Product Description
The aquatic programs developed by the Australian organization AUSTSWIM are highly respected worldwide. Now, with Human Kinetics’ release of this international edition of Teaching Infant and Preschool Aquatics, you can learn the AUSTSWIM methods for introducing infants and toddlers to water safely and effectively.

Aquatic education experts describe the six stages of motor, cognitive, and emotional development from newborn to age four and how the stages relate to aquatic activity. These experts also advise you on how to structure lessons and activities based on the stages of development.

You will learn

• effective ways to familiarise children with water,

• important infant health and water safety considerations,

• the role of parents in early aquatic experiences, and

• how to encourage a child’s natural curiosity and playfulness to develop important aquatic skills.

The easy-to-use format and the teaching hints and processes included in Teaching Infant and Preschool Aquatics will answer the many questions you have along the way. It will help you to provide enjoyable aquatic experiences for infants and preschoolers so they can learn at their own pace, gain confidence, and build valuable water skills to use for a lifetime. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (5)

We were just on different planets
I was expecting something that allows you to go through practical exercises from infants to toddlers to do but there was what seems like endless articles on safety (which is not a bad thing), psychology etc but it just wasn't what I was expecting, the other book by Austswim was much better..

Great preschool swim instruction book for parents.
I am a swim instructor and I think this book does a great job covering everything that should be taught to infants and preschoolers.It also is the best priced swim instruction book that I have come accross for the intended age group.I recomend it to any parents that want to start teaching their kids the basics of swimming.

Teaching Infant and Preschool Aquatics: Water Experiences the Australian Way
Informative and logical. Every Swim Instructor and baby aquatics teacher should have one on hand for quick reference. I recommend strongly for all parents of babies attending aquatics programs.

Good for new swimming teachers
This book is a very thorough introduction to teaching swimming to young children and is great for new swimming instructors. It covers the basics how a child's developmental stage intersects with the kinds of swimming skills and water safety children are ready to take on. However, I found it does not provide teachers with concrete ways to actually operationalize these skills through water play and songs. A few pages at the end of the book list out sample lesson plans, but if you aren't familiar with the songs listed you are out of luck (many of them appear to be australian children's songs). To be ready to teach a class you would also need to find a book of water songs and games for kids of different developmental stages.

of limited use for parents
I bought this book hoping to find some specific exercises I could practice with my child in our pool.It was not very useful for that purpose.The book seems more of a way for existing swimming teachers to learn about this organization's philosophies on child development as it pertains to aquatics.It was nice to read a detailed accounting of why a 1-year-old resists back-floating but I wanted more of an idea of how to teach my child to blow bubbles and other beginning skills.It really doesn't go into actually showing you how to teach skills.This is a pitfall of buying a book based only on the title.Were I able to flip through it first, I would've realized this was probably not the book I was looking for. ... Read more

Product Description
Designed for use in conjunction with the text "Teaching Swimming Fundamentals", the aim of this manual is to help swimming instructors develop the skills and insight to work with parents and children effectively, in order to help them adjust to the aquatic environment and build their relationships ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Wonderful..
I am a swim instructor for the YMCA and there is no better swimming instruction program on the planet.We are the leading swim instruction program in the USA and I am so glad to be part of this industry.This book better equips me to teach preschoolers and their parents how to learn the basics of swimming.If your looking for a how to book, it will not fulfill that need.Place your child in swim lessons at a Y to recieve the full benefits of this program.

Not a how-to manual
This manual is a textbook for aquatic instructors.It assumes they have participated in the YMCA aquatic training and certification program and will use this manual to tailor classes to meet their student's needs.Part I is an overview of the Parent/Child and Preschool Aquatic Program.Part II is devoted to the Parent/Child Program and discusses parent involvement, how to work with the children, skill development and lesson planning.Part III is devoted to the Preschool Program and discusses lesson planing, how to teach character development and specific skill development for the Pike and Eel levels and Ray and Starfish levels.The Appendix lists aquatic program guidelines for children under the age of three and gives activities, games and songs that will make the learning fun.

I bought the Parent/Child and Preschool Manual because I knew that the YMCA had a successful Aquatic Program and I wanted to use their method to teach my son to swim at home.I was expecting a how-to manual or at least an outline of exercises that would teach swimming fundamentals but I found neither.For this reason I rate this book 1 star.Its target audience would more than likely rate it more favorably. ... Read more

Product Description
These fun books shaped like vehicles have four wheels so little drivers can race them anywhere. Whether your child loves farm tractors, dump trucks, fire trucks, or sports cars, every young reader will find one of these books fascinating and entertaining. ... Read more

Product Description
Designing Preschool Movement Programs will help anyone develop and run a successful movement programme for children ages 3 through 5. It's both a detailed guide for developing a preschool movement curriculum and a resource containing developmentally appropriate movement activities. Part 1 emphasises the importance of movement in educating young children and tells how early exposure to structured movement activities benefits children throughout their lives. There is a curriculum foundation for establishing a preschool movement programme in any setting, including day care centres, community centres, and elementary schools. Part II of Designing Preschool Movement Programs is the activities portion of the book. There are nearly 100 developmentally appropriate activities, organised by skill themes. Tested in early childhood settings for 8 years, these activities are appropriate for teachers to use in any type of class, whether it's indoors or outdoors, in the classroom or in the gym. Through these activities, children will develop movement skills - hopping, skipping, jumping, rolling, balancing, throwing, and many more.And the activities emphasise proper form and technique, so that children can learn skills without using speed and accuracy as the only measures of success. Part III brings it all together, organising the movement activities into a curriculum. There are 8 weeks of sample lessons plans designed to help teachers plan their own lessons. The examples are planned in segments of 30 minutes, but they can easily be made longer or shorter to fit any situation. ... Read more

Product Description
This title is suitable for ages birth to 4 years. This series helps your child to memorise what they have learnt in their basic learning. The book has one big picture on each page, so that when the child does colouring, the colours don't spread out of the picture. This helps the children to learn colouring and also gives them the confidence of colouring correctly. Give the children the freedom to choose colours. Be patient and let them experiment and learn the beauty of colours. ... Read more

Product Description
Univ. of Maryland, College Park. Presents analysis and emphasis on maximizing the development of a child's social, emotional, physical, and intellectual capabilities through sports. Discusses the age children should begin playing organized sports, which sports are best, and how many sports should be played and how often. For consumers. Softcover, hardcover available. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Child development through sports
Professor James H Humphrey from the Department of Kinesiology at the University of Maryland has been active in the subject of children and sports for the last 60 years and authored many books.
This book has nine chapters: overview of child development, health as a factor in child development, stress, children's sports, objectives of children's sports, physical development, social-, emotional- and intellectual development.
Children and youth are physical with a love for play, but somehow our society is not always facilitating and the growing number of children with obesity a statement that physical play and activity have been replaced by time in front of the TV, video games and the internet, while eating junk food.
In this book both parents, coaches, professionals and others involved with children will find good information based on normal child development for which age children should begin playing organized sports and which sports are good for children in order to develop social, emotional, physical and intellectual capabilities.

Geula Merrick, CDA, BA (Psych)
Child development specialist, National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, Jerusalem, Israel. E-mail: gulimerrick1002@hotmail.com

Professor Joav Merrick, MD
Director, National Institute of Child Health and Human Development and Medical director, Division for Mental Retardation, Box 1260, IL-91012 Jerusalem, Israel. E-mail: jmerrick@internet-zahav.net


... Read more

Product Description
Briefly describes some of the recreational activities enjoyed at the seashore, such as swimming, waterskiing, surfing, sailing, and fishing. ... Read more

Product Description

When it comes to basketball, the Porker twins, Brendan and Belinda, are at the top of their game. They shoot hoops every chance they get, they practice regularly, and at night they study televised pro games with their dad. He hopes that one day they'll be as good as the superstars they see on TV!

Product Description
Australians are often said to be obsessed with sport, and playing and watching sport have long been regarded as national pastimes. This book is an innovative and exciting study of the political, economic, social, and cultural role that sport has played in Australia since European settlement. ... Read more

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Customer Reviews (4)

A great lesson
This book is an excellent story about sportsmanship and teamwork.My 4 year old daughter can easily relate to the lessons in this book and can identify other kids she plays with or in sports that "behave badly like Shawn and the peacock".A wonderful lesson is shared through fun characters and great illustrations.

Great lessons for parents of kids in sports too!Keep these books coming!

Outstanding book for young athletes.
Shawn Sheep the Soccer Star is an outstanding book to teach young athletes that "how you win is more important than winning."

Maybe this should be required reading many of our professional athletes as well.

The health tips at the end of the book are great too.

I'm looking forward to reading the next adventure of the Barnsville Sports Squad to my young daughter.

Wonderful lessons to be learned...
My daughter eagerly awaited the next book from Erin Mirabella after "Gracie Goat" entranced her.I love how the series gets my daughter interested in different sports and in fitness in general.It provides a fun way to approach some of the difficult lessons that can only be learned on the field and through teamwork!!We look forward to the next book in the series!

"I don't want to be like him anymore"

Every parent of a sport-mad child wants it all to be a healthy experience; learning respect for others, developing positive role models. It's not always that way, is it? Some athletes disappoint us and our children with arrogant behavior, and when children imitate them unhappiness can follow. Author Erin Mirabella is the other kind of athlete; a World Cup track cyclist and two-time member of the U.S. Olympic cycling team, she is giving inspiration to children with her delightful Barnsville Sports Squad series. Shawn Sheep the Soccer Star (Barnsville Sports Squad) is the second book of the series, which brings gentle lessons of courage and good sportsmanship.

Shawn Sheep is a good player, but he borrows the boasting mannerisms of his idol, professional footballer Paul Peacock. Shawn's "peacock power dance" and taunting of the other team get him banned from the big match. At a food stop on the way home, Shawn is thrilled to see his idol -- but does the mighty Paul Peacock live up to his image? Does he have an encouraging word for his little fan? Since this is a book about sportsmanlike behavior, you may gather that Shawn gets his eyes opened and comes back to his team with a new appreciation of teamwork.

The book closes with an information page about soccer -- oh look! it's called football everywhere but the U.S.!! -- and Fitness Facts on the importance of good nutrition for long-lasting energy on the field.

The animals comprising the Sports Squad are brought to life by illustrator Sarah Davis. Each page is action-packed and vivid, from the crowd in the stands to the players dribbling and blocking, the story is complemented beautifully.

The Barnsville series is brought to us by VeloPress, publishers of training books for endurance athletes; a nice addition to their line. My only reservation about SHAWN SHEEP is that it's pegged for ages 4-8, and I think it's better suited to the lower ages in that range. Considering that, 4.5 stars.

Linda Bulger, 2008 ... Read more

Product Description
It's a bright winter's day bursting with activity as this adorable cast of animal characters bundles up to skate, slide, sled, ski and more. The day begins with the friends dressing warmly for all the fun ahead. Over the course of an exhilarating day the friends take a twirl on the ice, pass the puck, slip and slide and zippity-zip down hills, half-pipes and tracks - ending up back home warming themselves by the fire with hot chocolate.With a mix of competitive and non-competitive sports, the book highlights winter activity at any level of play. Snowy sports featured include bobsleigh, curling, cross-country skiing, downhill skiing, freestyle skiing, hockey, ice skating, luge, skeleton, ski jumping, sledge hockey, snowboarding and speed skating. Each page has an illustration of a piece of winter clothing that makes up a complete cold-weather outfit by book's end. The bold and cheerful illustrations are perfect for encouraging youngsters to embrace the chilly weather with their friends. Dress warmly and let's go play! ... Read more

Product Description
This digital document is an article from Research Quarterly for Exercise and Sport, published by American Alliance for Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Dance (AAHPERD) on March 1, 2003. The length of the article is 7753 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

Citation Details
Title: Influence of a motor skill intervention on fundamental motor skill development of disadvantaged preschool children. (Pedagogy).
Author: Jacqueline D. Goodway
Publication: Research Quarterly for Exercise and Sport (Refereed)
Date: March 1, 2003
Publisher: American Alliance for Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Dance (AAHPERD)
Volume: 74Issue: 1Page: 36(11)

Distributed by Thomson Gale ... Read more

Product Description
This digital document is an article from JOPERD--The Journal of Physical Education, Recreation & Dance, published by American Alliance for Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Dance (AAHPERD) on August 1, 1994. The length of the article is 1173 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

From the supplier: Physical education programs for preschool children aged between three and five should focus on providing opportunities for children to master motor skills and learn about physical movements. These programs are important since the skills learned at a young age provide the foundation for a person's attitudes toward physical activity later in life. Preschool physical education programs should therefore be designed to promote both fitness and child development.

Citation Details
Title: Preschool physical education: challenges for the profession. (Preschool Physical Education: Challenges for the Profession)
Author: Steve Sanders
Publication: JOPERD--The Journal of Physical Education, Recreation & Dance (Refereed)
Date: August 1, 1994
Publisher: American Alliance for Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Dance (AAHPERD)
Volume: v65Issue: n6Page: p26(2)

Distributed by Thomson Gale ... Read more

Product Description
This digital document is an article from Research Quarterly for Exercise and Sport, published by American Alliance for Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Dance (AAHPERD) on March 1, 2003. The length of the article is 441 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

Citation Details
Title: Predictors of object control motor skill performance in young children attending urban elementary schools. (Motor Behavior).
Author: Heather Crowe
Publication: Research Quarterly for Exercise and Sport (Refereed)
Date: March 1, 2003
Publisher: American Alliance for Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Dance (AAHPERD)
Volume: 74Issue: 1Page: A-29(3)

Distributed by Thomson Gale ... Read more

Product Description
This digital document is an article from Research Quarterly for Exercise and Sport, published by American Alliance for Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Dance (AAHPERD) on March 1, 2003. The length of the article is 3078 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

Citation Details
Title: Learner and environmental constraints influencing fundamental motor skill development of at-risk hispanic preschoolers. (Motor Behavior).
Author: Jacqueline D. Goodway
Publication: Research Quarterly for Exercise and Sport (Refereed)
Date: March 1, 2003
Publisher: American Alliance for Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Dance (AAHPERD)
Volume: 74Issue: 1Page: A-31(2)

Distributed by Thomson Gale ... Read more

Product Description
This digital document is an article from JOPERD--The Journal of Physical Education, Recreation & Dance, published by American Alliance for Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Dance (AAHPERD) on August 1, 1994. The length of the article is 2197 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

From the supplier: Preschool children should be provided with motor skill instruction that is appropriate for their age. This is needed to ensure that a foundation is laid for their successful involvement in physical activities in later life. As such, physical education teachers should place an emphasis on the mastery of movement concepts and the development of basic skills such as jumping, balancing and striking.

Citation Details
Title: Early childhood physical education: providing the foundation. (Preschool Physical Education: Challenges for the Profession)
Author: Arlene Ignico
Publication: JOPERD--The Journal of Physical Education, Recreation & Dance (Refereed)
Date: August 1, 1994
Publisher: American Alliance for Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Dance (AAHPERD)
Volume: v65Issue: n6Page: p28(3)

Distributed by Thomson Gale ... Read more

Product Description

A comprehensive book that teaches basic skills with classroom-tested activities. This volume provides motivating lessons that guide children from basic to advanced concepts about sports.

• Full-color illustrations and exercises

•Special review pages