In this level encouraging independent movement around the pool whilst holding on to the side. The concept of ‘turning’ is brought on with the introduction of ‘free turns’. Turning from the poolside when asked (introduced in cygnet) is mastered and progressed on to a more independent level. In this level we also bring in dive sticks, rings, and the ever popular ‘Zoggies’ giving the babies their first opportunity of picking up an item held under the water. This is great fun and done best when sat with your baby on the steps. You can also practise in the bath! Around this level babies can go through various development stages, such as ‘separation anxiety’, learning to walk, and the ever-present problem of teething! These can be exceptionally challenging times for parents, no matter how committed, and they can sometimes see their previously happy and confident Eaubaby morph into a very unhappy individual. This is a perfectly normal stage of development and all our teachers have been trained to advise and help you as well as offering fact sheets to help you through this difficult time and move you both into the next phase of swimming which will see you and your child enjoying their swimming once again.
At Otter level the ability for the child to demonstrate how to push off the side is key and exercises within this level help achieve this. Turning back to the poolside after jumping in is an important safety skill and one that definitely needs to be mastered. Encouraging bubble blowing and the life-saving skills of children rolling over without assistance are also skills we work on. Children in this level should be very water confident and by now we are looking at using woggles in an open position (un-tied) and encouraging independent movement with the woggle on either their fronts or their backs even as a ‘motorbike’ to help them with their balance.