your child masters this skill. It lays the foundation for all swimming strokes.

If she can maintain the perfect streamline position for at least ten seconds, she will be ready to add the pull.

Do not underestimate the importance of floating in a streamline position. Have her practice every time she goes to the pool. Even if she has mastered it, it still needs to be part of every lesson. Even Olympic swimmers make this part of their daily swimming drills.

Time to add a pull. Glide through water.

Front glide then one pull

The purpose of a front glide then one pull is to illustrate just how far you can go while exerting the least amount of energy.

Have your child do a front glide as described above and then when she feels her body slowing down add a pull and see how far it takes her.

The pull is accomplished by sweeping both of her arms all the way around to her thighs.

Make sure that her arms are straight and hands are flat as she sweeps her arms out and around, covering the most area that she possibly can.

Demonstrate this simultaneous arm action out of the water first. See if your child can copy your movements.

Now demonstrate the front glide then one pull (no kicking) to show how far you can go.

Now it’s her turn. She might start the pull too soon, and when she pulls, her arms may come up above the surface briefly. She might also lift her chin during the pull. All of these actions will slow her down and prevent her from getting as far as she otherwise could.

With plenty of practice, she’ll be able to do it beautifully.

Swimming doesn’t have to be exhausting. It is a lesson in knowing that if you can get from point “A” to point “B” and not be winded, then you’re probably doing something right.

It takes very little energy to achieve a vast distance, and this is all accomplished without even kicking your legs. I can do this for the entire length of my pool which is eleven yards. I sound like I’m bragging, but I’m not because eleven yards is not that impressive. I would like to know what distance a competitive swimmer could cover. I’m sure it’s way more than I can do.Glide through water.

Back glide through water

To glide on the back, have your child hold onto the wall or gutter, place her feet on the wall, put her head back in the water (looking up at the sky or ceiling) then gently push off of the wall.

As soon as she lets go of the wall make sure she superglues her arms to her sides, sticks out her belly button and straightens her legs while her feet remain below the surface.

You can practice this backstroke position on land too.

It’s a good idea to use a nose clip when first learning this skill. Some children will push off of the wall too hard resulting in the face going under the water. I also tell my students to hold their breath for the same reason.

With practice, your child will figure out the correct force required to push off from the wall.

Some of my speed demon students have a hard time slowing down, so I tell them to go in slow motion like an astronaut moving through space. It works every time.

Your child needs to be able to perform this skill for ten seconds. Ten seconds of maintaining the perfect body position as previously described. This is essential before adding an arm action or even kicking for that matter. Progressing before she’s mastered the back glide will simply not work.

The back glide is the foundation from which to build. If the foundation is not solid, it will not hold-up if you add an arm action or kicking too soon.

The duck, starfish, penguin stroke

What is the duck, starfish, penguin stroke? It’s a simultaneous arm action performed following a back glide.

To teach this, have your child stand up either on the pool deck or in very shallow water with her arms at her sides.

Tell her to drag her thumbs up against her sides to under her arms. As you demonstrate this, have her mirror your movements. It’s the duck position (duck wings, quack, quack).

Now have her form the letter “Y” with her arms. It’s the starfish position.

And finally, keeping her arms straight, instruct her to bring her arms back down to her sides, keeping in line with her body, more commonly known in my circles as the penguin position.

Repeat this sequence a few times, before having her try it from a back glide.

She might need a little assistance when first learning this. Support her head while she works out the movements.

She might lift her hands out of the water when transitioning from the duck to the starfish position. Encourage her to keep her hands submerged during the entire stroke.

The sweeping action that takes place from the starfish to the penguin position should be performed forcefully with straight arms.

The penguin position should be held for two or three seconds, before repeating the sequence.

This arm action is part of a formal swimming stroke called the elementary backstroke. The elementary backstroke is also known as a resting stroke since it takes minimal effort to cover tremendous distances.

Mastering this arm stroke is essential. It could potentially save your child’s life. Having the capability of propelling through the water with little to no effort and being able to breathe in the process is a life-saving skill and should always be the go-to stroke when fatigued, and breathing is necessary.

What’s next?

If your child no longer needs the nose clip, then it’s time to learn breath control. If this is not the case, it’s time to make it a thing of the past. Find out how to give up the nose clip, goggles, and/or ear protection. And if she has already mastered breath control, she’s ready to conquer the deep end.

10 best teaching tools for swimmers | Overcome fear of water

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