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DIY Teach Your Child How to Swim Skill #10: Jump In, Turn Around and Go Back to Safety

Skill #10: Jump In, Turn Around and Go Back to Safety

Goal: How to jump in a pool safely

Remember to continue practicing Skill #1: Get Your Face Wet,  Skill #2: Blow Bubbles, Skill #3: Front Float, Skill #4: Front Glide with Kicks, Skill #5: Arm Pulls, Skill #6: Rolling Over, Skill #7: Back Float, Skill #8: Back Glide with Kicks and Skill #9: Retrieve an Object every time you go to the pool. Learning how to swim is a lifelong process. You are helping your child foster a healthy relationship with water, which will benefit him positively for the rest of his life.

How to Jump In a Pool, Turn Around and Go Back to Safety

I was giving a lesson at a community pool when I saw the sweetest couple in their 30s with their two-year-old son.  They couldn't believe how much he loved the water.  "What a fish!" "Look at him swim!" "He's a natural!" "Look at you- you're swimming!"

It's almost surreal. I hear these exclamations, but what I see doesn't match. "The fish" has dry hair. There isn't one drop of water on his face. His head is up out of the water and he is either sitting in a floatie or being held securely by his mom. This scares me. Hunter has been told that he can swim when he clearly cannot. And worse, I can see that he is quite scared of the water.

At one point he wants to jump in, and as I see his toes about 3 inches from the wall I cringe. Luckily as he slips, mom catches him and keeps him from cracking his head open on the edge of the pool. Okay, maybe not, but that is what I see. I can't watch. I want to say something, but I'm not sure what my place is in this situation. Hunter decides to back up and get a head start for his jump and dad takes a video. I envision all of the possible dangers and open my mouth to intervene. At the same time, Hunter falls on the slippery pool deck, scrapes his knee and cries. Hopefully he learned his lesson. Luckily, the parents did as I hear them say that running around the pool actually isn't a good idea.

And when jumping in, try this...               

  • Stand at the edge of the pool with toes curled over the edge and arms down at the side.

  • Jump about 2 feet forward with both feet together.

  • Come up to the surface, get a breathe, put your face back down into the water and swim to the edge of the pool.

Tips:

  • Make sure toes are over the edge so he can push off forward and does not slip backward.

  • Slap your hand down on the surface of the water to show your child where to jump.

  • Hold a hula hoop on top of the water so your child can jump through it.

  • Teach your child to reach up above his head to grab the edge of the pool. Every pool is different.

  • ‘Monkey walk’ or ‘crab walk’ along the wall one hand at a time in both directions.

RESOURCES

- Check out the Do-it-Yourself Teach Your Child How to Swim eBook
- Visit the our Learn to Swim Shop
- Download the FREE Safer Swimming Bundle
- Subscribe to our Youtube Channel

How to Safely Jump in the Pool