Kids learn by playing. The more you can make learning to swim fun for your kids, the more they’ll like it, the quicker they’ll learn, and the more fun you’ll have teaching them. One of the first steps of teaching your kids to swim is to help them learn to blow bubbles.
Blowing bubbles helps kids get used to having their faces in the water and learn to control and be aware of their breath. A game you’ve probably already played a million times can help your kids learn to blow bubbles, and you don’t need a pool to play it.
On land, practice blowing raspberries on each other’s tummies. It’s simple, it’s fun, and it helps kids who haven’t gotten used to putting their faces in the water get a good grasp of what they’ll be doing with their bodies. They’ll be able to practice the new thing—putting their faces in the water—after having mastered the blowing part.
Your ability, as a parent, to play games and practice skills on land that apply to swimming give you a huge advantage when you’re teaching your kids to swim. Your kids will be learning skills they’ll use in the pool without even realizing it, and you’ll all be getting tummy raspberries. What could be better than that?