WET THEIR FACE 🙂
It will save you so much money and tears in the long run! In order to understand and respect the bodies natural buoyancy the face and head get wet, it is the theme of the program; no exceptions.
- Say 1,2,3, take an audible breath, then Wet Face at bath time (use a cup and pour water over forehead) This is a queue you will hear me use in class often.
- Stop using towels to wipe eyes off during water time. Instead, use the blink method: blink, blink, blink (that’s right blink 3 times and show them it is no big deal)
- If you can do it without making a funny face show them yourself,
- If you will have trouble, just keep your poker face and act like its no big deal, calm the noise, show them the trick by blinking your and encouraging them to copy you eyes, and say “all better!” , “no big deal”!, etc.
- If your child is old enough to talk about it, or has grown out of the blink method, you can explain that practicing without wiping our face gets us ready for fun water activities, swim class, and emergencies.
- Cheer them on, give praise for their accomplishment! See how many times they can do it, and join in when you have a chance, they love to do practice with grownups
- No one will be there to wipe their face in an emergency so kids NEED to be ready. Fear/Panic & water do not mix.
- Try to keep a positive outlook of the water around your child, especially if you are afraid of the water. Parent attitude toward the lesson and teacher affect progress. If you show that you are concerned you are justifying their fear during class. So try to be happy for them and praise your fishy for making it through class, use words/queues in class at home too!
Kids cry, and for many reasons..
The best advice is to be patient and encouraging! Give it time and do not quit. I REPEAT do not quit! This is how you create a fear of water in your child. I do my best to get your swimmer comfortable before pushing into the curriculum, that way they have had a chance to build trust but eventually we need to get started! Do not hesitate to share your feelings, water expectations and goals for your swimmer.
Crying can be normal and we will communicate to make sure the swimming experience is positive (even with tears!) You’ll find that after gaining a new skill that can be used independently your swimmer will respect the water and what we are there to do.
Last Update: 2023
Survival Swimming School 