TUB Swimming

At Kidtastics, we believe even when it's cold outside you can practice valuable swim skills in the bathtub with your child... Supervised of course.

Try These....

~~~~THINGS TO PRACTICE IN THE BATHTUB~~~~

Tummy Activities
~Start by filling up the tub with 2-3 inches of water
~Have your child lay on their tummy and have them use a squirt toy to make bubbles.
~Then have the child imitate the toy and blow bubbles on their own.
~While they are still on their tummy, have them practice kicking their feet.
~Next try having them put their nose in the water, you can ask them" can you tickle your nose in the water?"
~Once they can put their mouth and nose in the water, ask them to hide their eyes in the water.
~If your child is able to do all these skills, you can fill the bath water to the level of their belly button. Have them sit on their knees, blow bubbles, tickle their nose and hide their eyes.
*These tips are a fun way to help the child get comfortable with putting their entire face in the water.
*Using toys in the bathtub is helpful when showing your child how to do certain skills and allows them to imitate their favorite toys.

Back Activities
~Have your child lay flat on their back and kick their feet
~Next, have your child lay on their back in the bathtub with their ears under water while you count to 10, do this 3 times.
~Another way to do this is to put your hand on the back of their head and have them lay back until their ears are under water. If your child can do this without a problem then try having them float on their back. You can place your hands under their neck and lower back if needed.
*Floating on your back can sometimes be a tough skill for kids to learn. If you practice with them in the bath they will be more relaxed when learning the skill in the pool.

Splash!
~Allow your kids to splash their hands and toys in the water so their face gets wet.
~Have your child pour water over their head and let the water drip down their face.(No soap)
~Let your child shower with you by either holding or having them stand with their face under the shower head. This gets the child used to the feeling of coming up and out of the pool.
*The shower gets kids used to having water in their eyes. This helps prevent them from coming out of the water and frantically wiping their eyes in the pool.
*Kids love for the parents to do these activities with them, so jump on in! If you have a big enough tub or choose to use the shower, you can have the child pour water over your head or you can show them how to get their face and head wet.

Final Tips
~Talk with your children about water safety, include the pool and the bath in these discussions. This is a great time to talk about your own personal rules like not allowing the children to turn on the water in the bathtub.
~Make it a routine! You can have your child do these activities every night during bath time before they shampoo.
~Start now, so when your Kidtastics swim instructor comes, your child can progress even faster.
**These tips can be used year round and you can practice all these activities with your kids no matter what age**

Let us know how they work.

What's New With Kidtastics

Summer Is Coming To An End But Kidtastics Is Offering Tons Of Fun...Click Here
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We love America & You, 4th of July Special

We love RED, WHITE, and BLUE and YOU! So we are offering a great special for the 4th of July. Save $40 on Friday June 24th (1 day only) between 9am and 4pm when you book a swim lesson (valid only for newly booked lessons for semester 3 starting June 27th, MUST call on 6/24 between 9am-4pm to get the discount. Must sign up for entire semester. May not be combined with any other offers). Space is limited.


And don't forget to have a wonderful 4th of July, enjoy the BBQ's, fireworks and keep ALL children safe around water. For 4th of July celebrations look here.

Swim Lessons Continue Monday June 27th:

We hope you have your child's spot reserved. Few spots are still open so call today to get your child water safe or let us prepare them for swim team. Find out about our swim program.

May Newsletter-Anniversary Edition

It's Kidtastics 3rd anniversary! We want to thank all our families by giving away free classes and specials for Summer. Click on the link for more details of how to enter.

Kidtastics is offering our clients a summer DEAL!

Swimming season is slowly coming to an end as school is about to start. But it's never too late to improve your child's swimming abilities.

Become a follower of our BLOG. And receive $20 off your swim semester if you sign up by July 30th. ** This deal does not apply to current bookings**

SEMESTERS w/availability for booking:
#4: July 19th – July 29th (can be pro-rated for starting late)
#5: August 2nd – August 12th
#6: August 16th – August 26th

Call NOW to book 480-994-KIDS

Drowning Prevention Segment

Kidtastics is trying to help spread the word about the Safer 3, which helps prevent drowning through education:

1. Safer Water - install, maintain & utilize proper fencing, gates, gate latches, alarms, & other safety equipment around the pool.

2. Safer Kids - employ constant adult supervision and swim skill attainment through on-going qualified instruction. Learn proper behavior in & around the water.

3.Safer Response - learn CPR, first-aid and rescue techniques. Keep an emergency action plan & phone by the pool at all times.

Take a look at this video we found as a great reminder for parents to practice the Safer 3. It's brought to us by I on Safety videos from Orange County California Authority website

If your family wants to be a Safer 3 family then call Kidtastics today for your swimming lesson needs as we teach ages 6 months to 12 years old. Kidtastics also provides Lifeguards for all your pool parties. Kidtastics can help you accomplish a Safer 3 household. 480-994-KIDS (5437) or www.kidtastics.com

Safety FIRST

Our swimming lessons are meant to be fun, but our deepest commitment is to ensure that children are learning how to stay safe and swim on their own.
Similarly, we want our parents to know the importance of water safety. Drownings often occur because of errors in judgment, such as leaving the pool gates open and leaving a child unattended in the water. There has already been 7 drownings reported in the Phoenix area. We agree with local fire departments in urging parents to keep diligent practices in pool safety (see article http://www.kold.com/global/story.asp?s=12606677).

In addition to basic safety measures, we also recommend that at least one specific adult be designated to monitor children in the pool and REMAIN focused on that specific task ONLY. This is especially important when there are many children present and the adults want to socialize with each other or are being distracted by other tasks.

That’s why in our Swim Fins Fun Pack (given to each child at semester end) you will find a safety whistle for parents. This whistle lets everyone know that you are in charge of the supervision, and if for any reason you need to attend to something else, you will pass off the whistle to another adult. Our hope is that this will help to keep safety in the forefront of parents’ minds while their children are enjoying swimming this summer.

Swim but be safe!

Celebrate Father’s Day Part 1 - Kid-friendly crafts

A great way for kids of all ages to show their appreciation for Dad is with a homemade gift! They will enjoy creating something special just for Dad and learn the importance of gift-giving as a way to say “thank you.”

Here is a homemade card idea from Martha Stewart that was just too adorable not to share with our Kidtastics Moms…
Father’s Day Cutout Frame

Photo cards are always a great way to showcase photos of your children. Did you know that after your swimming semester at Kidtastics, we will send you under water photos of your children taken during their lessons? So for this Father’s Day – and any day! - what a perfect way to show Dad your child’s accomplishments with this homemade card! He will smile when he sees his little one kicking, diving, and swimming around.

Directions:
1. Cut out a sheet of colorful paper with a width that's divisible by three; ours is 12 inches (the height is 7). Use a ruler to divide width into three equal parts; fold paper at those points. Unfold. Fold left flap over middle (these panels will be card's front), then fold both in half. Draw a half circle (or half square) over outer fold as shown; cut out, cutting through all layers, just outside line.
2. Trim cutouts. Lay one on photo; trace. Cut out photo; glue onto cutout.
3. Glue string between photo and the other cutout (or another photo). Place string in fold of middle flap, positioning photo in hole; glue left flap to middle, trapping string inside. Trim string.

More fun craft ideas: http://www.marthastewart.com/photogallery/fathers-day-crafts-for-kids

Water safety and drowning prevention

I was reading an article today that was released last month and I think it a great article for all parents to read. The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) has released a statement about DROWNING PREVENTION. The article explains that swimming lessons are helpful to prevent drownings, but no matter what age you are you have to be careful around pools and water. Safety should always be considered number one, especially for parents with toddlers. The Doctor in the article summarizes the importance of water safety by saying the following: "Children need to learn to swim," Dr. Weiss said. "But even advanced swimming skills cannot 'drown-proof' a child of any age. Parents must also closely supervise their children around water and know how to perform CPR. A four-sided fence around the pool is essential."

KIDTASTICS believes in the same philosophy as the Doctor. We love teaching children to swim it's rewarding for kids to accomplish new skills, get exercise while having fun, and is an important & valuable skill to have for a lifetime. But this activity, more than others, needs constant supervision. We ask parents, family members, friends, and neighbors to listen and watch for any person in need of assistant in a pool. Help protect our community from future water accidents by listening and watching out for dangerous water situation. If you possibly see or hear someone in water danger (despite if you know them or not) please intervene quickly and politely to find out if your assumption is correct or not. As an Arizona community we need to help protect others from water accidents since our state has always led in the number of water accidents. I hope by sharing this article everyone who reads it will learn something new.

At KIDTASTICS, we are here to help the community prevent water accidents by offering LIFEGUARD SERVICES. We’ll come to your home to help watching children in and around the water so everyone can have a safe and fun time. Contact us at 480-994-KIDS for lifeguards. You can take a look at the article yourself by following the link below: AAP GIVES UPDATED ADVICE ON DROWNING PREVENTION