Need a fun activity this summer? Who wants to jump into a cool pool on a hot summer day? Your child does! Cool down this summer and discover the therapeutic benefits of swimming while your child is playing in the pool! Since a child’s occupation is learning through play, providing your child with aquatic play can be both fun and therapeutic!
The therapeutic benefits of the water are tremendous, as every muscle in the body is used when swimming. When immersed in the water, our bodies get a feeling that imitates weightlessness. Not only does swimming encourage motor planning, sequencing, and coordination, it also provides both proprioceptive and calming input, regulating their sensory system.
Here are just a few of the sensory motor therapeutic benefits of swimming:
❖ Sensory input to the entire body: When immersed in the water, the water is touching all areas of the body. As your child moves their arms and legs to swim, they are receiving immediate feedback from the water that is moving around them, which helps create body awareness.
❖ Improved motor planning and coordination: In order to learn how to swim or navigate through the water, it requires your child’s bilateral coordinated movements of both the arms and the legs, as well as their trunk. This will provide your child with a new found confidence in the water.
❖ Muscle strengthening without the impact of gravity: The weightlessness and elasticity of the water can help facilitate movement by making your child’s body feel lighter. The water helps to absorb some of your child’s body weight and helps the body figure out how to move in different patterns. The resistance of the water provides more of a “natural” weight when strengthening the muscles.
❖ Creating a Safe Zone: When immersed under the water, your child’s body is feeling a lot more pressure than it does in the air. The constant pressure the body is receiving from the water, it can provide a calming input. Your child may feel as if they are in their “safe zone” where they do not feel the weight of their body, and can just be in the water. Depending on the temperature of the water can also have a significant impact on relaxing the body’s muscles.
5 fun ways to incorporate therapeutic swimming activities in the pool:
❖ Pool Noodle Ball Toss: Bend the pool noodle into a “U” shape that your child can sit on, just as if they would sit on a swing. Engage in a ball toss that encourages your child to maintain their balance while sitting on the pool noodle.
❖ Pool Noodle Pull: Hold one end of a pool noodle and have your child hold the other end, pulling them around the pool in all different ways. Alternate your speed by pulling them fast, and then adjust to a slower pace. Pull your child with the noodle around the pool once while they are laying on their tummy, and then again while they are laying on their back.
❖ Use a large raft/pool float as a “pretend boat”: Your child can sit on top of the raft/pool float while holding a paddle with both hands, pretending that he is on a kayak. The work your child is doing while alternating the paddle across his body targets crossing midline and bilateral coordination (using both arms together to engage in a functional task).
❖ Use swim fins to incorporate resistance to strengthen muscles: Pretend that your child is on a scuba scavenger treasure hunt. Drop “hidden treasures” on the bottom of the pool for your child to search for. Have them place the hidden treasures back in the treasure chest on one side of the pool so that they have to swim back to it every time. Adding swim fins is a great way to strengthen and exercise those muscles.
❖ Create a pool obstacle course: Have your child engage in kickboard activities to strength their arms, legs and core. Then, have your child fill up a big bucket of water that is sitting on the edge of the opposite side of the pool. Next, have your child put on articles of clothing, such as a shirt or socks, while wet. Swimming with the added weight of wet clothes provides the child with proprioceptive input.
Always remember, SAFETY FIRST:
❖ Constant Supervision: Designate an adult to watch the child in the water. It is important to devote your attention to your child while in or near the water. If a child is missing, check the water first.
❖ Alarms: Be sure that all doors and windows leading to the pool are locked and alarmed. These alarms will alert you that someone has opened/closed a door or window or is by the pool area. Be cautious of your doggy doors too!
❖ Pool Fences: If possible, install a 4-sided pool fence with a self-locking gate. Avoid leaving patio furniture that can be used as a ladder to climb over the fence.
❖ Bright Colors: Dress your child in bright contrasting colors for easy spotting in case of an emergency. It is much more visible to spot out a child in neon colors such as orange, yellow, red compared to lighter colors such as gray and white.
❖ Avoid Wearing Flotation Devices: In the pool, avoid putting your child in flotation devices, and instead hold your child if they are not independently skilled in swimming. This will allow them to learn that they need an adult with them to safely go into the pool and navigate the water.
❖ Learn CPR: If there is an emergency, it is crucial for caregivers and families are prepared. Learning how to perform CPR can help you become more prepared in an emergency situation and it is important to renew those skills on a daily basis.
By: Caitlyn Buckley, OTS
References
https://www.isrnewyork.com/
https://isrstars.com/
https://www.infantswim.com/blog/2012/01/the-five-keys-to-water-safety.html
https://autismswim.com.au/2019/08/18/some-of-the-many-benefits-of-swimming-and-aquatic therapy-for-those-with-asd-other-abilities/
https://www.hss.edu/playbook/pool-safety-and-the-benefits-of-swimming-for-children/ https://www.baltimoretherapyspot.com/why-should-i-teach-my-child-to-swim/