Teaching water safety from a young age is so important because it is key for children to understand the dangers in the water and therefore how to behave in the water. In our swimming lessons, we teach children a life skill and therefore they will be equipped with the right tools if they find themselves in water.
The 3 key reactions children need to learn are:
FLOATING ON THE BACK
The most important skill for a child to learn for water safety is being able to float on the back on the water. This is because when you fall in the best thing is to roll onto your back and float so that you can breathe. This simple action is taught so it becomes instinct and this could be the difference between life and death.
LEARNING TO GET BACK TO THE SIDE
Once a child has learnt how to float on their back, the next stage is to teach them how to roll from their back to their stomach and be able to kick. Focusing on them achieving a body position that is parallel to the water and kicking will enable them to get back to the side of the pool just by kicking. From an early age, we also teach reaching and holding techniques so they can hold onto the side to ensure they are safe. We use other techniques for how to return to the side of the pool from a jump or push and glide and sometimes use the ‘float on the back’ technique when they are tired.
LEARNING HOW TO KEEP YOUR HEAD ABOVE THE WATER
Now this sounds obvious but teaching a child to establish a good, proper upright body position in the water will in turn cause their head to be above the water. Changes to their body position and sculling with their hands, will enable the child to breathe more easily without taking in water, signal for help, look around and decide where to get to safety.