From early on, children need to discover that their arms and hands play an important part in helping them to move along in the water.
Show your child how to pull and push water with their hands to make it ripple, whirl and surge. See if they can make their own whirlpool by turning or spinning in the water while dragging their hands through it. This is different from splashing, where the hands move the surface water up. Splashing can be fun, but it can also make some children nervous about water, especially if they are splashed in the face.
Encourage your child to take their feet off the ground. It helps if they are supported when they first do this – you could get them to hold on to the rail or the side of the pool, or you could hold them gently under the arms, back or tummy.
With your child wearing armbands or a ring, ask them to spin around in the water and to move backwards as well as forwards. To encourage them to do this, you could throw a ball for them to fetch, or you could pretend to be a ‘shark’ that they have to get away from (don’t be too frightening!).
The more confident your child becomes, the less support they will need. Try letting a little air out of your child’s armbands or ring, to gradually reduce the amount of support they provide.