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There are many things that you, as a parent, can do at home to prepare your child for their first swimming lesson- even without access to a pool. The three tips discussed in this article will not only make the lessons go smoother, but will help them learn faster as well.
Before we get into it, I want to mention a few do's and don'ts that will help the process go smoother and not create future problems during lessons!
The Do's:
1. Water Temperature
The temperature of the water can make a huge difference in a child's reaction to the beginning of water-based activities. Most of the swim lesson prep is going to take place during bath time. To make sure your child is comfortable, keep the temperature nice and warm but not too hot- around 90°F is ideal.
2. Bring Toys
Toys are a great way to keep things fun! They can also be a great tool to distract or cheer up your child when they get upset during swim lesson prep. Find age appropriate bath toys here on Amazon.
3. Remain Positive and Patient
Remaining positive and patient is the bread-and-butter to getting your child acclimated to the water. The water is a foreign environment for them, and they will look to you for how to act. Make sure to maintain a positive attitude even when they cry, so they don't feed off of your negative reactions when introducing them to new things.
In addition to being positive, you must be patient. It can take them a while to grasp a new concept. Repetition is key!
The Don'ts:
1. No Goggles
Children need to learn to swim without goggles. So having them prep for swimming lessons with goggles would be very counter productive! Please read, "Why Kids Must Learn To Swim Without Goggles," to learn more about the importance of not wearing goggles to learn to swim.
2. Don't Reward Crying
It is important that you do not reward crying when practicing or learning new things. If your child cries, it is OK. Remain positive and calm them down. Remember, they are looking to you for the correct reaction when in new situations.
Most importantly, do NOT pull them out of the bath tub when they are crying. This will teach them that if they cry, they can get out of swim prep. Doing so can also give them a negative association with the water. Always cheer them up and make sure they are not crying before pulling them out or ending a session to avoid this.
Note: Not rewarding crying carries over to all other areas of life as well!
The Three Skills To Work on
1. Get Them Accustomed to Having Water on Their Face
If you only do one thing to prep your child for swimming lessons, this would be the most important and best thing you could do.
To do this, have your child be in a seated position, fill a small cup with water and count "1,2,3!" pause an extra second, then pour the water on their head, making sure the water gets on their face. Always do the "1,2,3!" count before pouring the water as it preps the child to get accustomed to "1,2,3!" meaning water on their face. You can use any cue besides "1,2,3!" that you like as long as you use the same one every time. As they get better at this, you can start using a bigger cup.
You can begin doing this in the first month your child is born. When they are too small to sit on their own, make sure to sit behind them and have their head supported by your chest so that their head can't tip back and have water go up their mouth and nose.
Do this every time you are in the bath. Start by doing it about 3-5 times and work your way up to doing it 10-15 times. If they ingest water, end the session for the day, but remember not to reward crying by just pulling them out of the tub. Comfort them first, distract them by handing them a toy, cheer them up and then you can take them out.
For older children, you should also encourage them to put their own face in the water by blowing bubbles and reaching for toys.
This simple bath time activity can make for a much smoother first-time "going under" experience, as it conditions them to hold their breath. You'll begin to notice that your baby is holding their breath when they close their eyes and start blinking after you say the cue!
All the lessons I have taught where the child's parents' worked on this skill before I even got in the pool with them went very smooth! These children also learn much more quickly, since the crucial hurdle of having their face in the water has already had great progress made towards it.
2. Practice Floating
This is another great skill to practice during bath time! This skill can also be introduced as soon as your baby comes home from the hospital. In fact, the younger your child is, the better for this one! Once they can sit on their own, it can be harder to get them to lay on their back at first.
There are two ways you can begin getting your baby comfortable with being on their back. The first is to buy a floating pad mat, you want the one with holes in it so water can get on top of the mat when your baby lays on it.
Fill the tub so that the water is shallow, then place the mat down. Next, lay your baby down on the mat. You want to make sure they have their head back and that their ears are in the water. Having our ears in the water allows us to feel buoyancy.
Alternatively, you can fill the water much higher and sit in the tub with your baby and have them lay on your lap with your legs stretched out long. If your tub is big enough, you can lay back and have your baby lay on your chest. Ensuring that the baby's ears are in the water is crucial to them getting comfortable on their back when in the water.
While they are laying back, with whichever method you chose, you can soothe them by singing or handing them a toy to hold while they "float". Always make eye contact and remain positive. If they begin to cry or get very upset, sit them back up and try again next session! Repeat until they get comfortable with it and then keep practicing everyday.
Patience is key! You don't want them to hate floating on their back, so take it slow and go at the child's pace.
3. Begin to Teach Them to Kick Their Feet
In order to move around in the water, you have to kick your feet. This can even be practiced anywhere! You can have them lay on the couch with their feet hanging off and have them "kick, kick, kick." If they are younger, you can just have them do this on the floor or the bed.
Bath time is also great for this! Have your child lay elbows down on their tummy and practice the kicking motion. Encourage them to make splashes with their feet. Practicing kicking their feet before swim classes begin can be a great way to start getting them used to the motion of kicking.
Any time you are grabbing their feet to encourage them to make the kicking motions make sure to say, "kick, kick, kick!", as this is the universal cue for kicking that most, if not all, swim instructors use. By saying it, they can begin to associate the word "kick" with the motion of kicking their feet!
Also when doing this in the tub, make sure to fill the tub according to the size of your child. Make sure that they can keep their face out on their own with their elbows down.
Even after the swim classes have started practicing kicking as much as possible is a great way to get additional practice in outside of swimming lessons and advance their skills in the water much faster. They will go from just gliding when being sent to grab the wall, to actually kicking to get there MUCH faster. In addition, this helps children avoid regression in the classes, especially the younger ones.
If your child is more advanced, they can even practice their "froggy feet" while sitting on the couch. It's a great way to learn the coordination of doing the feet for breast stroke.
The Takeaway
Exposing a child to water as early in life as possible is always the best practice. They will learn to have a greater respect of the water than a child that hasn't been exposed to these skills. In addition to bath time practice, taking your child from a young age to the pool can also begin to show them the difference between the bath and the pool. You can and should practice the skills we outlined every time you take your child to the pool.
If you know the pool is going to be cold, keep them comfortable with a wetsuit. You can get a good infant to toddler wetsuit right on Amazon, these wetsuits are super cute and reversible! So you don't have to worry about it being inside out when you take it off. Wetsuits also make floating much easier, so it's a great way for them to learn to float more quickly and easily.
Another thing to be aware of is to make sure that your child is not drinking the water, whether in the bath or pool. If they begin to take sips stop them by putting one or two fingers horizontally against their mouth. Also, for all parents and guardians it is a good idea to be CPR certified, this is true whether you're working on water skills with your child or not.
Taking a proactive approach and being involved in your child's swimming progress at a young age is a great way to assist the instructors before they ever even have their first swim class! Try working on these 3 skills at home, especially the first one, and watch how rapidly they progress once they begin taking their first lessons.
Make sure to read "When & How to Encourage Independence In The Water" to learn the next steps that you can take in your child's swim journey!
Written by Cat V.
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