Did you know that there are two great reasons we use the barbell when teaching the flutter kick here at Aqua Life? We encourage you to use it when practicing with your child and here’s why.

It promotes a horizontal body position, in addition to giving your child something to hold onto besides your throat or shoulders while supporting them at the same time.

The barbell gives you a fair distance which provides your eager little swimmer more independence in the water. This helps build their confidence because they are holding an object that floats rather than relying on you for support. The plus side? You are still within arm’s reach should they need you!

Here are three progressions we recommend you use to get your kiddo working with a barbell and kicking independently.

1. Kick with assistance

When they’re holding the barbell, place one hand on their tummy and your other hand on the barbell. As they practice kicking, gently and slowly walk backwards while keeping their body horizontal with your supporting hand.

2. Kick to me

It’s inevitable that their confidence will grow through repetition. As they begin to kick on their own and move themselves forward, you can cheer them on and have them kick their way to you with the barbell! As they become more comfortable, increase the distance by moving backwards.

[bctt tweet=”It’s inevitable that a child’s confidence will grow through repetition. ” username=”aqualifesa”]

3. Blowing bubbles

A great (and speedy!) trick to get kids to learn is by making sure they’re having FUN! Have them repeat step two but this time, lightly put their face in the water and blow bubbles as they kick towards you.

And just like that, there you have it – three progressions you can practice with your child to help them learn to be a flutter kick master with a barbell!

Did you like this blog? If so, subscribe to our Youtube channel for more Kids Learn to Swim videos to help your child work on their swim skills.

It’s back to school and back to POOL time! Are you thinking of getting back in the pool? There’s still time to register for lessons starting in September!

Drop Charlene a line at support@theaqualife.ca to see what spots are still available at our Hawkesbury location or any of our four Ottawa locations.