How To Maintain Swimming Skills During Lockdown
Posted on 6th January 2021
No sooner were we saying hooray, back to the pools, we were back to being told that most will be shut again under the new lockdown 3 rules. Of course, staying safe is the priority but it doesn’t mean that you can’t feel upset about not being able to take part in one of your favourite activities. As we have no idea how long the restrictions will be in place, we thought we would provide you with some tips on how to maintain swimming skills during lockdown.
Bathtub
If you are concerned about your children losing their water confidence and swimming skills there are a few things that you can do in the bathtub to help them. One of the first and most important skills they learn in the pool is to blow bubbles in the water. This helps them to understand that they shouldn’t swallow or breathe the water in and goes on to help them to control their breathing during strokes. During bath time ask them to show you that they can still blow bubbles. You can also ask them to place their face in the water to help them to remember that water isn’t scary as well as doing the activity 1,2,3 mummy’s face gets wet (splash water on your face with your hand) and then 1,2,3 child’s face gets wet and they copy.
If your bathtub is long enough, they could even stretch out and show you a front crawl or practise their leg kicking (remember this should be controlled with minimal splashing). It is also a great place to try out goggles, getting used to putting them on and off as well as encouraging them to look under the water to find bath toys.
Yoga
Yoga is beneficial in so many ways, from focus to calming, aiding balance and core strength as well as being brilliant for toning, all of which can be linked to swimming too. Yoga can be a great exercise to do with your baby and can help with bonding just like swimming. It may be a good time to focus on a new hobby and use this to work on those swim moves and the areas of your body that you usually use in the pool.
Garden Pool or Hot Tub
When the weather gets better what better way to get your child used to the water and gain water confidence than a garden paddling pool! A garden paddling pool may not give your child the full swim experience but it will allow you to work on particular skills during lockdown. Adding some pool toys can help increase positive emotions regarding swimming and help improve children's water confidence.
Whatever happens, we will get through this and the swimming pools will be waiting to welcome us all with open arms at the end of lockdown. Just remember to stay safe, to look after yourself and that any exercise is great for your mental health so stay healthy and stay active!