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Why You Should Wear a Hat Instead of Sunglasses When You Teach Your Kids to Swim

Sun protection is important for you and your kids when you’re teaching them to swim, but that’s not why I recommend that you wear a hat instead of sunglasses. It’s not because hats are super cool, either. What is the reason?

Why You Should Wear a Hat Instead of Sunglasses When You Teach Your Kids to Swim

There are two reasons: communication and security. Both of these reasons have everything to do with eye contact.

Communication

If your child is looking you right in the eye when you’re explaining something, you can be sure that he’s focusing on you, not on the myriad distractions in and around the pool. It’s easier for him to look you in the eye if he can actually see your eyes. If he’s making eye contact, it will be easier for him to stay focused on what you’re teaching him.

Security

It’s important for your kids to feel secure in the water. The more relaxed and at ease they feel, the easier it will be for them to learn to swim. Keeping eye contact with you lets them know that you’re focused on them, too, and that you’re taking care of them.

Choose a hat with a brim to shield your eyes from the sun. Whether it’s a baseball cap or a glamorous Grace Kelly affair, a hat will help you make eye contact, and that will making teaching your kids to swim easier for both of you.

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Time to Play! Going Underwater

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. An important swimming skill is being comfortable putting your head underwater. Play this game to help your kids practice.

After your kids have practiced blowing bubbles and holding their breath underwater, have them put their heads underwater and lift up very slowly, until their eyes are just above the water. Have them pretend they’re crocodiles looking for prey, and you’re the prey. Let them pounce!

No biting, please.

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4 Safety Features Every Pool Has to Have

Most of the time, teaching your kids to swim will involve a pool. Whether you’re at a friend’s pool, a commercial pool, or your own pool, make sure the pool has these four safety features before you start a swimming lesson.

A Fence

Pools should be fenced, and the gate leading to the pool should always be closed.

Barriers and alarms aren’t foolproof safeguards. They’re designed to give you a little more time to look for a missing child before the child can accidentally—or with some effort—get into the pool. They’re not a substitute for supervision.

If you have a pool, install a four-sided pool fence that’s at least four feet high, with self-closing, self-latching, outward-opening gates and latches higher than kids can reach. Fences need to prevent kids from getting over, under or through them. They shouldn’t have anything a child could use as a foothold or handhold for climbing. The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission provides detailed information about the specific structure of fences.

Consider getting an alarm that sounds when the gate to the pool area opens. Make sure the switch for the alarm is locked or out of reach of kids.

A power—not manually operated—safety cover that meets ASTM standards can be used as a layer of protection, but remember that a young child can drown in just inches of water. A pool cover that sinks slightly below the surface of the water or that has puddles on it can be a drowning hazard even if it prevents a child from getting into the pool.

A Working Phone

Make sure that there’s a working phone near the pool and that emergency numbers are posted.

A Drain Cover

Don’t use a pool or hot tub without a drain cover. If you have your own pool, install a Safety Vacuum Release System, which shuts off the drainage pump if the drain is blocked, preventing kids from becoming trapped at the bottom of the pool by the suction of the drain on their hair, clothing, or part of their bodies.

Glass-Free Surroundings

Don’t use glass of any kind around the pool. Be aware of things made of glass other than the obvious drinking glasses. Don’t use breakable tabletops, lamps, vases, or other furnishings around the pool.

Other Safety Measures

Do everything you can to make sure the pool you use to teach your kids to swim is safe. Other safety measures you can take include:

  • Remove steps and ladders from aboveground pools when the pool isn’t being used.
  • Don’t leave tempting toys in or near the water. Remove them from the pool area when you’re not there. Kids can fall into the pool while they’re trying to reach a toy.
  • Have your pool inspected regularly. Know and clearly mark the electrical cut-off switch for the pool pump.
  • Keep the water level of the pool high enough to make it easy for a small child to reach the edge of the pool and pull himself out.

If you have a pool, check with your local building and planning department about safety standards in your community, and always use common sense when you’re evaluating a pool and its safety.

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How to Motivate Your Kids to Learn to Swim

You have to teach your kids to swim for safety reasons, but what are their reasons for learning to swim? Put yourself in your child’s place. Why learn to do this? For some kids, watching older kids and seeing the potential fun is strong motivation. Kids who don’t have an example like that might be harder to motivate. If you can have a great time running around on land, what’s the point of working hard to learn to swim? What’s in it for them?

Drawbacks of Learning to Swim

The drawbacks of learning to swim are apparent from the beginning. The water’s cold and uncomfortable. Sometimes it smells like chlorine. There may be strangers swimming in the pool. Your kid knows he wouldn’t know what to do if he got in too deep, and that’s legitimately scary. There’s a sense of not having control or feeling in charge of the next moment. There are potentially uncomfortable sensations. Being in the water doesn’t feel like being on land. There’s the possibility of swallowing water—which probably doesn’t taste very good—or getting water in his nose. That possibility quickly becomes uncomfortable and possibly scary reality, because it’s hard to learn to swim without ever swallowing water or getting water in your nose.

Why Learn to Swim?

Kids spend countless hours practicing new skills. They’re relentless. They learn to roll over, sit up, crawl—sometimes backwards, it’s true—walk, and run. These are all driven by another motive. Your child doesn’t want to crawl for crawling’s own sake. He wants to get somewhere. He wants to walk so he can get there faster. Run? Get there faster!

Intrinsic and Extrinsic Benefits

Other forms of movement require different motivation. Some kids (who may be great walkers or runners) may be lousy at skipping or climbing. Why? Where’s the benefit in the movement for them? Swimming is like this. There’s got to be either benefit that comes from the movement or pleasure in the movement itself.

Intrinsic Benefits

You can help your child enjoy the movement itself by pointing out the pleasurable sensations of being in the water and doing what you can to minimize the negative sensations. Make sure to help your child notice the way the water feels against his skin and the weightlessness of buoyancy. Make sure to keep him as warm as possible and to help him drain his ears. These small aspects of enjoying the movement and the water will help to motivate your child to keep getting back into the pool.

Extrinsic Benefits

Swimming isn’t enough by itself? When you’re teaching your kids to swim, you can highlight and set up benefits from the movement. If a game that relies on mastery of a skill is fun enough, your child will work at mastering that skill. If other kids your child admires are doing something, your child will work to do what it takes to join them or be like them. Go to the pool when other, older kids are there. Play games as a family. Show your child the possibilities that are waiting for him once he’s able to swim.

Feeling successful will also help your kids stay motivated when they’re learning to swim. Remember that kids define success differently than adults.

Bribery

If all else fails, you can use external motivation as a teaching tool, depending on what’s important to your child. Will he work for ribbons? How about for a special activity together? Cold, hard cash? External motivation can help get your child over any bumps in the learning road when the experience of swimming isn’t enough to motivate him on its own. Sure it’s bribery, but it’s for a good cause, and your kids will thank you later.