Beach & Pool Vacations

Tips for Families at the Pool
I've had a lot of parents ask what swimmers should work on over vacation.  The most effective "homework" is to play!  Just playing freely in the water is a great way to experiment with buoyancy and different body movements.  The kids are on vacation too, so don't worry about forcing difficult skills they've been working on in class.  Let their instructors be the bad guys while you take on the role of the fun grandparents :).  I didn't have any beach pictures of my students, so this one if filled with family vacation pictures from my childhood.

Here are some fun games you can play with school aged kids at the pool:

Miss Becca getting dunked

• Free Swim- If you have the opportunity to have one adult in the pool for each child it is great for kids to practice swimming without a life vest.  This can mean splashing around on the steps, hanging on the wall, or swimming short distances to an adult.  Games like Marco Polo 

---

• Diving-  To avoid spinal injury, the Red Cross recommends a minimum of 9 ft for head first entries.  If your kids have learned to dive you can go on a hunt for "no diving" signs. Show your children the sign and have them find a spot in the pool that has a #9 or bigger.  In the deep end, you can practice jumping (feet first), and diving (head first-arms usually above head) with a call out game.  "Jump like a pirate", "dive like a dolphin", "jump like a jellyfish", "dive like a mermaid".  If they are able to differentiate between feet first and head first entries, you can travel around the pool and ask how they should enter in each spot.  Jumps in <9 ft of water, and dives in >8 ft.

---

• Dive Toys- Sinking toys are a great way to sneak in some fun swim skills.  You can start by placing toys on the steps and try a little bit lower when she is up for a challenge.  If your child is happy diving to the second step and doesn't want to go further you can celebrate her success and touch that step a million times!
• Jumping- Jumps are swim skills disguised as games.  You can jump like a ninja, ballerina, or a bear.  You can have belly flop, cannonball, or quietest splash contests. Remind your child that each time he jumps in the pool he should swim back to the wall.  Depending on age/level you can also practice back floats or treading water after a big jump.

Taking Toddlers to the Pool
Swimming with kids under 3 can be nerve-wracking!  Especially if you have older siblings to watch over as well.  Toddlers are on vacation just like the big kids, so if he is hesitant to do a back float don't worry about it!  Splashing around is learning too.  

---

Here are some tips for wrangling the little ones on the pool deck:

• Walking Feet- Practice walking feet with your toddlers by playing follow the leader and saying "walking feet" as you approach the pool.  If she gets excited near the water you can add in marching and freezing to redirect the energy.
• Listening to Cues- Good listening can prove to be a vital safety skill in the pool.  You can practice this by setting up a family cue that must be said before he can enter the pool.  We use "1,2,3, Go" and "Ready, Go" in classes.  When jumping into the pool or swimming off of the steps he must also wait to hear this cue.  You can reinforce the cue by using it before getting a toy or during a game.  Red light green light and simon says are great games for practicing listening in the pool.
• Special Spots- Select "special spots" for pool entry.  Start by showing your toddler 1 or 2 spots where he is allowed to enter the pool with an adult.  You can play a game by walking around the pool and stopping several times to excitedly ask "can I get in here?".  Shake your head no as you say this until you get to the special spot.  When you arrive he can sit on the pool deck in the special spot until you give him the cue.
• Breath Control- Bubbles are great, but a good first step is actually holding her breath under the water without getting water in her nose.  If she puffs out her cheeks like a chipmunk this will "close the door" on her nose.  Try 1 second, then 2, 3, etc.  3-5 seconds underwater is plenty.  

• Back to the Wall- Swimming back to the wall is a very important safety skill.  Walking hand over hand along the wall (making train noises, or playing red light green light) is a great way to get used to holding the edge.  If your child is comfortable walking along the wall with no support you can start gently taking her hands off and saying "fall off".  As you guide her hands back to the edge you can say "back to the wall".  You can try this with the eyes up, face in the water, and finally without support.  If she is comfortable letting go and getting back to the wall on her own you can have her fall off facing the middle of the pool and practice turning around to get "back to the wall".

• Back Floats- You can start by swaying your child side to side and dipping the ears in the water while singing a song or game.  When they are comfortable with this you can move on to back floats with your child's head on your shoulder, and then with one hand supporting the head and one the center of the spine.  The more movement you have during the float the easier it will be to stay in position.  You can spin around and travel to the moon or grandma's house.
• Beginning Freestyle- When your child is moving on her own, you can encourage any type of movement.  When you are swimming hand over hand with her you can emphasize alternating arms or ice cream scoops.  The arms don't actually need to come out of the water to be effective.  She can reach out and then pull back to her belly.  You can also demonstrate straight leg kicks that are small and straight rather than big and splashy.

Fun at the Beach

• Swim Zones- You can also set up "special spots" at the beach.  The family can work together to build 2 sand castles so that kids can only enter the water between the castles (with an adult!).  The castles can also serve as a "don't pass this point" for kids playing in the sand.  Be aware these will get stomped on and may need to be rebuilt :).

Miss Becca's sister lounging on the beach

• Cue Words- A 3 year old won't think twice about running down to the beach to get water for his moat.  If he wants to pass the "castle line" he has to walk up to an adult and ask permission.  You can practice this when you first arrive by playing Mother May I (I like the alien version of Oobleck May I) or a game your family enjoys.  One way to get kids excited about asking a grown up is to require a goofy ritual.  He could stand on one foot and say "Oobleck may I fill my bucket?".  Establishing cues early on can reduce the number of times he'll try to go for a swim on his own.

No family vacation post would be complete without an awkward "Holwick Family In the Desert" picture.  We were hipsters ahead of our time :).