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. Treading water can be tiring and boring. Once your kids have got the idea, they’ll still need to practice. Here’s a simple game that turns treading water into fun for everyone.
When your kids are solid water-treaders, play catch while you’re all treading water. Don’t try this until they’re comfortable treading water for a minute or two without distraction. Take breaks whenever somebody gets tired or has a giggle fit.
This game is simple, but it’s challenging. It forces your kids (and you) to do the work with their legs. It distracts them from the boring part, because they’ll have to focus on the ball. It challenges you to make the game work: you need to throw the ball right to them, and you need to catch the ball no matter how far away from you they throw it. Not only is playing catch while treading water a great way for your kids to learn to be comfortable with the skill, but it’s also guaranteed to give you newfound appreciation for water polo players.