We have been looking at the many benefits of swimming for kids. If you are keen to learn about how to teach kids to swim, the following video is for you.

In the video, Clive from Puddle Ducks will demonstrate how to teach your child to tread water for themselves.

Treading water is an important skill to teach to kids simply because it helps to keep kids stay afloat in the water. It is extremely helpful to serve as a basic in letting your kids learn to swim. It may even help to save your kid from drowning.

So, watch this video now for how to teach kids to swim and share it with your friends if you find it helpful!


Via Livestrong.com: How to Teach Bowling to Kids

Bowling is an activity that can keep the family entertained, especially on a rainy day or when winter nights chill the air. In addition, it’s a social activity for many teens. Teaching your kids how to bowl gives them a chance to enjoy some fun with you and friends, as well as gain some insight into the basic physics involved in the sport. With the advent of automated scoring, you can focus your attention on your kids and having a good time, rather than trying to calculate the correct score, making it a relaxing activity for all.

Step 1

Explain the rules of bowling. Each player tries to knock down 10 pins, typically using two tosses back-to-back. If you knock them over the first time, it’s a strike. If you combine to knock them all over with both tosses, or knock down all 10 with your second toss, it’s counted as a spare. If you don’t knock all of the pins down, you get a point for each one you do knock down. You get 10 turns, or frames, to bowl a full game.

Step 2

Prepare the kids for the noise of the bowling alley. Between the music, pins knocking together and balls rolling, bowling alleys can be quite noisy and scary for younger children. Let the kids know that it might be a bit loud at first but they’ll soon get used to it.

Step 3

Get the right weight of ball for your child. Younger kids need lighter balls of between 6 and 10 lbs. These are sometimes kept behind the service counter. Inquire with the desk about whether they store balls separately if you can’t find one for your child.

Step 4

Bring socks. If your kids don’t have socks on, they can’t typically use the bowling shoes provided by the alley operators. Make sure your kids either have socks on or have socks with them.

Step 5

Request that the bumpers be put into place. Most alleys have automatic bumpers, though some alleys need to lay the bumpers manually on either side of the lane. Bumpers prevent the ball from going into the gutters, ensuring that your child gets some points each time he bowls. This helps kids feel successful and minimizes frustration.

Step 6

Demonstrate a correct bowling technique. Point out the arrows, but don’t force your child to have perfect form from the start. Younger kids are likely to use the two-handed bend-and-throw, which is common among starting bowlers. Older kids might have an interest in learning how to use proper technique.

Step 7

Require your children to follow bowling etiquette, such as yielding to the player on the right to ensure he can bowl first if you both are ready at the same time. Reinforcing the importance of good manners is a critical lesson for kids, regardless of the sport involved.

Warnings

Don’t focus too much on scoring; older kids can watch the automatic system to gain a sense of how scores are tabulated, but younger kids will quickly lose interest.


Via Parenting Healthy Babies: 10 Do’s and Don’t for Children Swimming

Swimming is a very good exercise for people no matter how old they maybe. It tones the body muscles just the way you would like to and you need not worry about sweating either! However, when it comes to taking your kids to the swimming pools, you should be more careful. Toddlers do not understand water safety and precautions like you do. You should know things that you should and should not do to ensure your kid has a gala time while learning swimming at the pools!

Below listed are the do’s for kids swimming that should be on your mind:

  • Check facts well– It is important that you start looking for a suitable swimming center for your toddlers. Check in the neighborhood and ask your friends who have already got their kid admitted in such centers. You may also search in the web for information on this regard. You need to dig to know more about the repute of the school and swim coach as well as other aspects like trainer student ratio.
  • Check the timing– It makes sense to get your kid admitted in a swimming coaching center that has flexible timings for classes. If the center has weekend classes or has evening classes that makes things easier for you to take kids after office hours rather than sending them with a friend or neighbor. This way you feel at ease knowing that you are there for your child, should he need you. Your child too will feel less jittery and more confident just knowing that you are around.
  • Keep your eyes on your kids– Even when your child is in the water with trainers around, keep your eyes on him. In the early classes, it is not abnormal for some kids to feel uneasy or swallow some amount of water while learning swimming.
  • Comfort level– Some kids just love water and take to swimming quickly. However, that may not be the case with all kids. For kids that are a little jitterier and feel fear of water, opt for centers where they get more attention of trainers and the crowd is less. Some, such centers use music and flotation devices to encourage kid learners.
  • Health– Before the kids get into water, ensure he or she is in good health. Swimming on an empty stomach should be avoided at any cost. Feed your child a light snack before you hit the pool. The snack should be at least half an hour before stepping into the water. If your child has any infection, exposure to pool water may not be good. Also check for temperature or a cold before taking the baby for a swim each time.

Below listed are the Don’ts for kids swimming that should be on your mind:

  • Choosing between chlorine and saltwater-Some people think that for kids, swimming in salt water pools is better. However, there is no credible evidence that chlorinated water based pools can ruin their skin either. In fact, drinking up or swallowing water of any pool can be bad for the kid.
  • Ignoring germs-The chlorine may be good for keeping water free of germs but it is not enough for the baby’s health. After swimming is done, clean the hands and legs with hand sanitizer sprays. The germs in pool water cannot be seen through the naked eye.
  • Bare swimming– However, young the toddler is, it is a bad idea to let him or her swim bareback in a pool. Ensure the kid has put on proper diapers or swimming attire. Nowadays, you can find specialized swimming outfits for kids of various ages. It should be made of skin friendly material.
  • Drinking pool water– This is what most parents worry about. Now, the truth is some amount of pool water can get inside the mouth, but ensuring the kid does not swallow it is not tedious either. It may lead to stomach problems.
  • Water temperature– Before the baby can learn swimming you should ensure the pool water has suitable temperature. Now, every baby cannot have same temperature sensitivity. However, you should not ignore reaction of the baby.

Summing it up

Do not hesitate to walk an extra mile to ensure the kid becomes comfortable with water before you can take him or her to the swimming pool. Letting the kid splash water freely and play with water in a large tub at bathroom can do the trick. This will also induce the fun factor in the baby’s mindset and he will not take swimming as a tedious battle!


Via Mapmyrun: 7 Tips for Teaching Your Child to Ride a Bicycle

Skinned knees — and mom and dad huffing and puffing behind you — were historically part of the equation, but there are simpler ways to teach your child to ride a bike. Give these seven tips a try to get your child cruising down the road solo in no time.

1. Remove the training wheels and lower the seat

Before your child learns to pedal a bike, they’ll need to perfect balancing. Dedicated balance bikes are a great idea for children starting out, but a regular bike works, too. Just remove the training wheels and lower the seat enough so your child can place his or her feet flat on the ground when needed. Lowering the seat also helps remove some of the fear your child may have of falling, since all they’ll need to do is place their feet on the ground when they start to wobble.

2. Find a grassy area

While most people opt for a neighborhood street or the sidewalk at a local park, finding a grassy area with a gentle downward slope is the way to go. The bike won’t roll as fast as it would on pavement, and if your child takes a spill, the impact won’t be as traumatizing. Ideally, the spot you pick will be about 20–30 meters long, with a gentle decline. This allows your child to ride down the slope without having to worry about pedaling.

To practice balancing, have your child scoot the bike down the slope with his or her feet. As your child picks up speed they can practice coasting by lifting their feet off the ground.

3. Don’t hold onto the bike

Holding on to the back of the bike seat while your child practices is standard practice. However, this can throw off your child’s balance. Let go of the back of the seat and walk behind them instead. Since the seat is lowered, your child can keep his or her feet close to the ground as they scoot down the grassy slope and correct themselves as needed.

4. Keep your child relaxed and having fun

At first, riding a bike can feel awkward and dangerous to some children. While your child practices balancing by coasting, make sure your child is relaxed and having fun. Try not to put any pressure on them to learn too fast. Provide encouragement and practice only as long your child wants to. If he or she becomes frustrated, you can always try again the following day.

5. Have your child look forward instead of down

Looking down at the road or your feet is common for learning to balance, but this actually makes it more difficult to stay upright. Instead, teach your child to look ahead at where they are going. This makes balancing less difficult and eases the transition to the road where they’ll need to keep their head up to look for obstacles.

6. After balance is achieved, practice pedaling

Once your child can safely balance down the grassy slope, you can begin to practice pedaling. Stay on the same grassy area you practiced balancing and encourage your child to begin placing his or her feet on the pedals once they roll for a few meters and gain speed. If your child used training wheels, the pedaling motion shouldn’t be too foreign. If they used a balance bike, you might need to teach them the basics of pushing down on the front pedal and beginning from the stopped position with one pedal in the 2 o’clock position and the other foot on the ground.

While most children pick this up fairly quickly, stay positive and encourage your child even if they’re having trouble at first. Practice as many days as it takes for your child to gain comfort.

7. Don’t forget steering and stopping

Once you get your child moving, you’re halfway there. After balancing and pedaling are out of the way, steering and stopping are two skills your child needs to master to ride safely on their own. To practice steering, set up a few cones in the same grassy area. Have your child practice turns and weaving in and out of figure eights. Staying on the grass protects your child in case of a fall.

For stopping, place the cones at the bottom of the hill and have them practice using the coaster or the hand brake to come to a complete stop at the designated spot. Once they’ve got the basics down, try making a game of it. Play red light, green light or another activity that’s fun and doesn’t focus on mistakes to help them practice safe braking. Before you know it, they’ll be ready to cruise the neighborhood.


Via Huffpost: What Every Parent Needs To Know About Dry And Secondary Drowning

n a harrowing 2014 blog post, writer Lindsay Kujawa described her family’s brush with secondary drowning after her son, Ronin, slipped into the water for maybe 20 seconds at a pool party. At first he seemed fine, if a bit shaken. But hours later, Ronin was being rushed to the hospital in an ambulance while his mother helplessly watched his oxygen levels fall. Though he recovered, Kujawa wrote that she was “forever changed since this happened.”

“Before [that day] I had never heard of secondary drowning,” she continued. “If I had heard of it before, I would have done things differently.” With that in mind, and with summer swim season upon us, here are five basics about dry and secondary drowning all parents should know:

1. They occur out of the water.

Both dry and secondary drowning are considered atypical types of drowning in that they occur after a child has been pulled out of the water. In dry drowning, water is swallowed, but doesn’t enter the lungs. It does, however, enter the airway, causing it to spasm, which can lead to difficulty breathing and even suffocation, explained Dr. Mark Zonfrillo, a pediatric emergency physician with The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia.

Secondary drowning, on the other hand, takes place when water actually enters the lungs, he said. It too can lead to potentially life-threatening breathing issues.

2. It’s important to be watchful for hours.

Dry drowning usually happens within minutes after a child has struggled in the water, but when secondary drowning occurs, a child may not show signs of distress for hours, or — in rare instances — even up to a day. “It might not cause any effects immediately, but [secondary drowning] can cause edema or swelling of the lungs in a delayed fashion,” Zonfrillo said. And because the precipitating event may not necessarily look especially dramatic — say, a toddler slips under water for a few seconds — it’s especially critical that parents pay attention to how their child responds after.

3. Look for coughing and fatigue.

“The biggest things to look at are the level of activity, trouble breathing and coughing,” explained Dr. Vincenzo Maniaci, a pediatric emergency medicine specialist at Nicklaus Children’s Hospital in Miami, Florida.

“If your child is suddenly sleepy and that seems unusual for the level of activity they had, that’s a sign to seek medical attention,” Zonfrillo echoed. Time is important when it comes to treating dry and secondary drowning, he emphasized, and doctors will want to check and continuously monitor vital signs, get a chest X-ray and possibly provide acute interventions, like administering oxygen.

4. Thankfully, both types of drowning are relatively uncommon.

“These types of drowning only compose about 1 to 2 percent of all drowning incidents,” Zonfrillo said. “They’re equally scary, but extremely rare.” While it’s important that parents know what to look out for, he said he hopes news coverage (like this story) will not cause an undue sense of hysteria or worry.

5. There’s actually a lot parents can do.

Parents can play a huge role in preventing all types of drowning — typical, as well as secondary and dry — Zonfrillo said. Provide constant and targeted supervision when children are near open water, he recommended. “Know exactly who is watching [him or her],” Zonfrillo said. “Make sure you understand the child’s swimming skills, and keep in mind that drowning happens very quickly and not how it’s usually portrayed in the media — there’s not a lot of splashing, it happens very silently.”

Safety measures like pool gates and door alarms are important, echoed Maniaci, as is early enrollment in swim lessons. He said children under the age of 5 can be particularly vulnerable, because even if they know how to swim, they can become easily panicked if they swallow water. (Drowning is responsible for more deaths in kids age 4 and younger than any other cause except congenital anomalies, the CDC reports.)

“If I had a take-home point it would be that every child should have one adult responsible for what they’re doing,” Maniaci urged.


Via Lifeopedia: Six Tips for Teaching Sports to Kids

The Benefits of Sports Activities for Children

Sports provide many benefits to children. The games teach children teamwork
and help them develop a commitment to something bigger than themselves. However, you want to ensure that you introduce sports to your child or children in a positive and life-affirming way. That way, you can make the sporting event a pleasant experience for everyone.

Six Tips for Teaching Sports to Kids

Different sports require different skills. However, there are certain steps you should always take when introducing kids to the world of sports play. These steps include the following:

1. Plan your sessions in advance.

It is helpful to introduce the sport slowly rather than just jumping into a game. For example, if you are teaching a child to play baseball, then you might want to start with learning the fundamentals of catching, hitting and pitching before you delve into all of the rules and regulations of the game. You should introduce the skills slowly and have short sessions where kids can practice fundamentals. Plan these sessions in advance so you know what activities you will be covering and what information you want to impart.

2. Get the necessary equipment.

While you don’t want to spend a ton of money on equipment until you are certain that your children will enjoy the sport, you do need to ensure that you have the basic equipment needed to participate in the sport. You can often buy used sporting equipment inexpensively online, in local classifieds or resale stores.

3. Teach safety first.

One of the first lessons that should be taught to kids is how to participate in a sport safely. Explain the basic rules of the game and the fundamentals of safety when participating in sports. Be sure to explain the importance of any safety equipment or pads that may need to be warn during play.

4. Start teaching the basics.

At each sporting session, you can spend a little bit of time on the basics of the game. You want to ensure that the kids have a good time and do not get bored by mundane practice drills. This means you will typically want to have several different activities at each session, focusing on a different aspect of game play. For example, you may plan a four minute warm-up, followed by four minutes of throwing and four minutes of catching. You can then try a catch and run activity. Both explain how to do the essential tasks of the game and illustrate the essential skills by showing the kids what they need to do. Then, give the children lots of time to practice each skill, gently offering suggestions on how to improve their technique.

5. Work up to game play.

Once the children understand the basics of how to play a game, introduce playing in a low-pressure way. You typically do not want to keep score right away. Be sure that every child on the team has a chance to play and to enjoy the sports experience.

6. Sportsmanship.

Focus on being a good winner and a good loser. Kids need to know that not everyone is going to be great at sports, and that they cannot win every game. It is important to teach kids how to be gracious whether they play well or play badly.

Keep in mind that while adults tend to be competitive in nature, unlike winning being at the top for most adults, children are playing for fun (depending on the age). For most children, fun is listed as the top reason for participating in sports. The goals of sport participation at a young age is to stay active, stay fit, learn new skills and valuable lessons such as good sportsmanship and establish a healthy competitive nature.


Via Today: ‘What does your child do?’: What to consider when choosing activities for kids

“What does your child do?” Do? Ummm, he plays a little, sleeps not enough, smiles at me, and has a lot of bodily functions that I’d rather not discuss here in line at the grocery store. What in the world did this mom-acquaintance mean what did my 9 month old “do?”

I hadn’t been living in a cave… well, I had actually, the call room at the hospital where I was a third year medical resident was underground and pretty dark. In any case, I just didn’t realize that there was such pressure to enrich babies! That was thirteen years ago, and I’ve learned a bit since then. There are a million “classes” in which even babies can be enrolled.

Signing kids up for activities is a great idea, but also can be overwhelming for many parents. So, how do you know what to pick and when? These three questions will help you in the process.

1. How old is your child?

  • Up to age 2 or 3 most kids do best in a grown-up-and-them class.
  • If it’s a solo experience for your child, don’t expect them to love the idea right away.
  • Buddies help in the preschool years, and beyond
  • Involve your elementary school and older kids in the plan. Give them experience figuring out how much and what they can do.

2. What’s the schedule?

  • Don’t overbook your kiddo! “Downtime” is great for kids — they do their best learning during unstructured time, at every age. A lot of good comes out of relaxing, finding your own fun, having the freedom to join a game in the building or the neighborhood or just learning how to bust boredom.
  • Pay attention to your child’s routine. No matter how great the class is, if it falls during nap or mealtime there’s a good chance it will be an epic failure.
  • Put your family’s priorities first. It’s great to protect dinnertime, or to make sure that everyone is around for family movie night.
  • Think about homework. I wish kids under high school didn’t get homework, but they do — so don’t set your child (and you) up for stress by taking away all the time she needs to get it done and still get to relax a little.

3. Which activity should you pick?

This is the hardest — and most fun — question you’ll face!

  • Try not to force it. Most of the time, there is nothing to be gained by signing a child up for something they don’t want to do. Learning happens best when kids feel optimistic and engaged. So make sure you pick from a list of activities your child at least thinks she wants to try!
  • Consider your values. Having seen a family at football practice who didn’t believe in violent contact sports, it’s clear that a child’s desire to try something shouldn’t become more important than what the parents believe is right or wrong. Just practically speaking, if your kiddo falls in love with an activity that you think is damaging, that’s not going to be a successful experience for anyone!
  • Think about the life lessons. Will a particular activity teach your child perseverance? Teamwork? Flexibility? Problem-solving? Patience? Music appreciation?

And one last piece of advice: Aim for average!

Parents experience a lot of pressure to get kids “on the right path” if we want them to excel at something. There is no way to know, and no reason to care.We look at three year old bodies and minds, trying to figure out if this is a dancer, a ball player, a violinist, a linguist… We listen to our friends’ kids successes and think “My child should already be doing THAT!”

Most of our children will never be Olympians or stars. Let’s choose activities based on what they can do for our child, not what our child can do in that activity. When you look at a class or team or club, ask yourself…

“What if he was never great at this? Would it still be worthwhile?”

If the answer is yes, and he’s interested, sign him up!


All parents want their children to excel in all aspects of life, which is why they pay attention to each and every detail. If you want your child to be an all rounder, you need to make sure that they are physically fit and are into sports. If you want your child to feel like a winner, you need to make sure that they have a positive outlook about sports and physical fitness in general. If you will do your job well, your child will learn a sport faster, will excel in it, and will eventually have a great self-esteem. The reason why it is important for your child to excel in sports is that it will serve as model to them when they will face other challenges in life. You need to know that your child can’t win without you and that you need to support them whether they win or lose.

 

How to motivate children to do their best

Teach Them about Healthy Competition

You need to teach your child that the person competing with them is a competitor and not an opponent. It is good to take a challenge and to test your limits, but they should know about all the rules that they should follow and should not view other children as ‘enemies’.  Remember that a child only performs well in sports if their parents support them through thick and thin. It is, therefore, very important that you motivate your child in sports.

Teach Them to Compete With Themselves

You need to tell your child that their ultimate goal is to improve, for which they need to challenge themselves and stay motivated. Winning is great, but tell your child that it is all about knowing their true potential. This way, your child will learn to focus on their abilities, will be more relaxed, and will perform better.

Don’t Define Success and Failure

Never equate success and failure with winning and losing, especially when it comes to sports. Remember that your child is in sports to be physically and mentally fit, and to master a skill. Teach them that losing a game does not mean failure and being an athlete is all about delivering your personal best.

Be a Facilitator Not a Coach

You are there to facilitate your child and to support them instead of bossing them around. Make sure that if you are present, you are providing them with empathy, support, and most importantly, encouragement. Unless you motivate your child in sports, they might not be able to excel.

Make the Sport fun For the Child

You need to make sure that the sport is fun for the child because this way they will not dread going to practice. When parents tell their child that they have to win no matter what, the child starts seeing the sport as a burden and starts dreading it. Make sure you tell them it’s all about having fun and is a journey of self-improvement while you motivate your child in sports.

Avoid Comparisons

Never compare your child to someone else’s because every individual is unique and have their own skills set. Make sure you tell your child that you love them unconditionally.

Tips To Help You Out

Here are some tips that will surely help you out to motivate your child in sports:

  • Let your child pick the sport they like
  • Ask all the family members to support them
  • Encourage them and help them stay motivated
  • Be present during all the important matches
  • Praise their efforts and not the result