Across the UK, thousands of babies and toddlers are, or will soon be, taking their six-week break from Turtle Tots swimming lessons for the summer holidays. For some parents, a break from routine is a welcome change, a chance to relax and enjoy some much-needed downtime. For others, time away from their beloved parent and child activities can fill them with a feeling of dread.

Firstly, it is ok to feel either, or even both things at once. It is perfectly natural. We thoroughly encourage a break from the norm and hope that all our lovely customers enjoy this time with their families.

However, for those of you who would prefer not to take a complete pause from their baby or toddler swimming journey and would like to continue building on their recently acquired water safety and swimming skills, here are some great summer holiday swimming skills you can practice at home in the bath, or in the pool, until your lessons begin again in the Autumn Term.

Learning and practicing your summer holiday swimming skills at home, at your local pool, or on holiday can be incredibly rewarding and enjoyable. However, first, it is important to ensure that the environment is safe and suitable before you get started. Whilst it is much easier to check the cleanliness and temperature of your bathtub and water at home, do make sure that your local pool, or hotel pool on holiday, is adequately heated and treated for your child’s age before you get started.

Skill No.1: SUBMERSION: Getting faces wet.

There are many different ways of getting faces wet which are fun for your baby or toddler. If you have just finished Turtle Tots Level 1, your baby will be familiar with lots of sprinkles and cheek dips so make sure that any bath or pool sessions start with a similar activity. Introducing pouring and sprinkling toys and games is a fun and engaging way to practice this skill.

Mimicking and modelling adults is a great learning technique for children – so why not hop in the bath and show your little one just how happy you can be whilst pouring water over your own face.

With toddlers, get them to pour water over your face then pour it over themselves. Keep smiling and laughing throughout to let your child know just how fun and easy it can be.

For those in Turtle Tots Level 2 and above, Underwater Peekaboo will now be a regular part of your warmup routine. In the pool, complete the warmup sequence and Underwater Peekaboo skills to remind your child what to do whenever they are in the water.

Skill No.2 BREATHING: Blowing bubbles.

Breathing is another fundamental water skill that you can continue practicing with your child at home or in the pool.

From the very start of your Turtle Tots journey, we start teaching breathing techniques by blowing bubbles on the water surface. At first, we ask the parents to show their baby their bubble blowing so that they can model them, before encouraging them to give it a go themselves.

Continue this technique independently and practice bubble blowing to whatever stage you are at in your lessons. For example, level one babies may only dip a little of their faces in the water momentarily whereas Toddlers might be happy to lay on the tummies, stick their face in the water and blow bubbles alongside you.

Whatever stage you are at, let your child take the lead and do not attempt to push their faces into the water.

Skill No. 3 FLOATATION: Lying flat with ears in the water.

Practicing floating in the bath or pool over the summer break will help your child immensely when they return to lessons in the Autumn term. Simply taking some time to calmly lay your baby or toddler back in the water will help to build confidence with this skill. Start in a shallow bath for very little ones and then progress to deeper baths as their confidence grows. You can support under the head with one hand to allow little ones the sensation of floating.

In the pool you can float together using a woggle to support you both, like we do at the end of classes for ‘Float Little Turtle’. Little ones who are reluctant to lie back in the water may be happier to relax back with the support of an adult behind them. Older or more confident toddlers may be happy to float in the pool with just your hand supporting their head. If so, see if you can reduce the support a little tiny bit at a time until you are using just one finger.

REMEMBER: Watch out for the righting reflex! Babies may not feel happy to lie flat depending on their developmental stage. So, if your little one is struggling to stay upright then just leave out the back floating until they are ready.

Skill No. 4 PROPULSION: Kicking legs.

Anyone who has completed Turtle Tots Level One or above will know the earworm that is the Turtle Tots kicking song.

‘In the Pool we go kick, kick, kick…’

Well, this is a great song to use at home to help your baby or toddler practice their kicking skills. For babies, support your child either cheek to cheek, on their backs, or their tummies, and start singing the song, encouraging them to kick their legs is as much as you need to do at first. For Toddlers, get them to hold on to the side of the pool and kick, swim with an adult and practice kicking together, or even bring a few toys to the pool for your toddler to chase will make this water skill fun and easy to practice.

Skill No. 5 SAFETY: Ready Steady Splash and Holding on.

Ready, steady, splash Is one of the first skills we introduce at our Turtle Tots swimming lessons. It is the first opportunity for us to show our babies what it feels like to enter the water chest first. As babies progress, they also learn to turn around and hold on to the poolside – this skill is the most important safety skill you can teach your child before they can swim independently.

For newborns and very little ones, this skill is practiced with lots of support and with gentle movements but as your child grows, they will be able to complete this skill with more independence.

Be mindful of the stage you are at in your lessons and practice your ready, steady, splashes whenever you go to the pool. Remember to encourage a big lean forward into the water (no bottom shuffling!) If your little one is sitting up securely and keen to lean forward, then let them try a submersion. Stand back a little and let them see the gap between you and they will tell you if they are happy to give it a go. The first moment a baby or toddler submerges themselves from the poolside is a proud moment for both parents and teachers.

We know that our families are set to have lots of fun in the water over the summer and we hope that practicing these fundamental skills will help your children continue to build on their confidence in the water during the break.

Don’t forget our TOP TEN WATER SAFETY TIPS whenever you’re visiting new places to swim during your holiday. But most of all, remember that swimming at home can be a fun and bonding experience for all involved. It’s a way to maintain the skills that they have gained and will only help to develop their strength, coordination, and water confidence for the future.

Happy holidays!