Infants
About our program
Klim Swim can help get your young children comfortable and confident in the water. We show parents how to introduce their baby to the pool in a relaxed and happy atmosphere and cater for ages 6 months, through to 3 years. The program has been designed around your child’s age so that the activities are reflective of the infant’s developmental stage, both physically and cognitively.
All infant classes are 30 minutes in duration, with an 8:1 maximum parent/guardian to instructor ratio.
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Each progressive level has particular skills to work towards achieving, however Klim Swim’s overall aim is to:
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Enjoy the lesson in the closeness of familiar arms
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·Become gradually more independent and capable in the water
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Teach children vital water safety skills such as listening to instructions from parents when around water as well as how to enter and exit from the pool
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Learn skills such as breath control (holding and bubbles)
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Assisted floatation leading towards independent floatation on front and back
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Simple movement through the water
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Preparation for accidental immersion, and recovery to the wall
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Social and language skills are also enhanced and the bond between baby and adults is strengthened.
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Please see below some tip and what to bring to your infant class:
ARRIVE EARLY ENOUGH TO PREPARE FOR THE SWIMMING LESSON
Allow enough time to get you and your baby ready for the swimming class. Don’t feed your baby during the 30 minutes before class to avoid spitting up during the lesson.
WHAT TO TAKE CHECKLIST:
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Towels
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Swimwear
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Swim diapers
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Aqua Play
Age Group: 6-12 Months
Class aim: To introduce infants to the water and have them feeling comfortable within it by using songs and verbal cues within the lesson. We begin to introduce the infants to breath control and under water submersions. They will learn to float on their back with minimal assistance and become comfortable with water in their ears and also how to hold onto the side of the pool independently. These classes allow for exploration, socializing with other infants and teacher as well as continuing to bond with the parent/guardian and building trust.
Water Familiarisation
Age Group: 12-20 Months
Class aim: Parent/guardian modelling correct entry into the pool. Continuing to build confidence and ability within the water whilst learning important water safety rules. We focus a lot on returning to the wall, holding on and exiting the water in case of accidental water immersion. We teach the importance right from a young age that they must listen to their parent’s/guardians instruction when around water. This level develops their kicking, entry/exit, gripping, jumping/falling and submersion skills in addition to responding to the “1, 2, 3” cue. These classes provide a safe, non-threatening, secure atmosphere, which will provide for the infants social, intellectual, physical and emotional development.
Water Confidence
Age Group: 20-30 Months
Class aim: This level is designed to develop the child’s independence from the parent/guardian. They will explore the feeling of independence by engaging in skills on their own with or without aids, enter the water safely when advised by parent/guardian, exit the pool unassisted and begin to submerge their face under the water on their own. The ‘Water Confidence’ level will excel the child’s kick, floating and paddling skills whilst the child starts to develop propulsion through the water.
Water Independence
Age Group: 30-36 Months
Class aim: This level sees toddlers making a break from relying on their parent and becoming more independent/self-sufficient in the water. Children will become able to enter the water safely and return to the wall and independently when instructed by the teacher, rather than parent. They will be building towards a propulsive kick on their front with a kick board, face in the water with bubbles and being comfortable to submerge under an object and to the bottom of the pool. The will explore the feeling of wearing goggles. All children should be confident and capable to jump in and return to the wall. All activities in ‘Water Independence’ aims to make the transition to our ‘Beginner’ Learn to Swim classes where they are in the water without a parent/guardian. Having completed this level and previous infant classes, your child will be naturally more advance, confident and ready for the ‘Learn to swim’ Program.
The benefits of Infant Aquatics
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Swimming lessons give your child important lifesaving skills and teach them to respect the water.
Children that have been involved in swimming lessons are less likely to get themselves into dangerous situations as they begin to understand the difference between shallow and deep water and are less likely to get themselves into threatening situations. Whilst you can never completely drown proof your child, swimming lessons should start to teach the child basic water safety such as how to enter a pool correctly, and more importantly how to get out of the pool should they fall in. Activities such as submerging to the wall, submerge and turns and jump and returns to the wall prepare the child fall accidental falls into water, where they hopefully don’t inhale a lungful of water should this occur and can return to the safety of the wall and exit. Another important skill around water is listening to the adults. Infant lessons teach children from an early age to listen to rules and instruction from the parent or teacher about when to enter the water, an activity that is much more important for parents and children away from the swim school than in.
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They develop motor movement quicker.
Those children who have swimming lessons at an early age, if parents continue these lessons, will have better developed motor movement. In other words, they can coordinate their motor movement much better than those who don’t swim.
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They are ahead when they start school.
Swimming improves cognitive function, and this has been backed up by science! A 4 year study by Griffiths University revealed that children who participated in children were anywhere from six to 15 months ahead of the normal population when it came to cognitive skills, problem solving in mathematics, counting, language and following instructions. On average, children from this study were eleven months ahead of the normal population in Oral Expression, six months ahead in Mathematics Reasoning and two months ahead in Brief Reading. Most amazingly however was the difference in Story Recall (17 months ahead) and Understanding Directions (20 months ahead).
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They follow instructions better.
Listening to instructions from an early age means they are more likely to listen and follow parents and teachers.
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They have enhanced social and emotional skills than other children.
A child who is involved in swimming lessons will develop their social and emotional skills further because they are involved with other children.
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Their language skills are developed.
Counting, colours, names and objects are all apart of infant lessons. Because of this their language skills are developed.