Infant and Children Swim Lessons
The “Wall Grab” is an important water safety skill to teach infants and children. Find out how to teach and practice this skill below.
Skill: Falling/Jumping into the pool, turning around, and being able to grab the ledge of the pool wall without any assistance.
Why: If an accident occurs, and an infant or child falls into the pool, you want this skill to be the immediate reaction in an emergency.
Infants and young children will fall close enough to the side of pool that turning around and swimming to the side of the pool is one of the best ways to save themselves. But this is a water safety skill that does not come naturally and needs to be taught. Repetition of this skill is key for making it the first reaction to falling into the water.
How to Teach:
Step 1: Have your infant or child sit on the edge of the pool. While holding their arms to their sides, do your cue ( 1, 2, 3, puff air) and gently lift them down into the water (facing you) keep their heads above the water.Once in the water, turn them around (facing the wall) and help them grab the ledge of the pool.
Step 2: Repeat step-one, but this time, have them progress to dipping their chins underwater/getting their face wet when you lift them down. Finish by turning them around and grabbing the ledge.
Step 3: Repeat the steps above, but this time do your cue and fully submerge underwater (while they are facing you), help them turn around, surface, and grab the wall.
Step 4: After repeating these steps, as many times as necessary, your child will begin to turn around underwater all by themselves without any help. Keep practicing this drill until they can “fall” into the water, turn around, and grab the wall without any assistance on your part.
Goal: Teach your infant or child this water safety skill to grab the wall and save themselves in the event of an emergency.
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