Kaylee Kennedy, taught her oldest son to swim as a baby, and it bonded them in such a strong way. It inspired Kaylee to open up Saskatoon Swim School in the Fall of 2014 when her son was just a year old. Her overall philosophy of teaching beginners to swim is to do so as effectively and safely as possible. But it did not end there. In came K&K Swim School throughout Canada. Then, with the pandemic, came a whole new vision – teaching babies and toddlers to swim in their own bathtubs at home – watermellow (previously, KKOnlineSwim)l was born.
Start Swimming with Kids:
- Can start as young as 3-weeks-old
- The younger, the better! [definitely before 14-months-old is ideal]
- Can start in the bathtub
- Can also learn in a hot tub that is set to 90-91 degrees [what you need for kids until around 3-years-old is depth, more than length]
- Kids should be swimming once a week, or at least twice a month, so their body doesn’t forget
Tip: Bring goggles for anywhere with a hot tub or a big bathtub!
Teaching Water as a Caregiver:
- A large part is going under the water with your kids and having fun!
- If you’re not a confident swimmer, a swim school should be able to teach you that with your child
- Once you want your child to learn technique, they can join swim lessons
- Get in the water with them and hold them by their underarms and be their floatation device! The lighter your fingers, the more independence they have
- Tip: Wear a T-shirt in the water – it allows your child to grab onto you
Typical Swim Groups [Swimming Doesn’t Have to be Competitive]:
- Synchro
- Diving
- Water Polo
- Swim Team
Why We Are Not Fans of Self-Rescue Lessons:
- Some methods of self-rescue can include listening to the child’s input
- Lots of aggressive forms of teaching self-rescue doesn’t stay attuned to child’s feelings and progression
- The word “rescue” alone brings a fear to the water – a child should never have to rescue or save themselves in the water – if a child feels like they are going to die, that’s a very traumatic experience (and then imagine that trauma over and over and over again)
- The mindset doesn’t match the intention; instead focus on learning to breathe, have fun, and swim, so children can become independent in the water
Let’s Talk Water Safety:
- Always, always, always, make sure child is at arm’s reach from an adult [100% supervision]
- Teach children to respect the strength of water by teaching them submerging, breath control, and calm controlled movements in the water
- Kids learn by submerging again and again and again
- The danger comes when kids don’t know what water is capable of, so exposure is key!
- Have a gate around pools and an alarm at the back door (and no doggy door) – remember non-swim times are the largest concern, so we need to teach our kids that they do not go in the water without us
- When you go to a place with water, make going in the water the first thing you do, and watch what your kids do, so they learn boundaries
PFDs, Lifejackets, and Puddle Jumpers:
- These products should never be used as a replacement for parental supervision
- They are meant to be used for if you were to fall off a boat and be knocked unconscious
- Kids should not “learn to swim” in these – doesn’t allow them to submerge and doesn’t allow them to be in a horizontal position
- It’s not a great idea to wear them outside of the pool either, because it gives a false sense of security [that being said, you need to know your situation, and if you can be physically present with all your kids]
Book Recommendation:
Finding Chika & The Stranger in the Lifeboat by Mitch Albom
Follow Kaylee’s Swim School:
Websites: http://watermellow.com & http://kkswimschool.com
Facebook: Watermellow & KKSwimSchool
Instagram & TikTok: @watermellow.swim @knkswimschool
Check out KWE’s #patch4apurpose to support 1, or all 8, charities:
https://kidswhoexplore.com/product/original-explorer-patch4apurpose/
Today’s Host: @adriannaadventures & @laurenrodycheberle from @kidswhoexplore
Production: @kpmediaproductions. Music: @michaelferraro_music.