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?
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Another event that happens every year in May is International Water Safety Day (IWSD) which 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 email 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:
- 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. You might want to have the water pour down the back of his head first then work up to a few drops coming down his washcloth-covered face. And then finally if he's happy with that, you can pour a significant
amount of water over his head. Then do 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:
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.
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, email me
anytime. 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. 
