They teach the kids to seek out the edge of the pool, to try to turn towards the edge and grab it if they fall off the edge, and to try to get at least an elbow

They teach the kids to seek out the edge of the pool, to try to turn towards the edge and grab it if they fall off the edge, and to try to get at least an elbow up on the edge of the pool. I suspect a lot of it is a preamble to learning to swim at a later age. By exposing the children to water at a very early age, they learn to accept it without a lot of fear. It preconditions them so they are more successful at actual swim classes when they're a little older. We have two kids. I kick myself for not getting our youngest (3) started earlier. He didn't start classes until he was about 20 months. We all had a lot of health problems after he was born (all unrelated!), so his first year was a bit of a rollercoaster. Our oldest (5), we started at about 10 months, then had about a year and a half long break before starting him again. There's a stark difference in their comfort level in the water, even comparing how the 5-yr-old acted when he was 3, versus how his younger brother acts now. Yet they are the complete opposite regarding risk-taking behavior on dry ground.