Today the little one had her very first "swimming lesson"!
Now, I had always thought that kids learn to swim only when they are much older but recently got to read that even infants can get over fear of water at a very early stage. They are used to being in the womb, submerged in water for so long and hence have an innate ability to be in water. This wears off as they grow older and then need to learn it all over again. In the infant swimming lessons, what they teach is the baby to be able to submerge head into water without panicking and also to develop the skill of breathing in out of water and breathing out inside water vs. actually swimming.
I wanted to try it out. Just a few lessons to see what exactly they teach and whether it is worthwhile.
So early in the morning, our helper, the little one and I took a nice long walk to the swimming complex in our area and met up with the infant swimming coach I had booked. It is necessary for a parent to accompany the baby into the pool. In fact, much of the work is done by the parent under the guidance of the coach. So after changing into our swimsuits, the little one and I entered the pool. The coach taught me how I should be entering the pool while holding onto a baby which in itself was super useful, I thought.
The coach had come with plenty of toys and teaching aids in bright colours, much to the little one's fascination and mine. And then the lessons began. And by that I mean, the singing began! The coach would sing one rhyme after the other and get the little one to kick and splash and watch bubbles being blown, all according to a rhythm. We got her used to water being poured over her head, getting her to go in circles in the pool, sway left and right, get out of the pool on the board with a hand-elbow-tummy-leg routine, fake jumps into the water and last but not the least, submerge her head into the water until her ears are covered. It was all so fascinating! Best part - the little one loved the session too and went to her crying cranky mode when she was taken out of the water half an hour!
I don't know who had more fun - the little one or me, but fun... a ton of it... we had!
Now, I had always thought that kids learn to swim only when they are much older but recently got to read that even infants can get over fear of water at a very early stage. They are used to being in the womb, submerged in water for so long and hence have an innate ability to be in water. This wears off as they grow older and then need to learn it all over again. In the infant swimming lessons, what they teach is the baby to be able to submerge head into water without panicking and also to develop the skill of breathing in out of water and breathing out inside water vs. actually swimming.
I wanted to try it out. Just a few lessons to see what exactly they teach and whether it is worthwhile.
So early in the morning, our helper, the little one and I took a nice long walk to the swimming complex in our area and met up with the infant swimming coach I had booked. It is necessary for a parent to accompany the baby into the pool. In fact, much of the work is done by the parent under the guidance of the coach. So after changing into our swimsuits, the little one and I entered the pool. The coach taught me how I should be entering the pool while holding onto a baby which in itself was super useful, I thought.
The coach had come with plenty of toys and teaching aids in bright colours, much to the little one's fascination and mine. And then the lessons began. And by that I mean, the singing began! The coach would sing one rhyme after the other and get the little one to kick and splash and watch bubbles being blown, all according to a rhythm. We got her used to water being poured over her head, getting her to go in circles in the pool, sway left and right, get out of the pool on the board with a hand-elbow-tummy-leg routine, fake jumps into the water and last but not the least, submerge her head into the water until her ears are covered. It was all so fascinating! Best part - the little one loved the session too and went to her crying cranky mode when she was taken out of the water half an hour!
I don't know who had more fun - the little one or me, but fun... a ton of it... we had!
How wonderful for both of you :) Yes, it is true about how infants take to water much more easily than a slightly more grown child. Good work, both Eka and Shilpa :)
ReplyDelete