Teaching your child how to swim is an essential step towards their growth and development. It’s especially necessary when living in an area where there are a lot of lakes, rivers, ponds, or the ocean. When you learn how to teach your child to swim, it gives you peace of mind.
If your child were to accidentally find themselves in a body of water, then they’ll know what to do, which makes living near or around water less stressful for you. When the entire family knows how to swim, it also makes for more fun! When you plan days at the pool or lakes, everyone can jump in and enjoy themselves.
Are you not sure where to begin?
Not every parent understands how to teach swimming correctly, and it’s not expected of you. That’s what the professionals are there to help you with. In the guide below, you’ll find a few helpful tips for teaching your child how to swim.
Continue reading to get started!
Prepare and Introduce Them
If your child’s never been in the water before, then the first thing you want to do is prepare them for it and introduce them to it. You can do this at an early age, even as early as 6 months. If your child is still wearing diapers at the time, then be sure to place them in a swim diaper to avoid any accidents while swimming.
Apply sunscreen on them as well to prevent sunburns. Then, join them in the water (keeping them in your arms at all times). Remember, this is just an introduction.
Let them splash and play while in your arms. Help them get used to water on their face and show them you’re comfortable with it as well.
Show Them How to Tread Water and Float
One of the first steps to learning how to be a good swimmer is treading water and floating. These are excellent techniques to teach your little one because it shows them how to stay safe without needing to know how to swim. If they were to fall into a body of water, then they can quickly begin floating or treading the water.
To tread the water, they’ll need to stay in one place using their arms and legs to keep their head above the water. To float, you should show them how to roll from front to back and then stay above the water while lying on their backs.
Have Them Open Their Eyes and Blow Bubbles
Once preschool-aged, you can begin having your child opening their eyes under the water and blowing bubbles. It might take some time for them to feel comfortable enough to open their eyes fully under the water. This is all very new to them and a feeling they’re not used to.
If they’re comfortable with it, then you can have them retrieve objects submerged under the water in the shallow end. Have them open their eyes and dive down to reach the object before bringing themselves back up.
Avoid Forcing Them
As exciting as it is to have your child learn how to swim, you don’t want to force them. Try to remain patient and go at their own pace. Forcing them to get into the pool when too nervous or scared may cause them to become even more frightened.
Instead, you want to show them how much fun you’re having in the water and maybe consider bringing other children who have learned how to swim to help them feel more comfortable getting in. Eventually, they’ll be curious enough to get in and try it out.
Teach Them to Kick, Kick, Kick
After they’ve mastered floating and treading water, it’s time to kick, kick, kick! You can show them how to kick their feet while swimming by having them hold onto the edge of the pool. Show them to bring their legs up to keep their body horizontal while kicking.
You can also help guide them off of the edge by keeping your hands under their belly as they kick around. Allow them to move about in the water as your hands help keep them afloat.
Ask Them to Retrieve Objects
Once they’ve learned how to swim, you can encourage fun ways to teach swimming by making it a competition to see who can collect the most objects from the bottom of the pool. Throw a couple of weighted pool toys in the water and have fun trying to collect them with your child.
Turning it into a game is an excellent way to make swimming fun.
Sign Them Up for Swim Lessons
If you’re having trouble teaching your child how to swim, don’t panic. Not every child is open to learning. Some children need more time and practice to get it right.
When you sign your child up for swim lessons, you have a swim coach there to lean on. They have the experience and knowledge needed to ensure your child learns how to swim safely and properly. Signing them up for swim lessons will also help take the pressure off of you to teach them how to swim all on your own.
You Can Learn How to Teach Your Child to Swim Today
Have you been wondering, “should I give my child swim lessons?” Learning how to teach your child to swim is a wonderful idea. Knowing how to do it correctly might be a bit more difficult than expected.
Do you need help teaching your child how to swim? We’re happy to help!
If you believe your child could benefit from swim lessons with a professional, then don’t hesitate to contact The Wave. We offer several swim lessons dependent on your child’s age and swim level.
View our swim lesson options and schedule today to get started!
