The Best Swim Toys to Buy That Make Learning To Swim Fun Age-by-Age Guide Swim toys are more than just a way to keep children entertained in the water. The water itself provides resistance and sensory feedback, while the toys give the child a clear purpose for movement. The goal isn’t simply to play in the pool – it’s to [...]

FROM TUMMY TIME TO SWIM TIME: BUILDING THE VESTIBULAR SYSTEM OVER TIME.   The vestibular system is the body’s balance and movement system. It is situated in the inner ear and helps us understand where our body is in space, how fast we are moving and how to stay balanced. Development starts very early – long before a child ever [...]

What is low muscle tone? Low muscle tone means that the muscles are less firm or have less tension at rest than usual. It is not the same as muscle weakness but the two often go together. It is a condition characterised by reduced resistance to passive movement. This can lead to difficulties with posture and poor core strength, delayed [...]

When your child is attending formal swimming lessons, you might wonder what your role is in the pool or bath at home. Should you simply play in the water, or should you actually try to teach your child? The answer is in reality a mix of both. Here are a few recommendations on how to interact with your child in [...]

Human beings go through a very complex development process, beginning in utero and continuing for years. Your unborn baby spends the first nine months of life floating in the watery environment of the womb. During birth, aquatic reflexes associated with early swim development are integrated. This makes birth and beyond the perfect time to continue your babies’ relationship with water. [...]

Swimming is an essential life skill and plays a crucial role in water safety. Teaching kids to swim and helping them overcome their fear of water is a significant undertaking that requires careful planning, patience and understanding The fear of water, also known as aquaphobia, is a common issue many children experience. This fear can stem from a variety of [...]

Water confidence refers to being comfortable and feeling secure in and around water. According to research done, it encompasses a psychological sense of ease and physical ability to move through water effectively. There is no doubt that the earlier you start helping your child develop water confidence the better. It will help prevent water phobia and build a foundation for [...]

Newborn babies are naturally at home in water, having spent nine months in the amniotic fluid in the womb. Russian swimming pioneer, Igor Tjarkovsky, asserts that babies’ adaptation to water is established long before birth, hence the importance for mothers to invest time and effort to spend time in water during pregnancy. Frequent exposure of babies to water will create [...]

Physical exercise is of critical importance during the first year of life, as important as intellectual and emotional development. Babies can exercise more muscles in water. They are less restricted by gravity in their ability to move. The increased strength that water babies develop often manifests itself in the early acquisition of other motor skills, such as standing and walking. [...]

If your baby was born prematurely, they may experience some delays in the development of their water skills, as well as appropriate muscle tone, which can in turn impact on other developmental milestones. Swimming can help them catch up on the stages of motor development that they might have missed, while the increased resistance in the water will help to build [...]