A Starters Guide
Baby’s first steps are a huge milestone, both for their development and for a parent’s sense of wonder and achievement. So, it makes sense that your kid’s first swim is just as exciting!
Swimming’s also essential for a child’s development, including boosted breathing skills, coordination, strength, and flexibility, and if you decide to go the swimming class route, a fantastic way to make new friends Plus, and most important of all, learning to swim is essential for your little one’s safety. It could save your child’s life someday from drowning.
Here are a few tips on how to make learning to swim for your kid fun and productive.
Your little one’s experience of swimming is likely to mirror your own.
First off, remember, your kid will see water as you see it. Babies aren’t born afraid of water. It’s a natural feeling for them, and they can easily hold their breath underwater, and even swim. But if your reaction to water is one of fear, that’s likely to rub off. So in that case, it’s probably better to find a swimming teacher and let your kid see you cheering enthusiastically from the sidelines!
Start their home time swimming lessons slowly.
You don’t run before you walk, so why should swimming be any different? Pick a nice warm day, and gently introduce your child to the pool. Sit on the steps for a bit and splash in the water. Show them there’s nothing to fear. Your child will soon become used to the water, and the safe area for playing.
Bubbles, bubbles, and more bubbles!
Who doesn’t love playing with bubbles? Kids certainly do, and bubbles are their springboard to a love of swimming. It’s about helping your kid get their face wet, and understanding how to hold their breath, and release air, underwater. The best place to start with this fun activity is playtime in the bath! Ask them to hold their breath and place their mouth, and then their whole head, under the surface, and blow bubbles while they do so.
Picking up a submerged toy.
What little kid doesn’t love a treasure hunt? Take that challenge into the pool! Start by placing a bright fun toy, like a rubber duck, underwater, and get your kid to retrieve it. You can begin by placing it on the steps, and once your child is comfortable, move it incrementally deeper.
Venture out from the steps slowly.
How exciting! The big beyond! Have your child hold the lip of the pool wall and move along the circumference of the pool. This is an essential skill because if your child falls into the water, they’ll know they can grab the wall and hand-walk themselves back to the steps safely
Holding their breath underwater.
It’s all about oxygen – and control! Teach your child to hold their breath as they go underwater and not breathe again until they surface. Get them to bob up and down from the surface and, as they become more comfortable, add longer and more bobs with less rest between going under.
Get paddling.
Once they’re comfortable in the water, teach your swimmer-in-the-making the good stuff: using their arms to pull themselves through the water, and their legs to propel them. Most kids start with the doggy paddle, but they’ll soon out-perform Fido, with all their little limbs working in unison.
Switch it up.
A bored child is a challenge at the best of times, and one less likely to learn and progress. So, keep learning fun and exciting. Turn swimming lessons into a game. Challenge them to swim further distances, swim through a hula hoop, have races, or collect toys from the bottom of the pool.
Explore independently.
There’ll come a time when your kid is ready to paddle off on their own. When you, and they, feel ready to do so, encourage it. It’s highly beneficial for your kid to become independent in the water, and make those little mistakes that allow them to learn. It goes without saying though that you still need to keep a close eye on them for their safety!
Climbing out of the pool
Learning to swim is a skill every kid should learn – but so is getting out of the pool! Kids’ natural motor skills include climbing, and this is true in the pool too. Show them how to pull themselves out of the water when they want to. Even if their little arms are too weak to manage, and you have to help them, they’ll soon get the hang of it, and be doing it on their own before long.
And there you have it – our 101 guides to teaching your kid to swim and to love doing so. It’ll be hugely beneficial to them, and it’ll be a rewarding and bonding experience for you both.
So, time to dive in. Bon Voyage
