In addition to the preparatory exercises, some core exercises are required.
As a preparatory exercise, you can let your child jump from a forearm. However, this requires two people. One person bends their arm to create a "seat" in front of their body (see image). The other person holds the toddler by the armpits, then places them on this "seat." The second person then steps back about a meter and encourages the child to jump. Ideally, the person the child is jumping toward is a close, trusted individual (mother or father) to provide extra motivation for the child to jump. If it’s clear that the child strongly wants to reach the mother or father, the person creating the "seat" can lean forward slightly. This allows the child to lean forward actively to reach their parent. This method is much easier than jumping from the pool edge, where the child has to overcome the frictional resistance of the ground actively.
This exercise is simple to explain. Hold your infant by the armpits and hand them over to another person in the water. Then move a few meters away, return, and take the child back into your arms. Maintain eye contact with your child throughout the exercise. This exercise serves as a preparation for the next exercise, "Jump from the Arm."
For this exercise, place the child on the pool edge. Then sit next to them and let yourself fall into the water. Once you resurface, show visible excitement and joy. Then, encourage your child to do the same. Even better, if another child (such as an older brother or sister) demonstrates the exercise and enjoys it, as toddlers learn best through imitation.
As mentioned in the video, we recommend a distance of approximately one meter. We understand that your child might feel more comfortable jumping with a shorter distance. However, for safety reasons, we still advise maintaining a one-meter gap. The ideal distance also depends on your child's jumping ability and size. For toddlers, one meter usually works well. If you are doing this exercise later with your three- or four-year-old child, you should consider increasing the distance accordingly.
