Teaching Children to Swim by Judy Lyden

Learning to swim is one of the important landmarks of growing up. Swimming is a natural thing for children, and they take to it easily if given the chance or the opportunity to swim often. For non swimming adults, this can be a nightmare. Fear is a natural and healthy part of water play, but follow these next steps, and even non swimming parents can teach their child to swim and will enjoy swimming together.

The first goal of teaching a child to swim is a matter of safety, not skill.

Being safe around deep water takes a kind of discipline many parents are wont to exercise. Deep water is dangerous for non swimmers, so many "nos" come with the first exposure. "No, you may not jump in water over your head; no, you may not play on the raft until you learn to swim; no you may not go with your older siblings to the diving area- YOU can't swim."

Swimming is not a me too situation until me too has learned some basics. Teaching the basics begins with letting a young child simply play in the water. Most very young children or non swimmers will have two different play issues: water in the face, and "It's cold!"

The first few times of being near water, a child will not like most of his body in the water, especially his face, and that's because he is not used to bathing in cold water and playing with water on his face. But more than that, a child feels he has no control of a large body of water and control is a big issue for beginning swimmers. That's why it's a great idea to go to a pool that has a graduated pool surface. Letting a child get wet a little at a time is what will create a no fear zone and encourage swimming because it's a little at a time - his time - his control - his body.

A child who "thinks" will be naturally afraid of being in deep water. Trust is another issue of swimming, so taking a child into deep water too soon can create a fearful situation. It's always better to wait for a child to ask rather than force a non-playful situation - especially around a danger zone like deep water.

So while a child is prattling around in the water, dont' fear, he is learning. He is learning not to be afraid. He is creating a comfort zone, and that's the first swimming hurdle to be passed.

As the child becomes increasingly comfortable, he will begin to be more adventuresome. He will advance on the water, which no longer feels cold, all the way up to his head. That's a good thing because that means he is nearing the next step - head under!

Putting a face in the water is not easy for some children. I attribute it to difficult births. Children who struggled to be born seem to have a difficulty with swimming. Their eyes are closed and they are trusting that they will be OK. It's a big step. Going under all the way is an even bigger step because they are taking themselves out of the air and the light and the company, and they are "going under" which is a very brave and frightening thing to do - first time.

Once a child is willing to go under all on his own because he wants to is the time to show him that he should be horizontal in the water instead of vertical. This is a key to swimming, and many children skip this step. It's also a safety factor. "Will the water hold me up," they wonder. "What happens if I can't touch the bottom?" It's also a control issue.

At this stage, it's time for the adult to get involved. Taking a child to a deeper part of the pool and catching him as he jumps into the water is the next step. Most children who are not afraid to go under will love jumping to an attentive adult. They will hurl themselves off the edge of the pool into the adults arms and gleefully "get back to the side of the pool" so that they can climb out and do it again and again.

During this fun, the adult needs to show him that he can paddle and kick so that he can get himself to the side of the pool quite nicely. The adult needs to show him that kicking is the power behind swimming. Many children want to swim with their arms, and never become strong swimmers because their feet are always searching for the bottom of the pool. The feet are the engine for the body, so kicking with power will give him the control he is naturally looking for. Encourage him to kick, kick, kick.

So when that child jumps the adult must be ready to move deeper and deeper into the pool to make the jump a big one. Always catch the child but let him go a little deeper every time and make him swim longer and longer to the side of the pool, and encourage him to kick his feet and paddle his arms.

When a child is swimming fifteen feet or more without difficulty, it's time to let him jump off the board. This must be his decision, and he needs to want to do it. Once a child can jump off a diving board and swim to the side, he's a swimmer. He will be able to swim anywhere in the pool, and do well. He understands most of the swimming issues, and he will begin to challenge himself.

That's swimming. It's that easy, and children will not even think, "I'm learning to swim." They will just do it in the play and the excitement of the moment.