WELCOME everyone! Enter the Pool and Gather in a Circle. Greet each adult/child pair and take time to allow babies and caregivers to adjust to the water. Introduce yourself, talk about what an amazing journey this will be with the caregiver and the baby. Demonstrate the Little Harbor Hold. Caregivers lengthen their arms to support their student under the armpits. Allow babies to explore the feelings of buoyancy and balance with support and you encourage caregivers to support as low in the water as possible so babies can learn to stabilize themselves (parents may need to bend their knees slightly to achieve this).
Welcome Song in Little Harbor. Gather parents into a circle and Talk To The Group. Ask the group if they have any questions about having their babies in the water and what they are most excited to gain from the class! Sway back and forth in little harbor while parents and infants get adjusted and relaxed. Next, sing the song and encourage the Parents to sing and splash along.
Big Mat Conditioning with Falling In and Rolling Over. Place the children on a large mat either on their bellies, or in a seated position facing their adult. Utilize a watering can or cup to sprinkle water over the body, head and face. Next, practice a few rounds of falling in, submerging and rolling for a float. Hold the back float for a period of time to allow the babies to acclimate to the float. Next, parents assist with turning back to the mat.
For More Advanced Students; Allow students to independently climb back up onto the mat and sit and wait for the next turn. If students are jumping, encourage parents to position themselves off to the side and let the child submerge fully if initiating the jump.
Tips for Submerging
- Submerge the baby completely so that their entire body is underwater
- Keep the movement slow and at an even pace. Encourage the parent not to press them under or pull them up quickly
- Smiles, praise and eye contact from parent to baby then they resurface
Back Blast Offs with Roll Over. Instruct parents to support children on their back and place the feet against the wall. Countdown 3 – 2 – 1 BLAST OFF, babies push off the wall and parents tip toe across the space moving from the ropes and back. Encourage adults to place relaxed hands under the child’s head, neck, and/or shoulders starting in a close, then lengthening out to just holding the head as they get more comfortable. Go through and give feedback to every parent. When they roll them out of the back float, teach them the sandwich hold, by moving one hand to the belly and gently rolling them over.
Back Float Reminders
- Help the parent relax fingers, hands, and shoulders
- Have parents make good eye contact with the baby by leaning over and looking down
- Secrets to success: constant movement, keep the ears in the water, and sing to your baby
- Hold baby by only the head when possible
Placing a target on the wall for each parent/baby (such as a colored cone) will help with spacing during the blast offs and direction on the way back.
Fun with Slides and Canoes. This is optional based on the age and ability of your students. Feel Free to Swap it Out with More Big Mat Fun!
Fishes in the Ocean. Parents support babies in a seated position on the edge of the pool. Explain to parents that if that now is the chance to submerge gently under their water after the three count. Note; When babies are first learning to submerge it is appropriate to take them under the water for up to 3 seconds and the maximum number of submersions per class is 6.
Wheels on the Bus. Gather students and parents into a circle and float some toys in the center of the circle. Wrap up the class with any announcements, then encourage parents to follow along with the movements of the yellow bus as you move around the pool one last time.
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- Big Mat
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- Watering Can
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- Cones
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- Big Slide
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- Boat
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- Bus
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- Squirt Cars
