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6 Tips for Making the Most of Each Swimming Lesson

Keep these six tips in mind when you’re teaching your kids to swim, and you’ll maximize your bang for the minutes spent in the water.

Tips for Getting the Most out of Every Swimming Lesson

Making the most of every swimming lesson will give your kids the best chance of learning to swim quickly and painlessly. Keep these tips in mind while you’re teaching and planning your swimming lessons.

Start exposing your child to water as early in life as possible.

Fear and uncertainty are more likely to develop as kids get older. The sooner they get used to feeling comfortable in the water, the easier it will be for you to teach them to swim.

Have short, frequent lessons.

Kids’ minds and bodies get tired quickly. Don’t let distraction and discomfort detract from the learning experience. Teach your kids to swim in short bursts as often as possible.

Provide as much opportunity to practice as possible, and make sure that a good chunk of that is unstructured.

When you’re teaching your kids to swim, give them time to explore the skills you’re teaching. They’ll learn a lot from self-directed practice.

Set aside time for a play activity that your child chooses in the middle and at the end of each lesson.

When you’re teaching them to swim, keeping it fun will keep your kids wanting more. Even if they’re working hard on something, knowing that they get to have fun—and decide exactly what form the fun will—take will help keep your kids motivated while they’re learning.

Teach in three to four feet of water, where an adult can stand firmly without feeling too buoyant.

Safety is the first priority when you’re teaching your kids to swim. Making them feel secure is important, too. Make sure that you’re as stable as possible so that you can provide solid physical support.

Practice swimming toward the wall or steps.

When you’re teaching a swimming lesson, part of what you’re doing is establishing habits. If you’re kids get used to swimming toward the wall during a lesson, it will make heading toward the wall automatic, a great thing in case of emergencies.

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Water Safety: 3 Things to Teach and 3 Things to Watch

When you’re teaching your kids to swim, water safety is the most important thing for them to learn. Here are three things to teach them and three things for you to watch for to help keep them safe.

3 Things to Teach

These three things are critical for your child to know, and they’re easy to teach them.

Teach your kids the rules of the pool.

Show your child where the pool rules are posted and explain them. Quiz him. Ask him to teach you the rules. Review them every time you arrive at the pool until they’re second nature to your child.

Teach your kids about the risks.

Don’t be afraid to explain safety risks to your child. Be calm and direct. You don’t want to make him unnecessarily afraid of the water, but you do want him to respect it and the safety rules. Explain what behavior is unsafe, why it’s dangerous, and how to choose different safe behaviors.

Teach your kids by example.

Set an example for your child. If kids aren’t allowed to jump in, neither should you.

3 Things to Watch

These three things are critical for you to pay attention to when your kids are in and around the water. (They’re important for you to watch for in yourself and other adults, too.)

Watch for hyperthermia as well as hypothermia.

In the same way that kids’ bodies lose heat rapidly in a cold pool, they can overheat quickly in a hot tub. Hyperthermia can cause weakness, dizziness, confusion, and loss of consciousness. Your child may experience the effects of the heat well before an adult would.

Watch for wandering into deep water.

When your child feels comfortable in shallow water, watch to make sure he doesn’t move to deeper water than is safe for his skill level. Kids like to use the wall to move and like to bounce. Both of these can accidentally take them to deeper water than they can handle.

Watch for shallow water.

The two most serious water injuries are drowning and spinal injuries. Most spinal injuries result from dives in shallow water. Always make sure you know how deep the water is before diving. Don’t let your child dive in any way in water that’s less than six feet deep.  Don’t let your child dive headfirst in any water that’s less than nine feet deep, or twelve feet deep if your child is diving from a board.

For more safety information, see:

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Weather and Water—Swimming Safety Tips

Since the Red Cross began working to teach water safety skills almost a hundred years ago, drowning deaths have dropped dramatically. Teaching your child to swim is one way to help keep him safe. These tips will also help keep your kids safe in the water.

Swimming Safety Tips for Weather and for Open Water

Going swimming takes us out of our element, literally. To keep your kids and yourself safe when you’re swimming, keep these safety tips in mind.

Weather

  • Know weather conditions and forecasts before you go swimming.
  • Don’t go into the water—including the shower at the pool—during a thunderstorm. Go inside. Wait fifteen minutes after the thunder stops before going back into the water.
  • Don’t go into the water in heavy rain or hail, during a tornado warning, or during high wind. High wind can make it harder to see—because of waves in the ocean—and can increase the risk of hypothermia even in a swimming pool.
  • Stay out of the water if fog is dense enough to interfere with visibility.

Open water

If you’re going to swim in open water, be prepared and educate yourself.

Swim where there’s a lifeguard on duty. The US Lifesaving Association reports that you’re five times more likely to drown at a beach without a lifeguard.

Don’t float (using a flotation device) where you can’t swim. The exceptions to this are in a lifejacket in an emergency situation and when your child is wearing one in a pool while you supervise.

If you’re going to swim in the ocean, educate yourself. Know the ocean, especially rip tides. Don’t fight the current. If you get caught in a rip tide, swim parallel to it until you reach its edge, then turn toward shore. Know and obey beach warning flags.

Use a US Coast Guard approved life jacket when boating, no matter what. Being a good swimmer is critical in a disaster, but it may not be enough to keep you safe in rough conditions, over long periods of time, or if you lose consciousness.

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What to Expect When You’re Teaching Toddlers to Swim

Toddlers experience a huge rush of physical independence very quickly. How can you use their newfound coordination when you’re teaching them to swim?

What You Can Expect

  • Independent movement in the water
  • Some understanding of water safety

What You Shouldn’t Expect

  • Fancy strokes
  • Independent water safety

How to Teach Toddlers to Swim

Kids this age are ready to be introduced to all the skills they need, but at a rudimentary level. Here are specific things to remember when you’re teaching them:

  • Focus on water safety, but don’t count on their remembering all the time.
  • Kids this age are big fans of the words “no” and “why.” Use that to your advantage.
  • Your child can follow instructions if you give them one at a time.
  • Kids this age tend to get frustrated easily. Take lots of breaks and don’t push too hard.
  • Kids this age can usually throw or kick a ball well enough to move it a little, but they won’t have real ability. They might be able to ride a tricycle, walk down stairs, run well, and stack blocks. Think of how your child does these things when you’re working on arm and leg movement.

Don’t forget that you can get step-by-step instructions for teaching kids of all ages to swim by clicking Get the Book and downloading now.