Teaching kids how to put their head underwater

A key element in helping young kids to develop their water confidence, is to teach them about submersion and how to feel comfortable putting their head underwater.

Young kids can sometimes be afraid to submerge their head fully underwater as they are unsure how to breathe and it feels unnatural to open their eyes.

However, the best way to help them conquer their fear of going underwater is to do it in very gradual steps.

As a parent you can play a huge role in teaching your kids this core swimming skill from an early age.

With practice and encouragement, they will soon feel comfortable putting their head underwater.
 

Teaching kids how to put their head underwater

Here are some easy steps to help get your kids use to putting their head underwater.

Remember to make each step fun and to take things slowly. Don’t put pressure on your kids at any stage as they might start to regress.

1. Start by getting your kids to practice holding their breath before they even get into the water.

2. Then when they’re confident in doing that, get them use to having water splashed all over their face and head.

3. When you feel they’re ready, head to the pool and get them to lower their chin onto the surface of the water and blow bubbles. They can practice this in the bath too.

4. The next step is to get them to take a deep breath and gently lower their mouth into the water.

5. When they’re comfortable with this, gradually progress and get them to add the tip of their nose into the water, then their mouth and nose together.

6. When they’ve mastered that, get them to put their whole face under the water. Make it fun by putting ‘treasures’ or objects like sinkers and toys on the pool floor or hold the toys under the water in your hand.

Try to engage your kids with games that will interest them and encourage them to put their head underwater.

Perhaps use their favourite TV or movie characters as part of the game or get them to search for Nemo or Dory. Make up your own games based on putting their head under the water – and having fun!

7. When your kids are more confident, get them to retrieve objects from the pool floor. By now they will have pretty much mastered the submersion stage.
 

Useful tips

- Swim goggles are a great accessory for kids to use when they’re learning to put their head under the water. They open up a whole new world and can help take away some of their initial fear.

- When you are teaching your kids to put their head underwater, ensure you are always within arm’s reach and keep a close watch on what they are doing.

- You will know when your kids are happy going underwater as they will spend more time under the water than they will on top!

The submersion step in learning to swim is all about continuing to grow your kids water confidence. Once they are comfortable under the water, they can move onto the next step and learn about floating in water.

Source: This article was kindly written for us by SplashSave - giving parents all the tools they need to teach their kids to swim & to ensure they grow up safe around water.

Visit www.splashsave.co.nz to learn more about teaching your kids to swim and to get a big discount off your SplashSave Parents Pack when you use code ‘under5s’.