Begin by making the bathtub a fun place to be, fill it with toys, bath crayons, plastic containers, and fun soaps. Leave out the bubbles, since your goal is to get them to put their faces in the water. Then, get down beside the tub and play with your children before you bathe them. Encourage them to use plastic containers to dump water over their hands, toes, and shoulders. If they dump water over their heads, clap for them and then dry their faces with a towel. Try to get them to bend over and blow bubbles for you in the water.
When it is time to bathe them, let a little water drip onto their faces, but have a towel handy so they can wipe it off.
When you believe they are getting comfortable with the water, move outside to a baby pool. Let them run around in the pool as it fills. If they will let you, spray them with the hose as the pool fills. You may want to take some of the toys from the house and transfer them to the baby pool. Also, include something that will stay on the bottom. For older children, coins work well. For younger children, diving eggs, or diving rings are available at dollar stores. Throw the eggs or rings in the pool and let the children race to see who can collect them all.
Now, it is time to try the big pool. Make sure the pool you select has steps. First, hold your children and let them play in your arms. Let them kick and pretend to be motorboats. Tell them motorboats go faster if they have bubbles. Encourage them to blow bubbles. Then, take the rings or eggs and put them on the second step. Gradually, move them down until the children have to put their faces in the water to get the toys. Again, not all children will move at the same speed, so be patient. Hint: Teaching more than one child at a time sometimes helps, too. Often, they will not put their face in the water for you, but they will do it for each other.