The best way to learn this skill is to practice first stretched out on your mattress or floor. Place one hand on top of the other so that as you put your forehead down on the mattress your mouth will be directly over the mattress and unable to breathe. Now squeeze and feel your upper arms against your ears.
Your legs are together so you are streamlined like an arrow maybe slightly bending at your waist as you would do floating in the water to prevent rolling over. Point your toes. Now remember this position because you’ll need to recall this spatial awareness when you start floating level in the pool or lake.
If you see your child start to spread their arms and legs apart it’s because they think they will rollover. You can stop that feeling by sucking in your stomach and bending over slightly at your waist.
In the water you want to first squat down up to your shoulders and gently push off the wall or bottom on the water surface. If you plunge your torso in head first you’ll go underwater too much to feel yourself floating. By the time you get back on top of the water you’ll be out of air and stop learning nothing.
This position is your starting and stopping point. If you get mixed up doing your strokes, think of how you start out each stroke and where you hand returns to start another stroke. Keep your legs together to reduce drag and be more streamlined.