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Time to Play! Getting into the Pool

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. Getting into the pool is the first thing your kids need to learn. How they feel about it will have an impact on their entire swimming experience. How can you make it fun?

Try having your child sit on the edge of the pool and pretend he’s scooting off the end of a slide. Going down a slide is a familiar form of play, so it brings a sense of comfort with it. It’s also fun, so it brings a built-in feeling of pleasure. Be there to catch him after he scoots, and make sure to end with a hug.

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Time to Play! Side Breathing

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.  Turning your head to breathe when you swim is a skill that will transform your child from an okay swimmer to a solid swimmer. Here’s a game to make grasping the concept fun.

Have your child pretend to be a log rolling in the water from stomach to back to stomach again. (I know, I know. Logs don’t have stomachs.) Have him do it himself. Now you roll him.

This game really helps with the idea that you turn your head, keeping it in line with the rest of your body instead of lifting it. It also reinforces the involvement of the rest of the body, helping your child learn to involve the torso and core in the rotation for breathing.

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Time to Play! Backstroke

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. You can use this game to make practicing the backstroke more fun.

The backstroke is my favorite stroke. I think it’s the most fun, even before you add any games to the mix. Take advantage of the position by having your kids sing while they practice. How loud can they sing? Sing along.

This is especially good for helping them to remember to keep their heads tilted slightly back and to aim for a smooth stroke, because dipping their heads or splashing too much with their arms will let water into their open mouths.

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Time to Play! Freestyle

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. Make practicing the freestyle, or front crawl, into a game.

Have your child pretend he’s a cab driver. Ask him to take you to different spots around the pool. He does the front crawl to get there, and you swim next to him. Does he take the most direct route? Does he get a good tip? How’s traffic in the pool? Is it rush hour? Do you have good reasons to get to your destination? Are you going to fun places? You can even take this cab to places without roads. Top of Mount Everest? No problem. Be sure to send me a postcard.