A recent incident in Atlanta that resulted in a 10-year-old girl saving her three-year-old sister from drowning in an apartment complex swimming pool is generating a good deal of discussion about the importance of water safety. Experts recommend beginning childhood swimming lessons at an early age, noting that the right instructional strategies can help even the youngest children to save themselves from drowning. Taking steps to ensure that your children have the right training can provide you with added peace of mind about their safety in the water.
Why You Should Get Your Childhood Swimming Lessons
The Atlanta incident occurred when the three-year-old girl was using a floating tube. At some point, the tube overturned, trapping the child with her head underwater and her feet extending from the tube above the water. The child’s mother offered a warning for other parents that using a flotation device does not provide protection against incidents of this type. Proper training and swimming lessons are much more effective in providing real protection for children in a wide range of water environments.
The Benefits of the Turn-Kick-Reach™ Method
The Turn-Kick-Reach™ method is preferred by most experts as a proven way to provide children with the basic skills and techniques needed to rescue themselves if they should fall into the water. This training program takes place over five days and teaches children to follow three simple steps to reach safety:
- Turn toward the place they fell into the water
- Kick their feet to propel themselves toward the edge of the water
- Reach for the wall or other object at the edge of the water
Children will also be taught to hold their breath and to put their face in the water, which will put them in the right position to swim to safety. This simple technique is easy to learn and can offer lifesaving benefits for children.
Expert Childhood Swimming Lessons
At Baby Otter Swim School, we offer the Turn-Kick-Reach™ method of instruction to help children as young as nine months to learn to swim and to protect themselves from drowning in the water. Our five-day program focuses on giving children swimming lessons they can use right away to improve their safety in water of all depths. If you are interested in arranging for a member of the Baby Otter Swim School team to offer childhood swimming lessons in your area, call us today at 1-888-794-6543. We look forward to the opportunity to serve you.