Water Babies - Pool Fun for Very Young Kids

Even toddlers can learn basic swimming and water safety techniques, and it’s never too soon to start building a child’s confidence in the water. It doesn’t matter if they’re uncoordinated, the main thing is that they’re having fun and learning how to feel at ease in the water. You can introduce swimming skills to your kids at various stages of their development, and have a lot of fun yourself.

Here are some activities you can try to help your child prepare for their first real attempt at swimming.

Fish Talk

For most children, just getting their face wet is the first hurdle you need to overcome. Suggest that your child pretend there are fish in the pool. Have him pretend to talk to the pretend fish by blowing bubbles in the water. Then get him to lay his ear against the water to hear what the fish have to say back to him. Show him how this works by doing it yourself, and smile while you do it – if he thinks you’re having a total blast, he’s more likely to want to do it himself. This teaches breath control, and prevents the child from swallowing water by accident.

Catch the Fish

Now your little one is going to try to catch those talkative fish! Have him sit on the steps at the shallow end of the pool – you don’t want the water to be any higher than chest level. He’s going to reach up, and then plunge his arms into the water, trying to pull any fish that might be there toward himself. This starts him off with the arm action he’ll use later when actually learning to swim. You might want to sing together while he does this, just something simple like “Twinkle Twinkle Little Star.” When the song is over, have him throw the fish back! The goal here is to develop a strong, swift arm motion.

Play Motorboat

Hold your child under the arms, facing you, and walk backwards. He’ll naturally go into a floating position. Spin around slowly, and have him blow bubbles in the water, making the sound of a motorboat, while he kicks his feet. This helps the child to feel comfortable when in a typical swimming position.

Red/Green/Yellow

Have your child face the side of the pool and hold onto the wall. When you say “green light,” you want him to kick as fast as he can. “Yellow light” means that he kicks more slowly, and of course “red light” means full stop. When he actually begins swimming, this is going to help in a huge way with propulsion.

The Real Thing

You’re going to get into the shallow end of the pool, and have your child stand on your knees, facing away from you. You’ll hold onto his waist. Turn so that you’re both facing the wall. Tell him to jump off and grab the wall – he won’t actually be swimming, just propelling himself. Remind your child of the way he used to “catch fish,” and how Red/Green/Yellow worked. The idea is that he’ll use the motions he’s learned as you increase the distance from the wall bit by bit. Offer lots of encouragement.

Now your child has taken the first steps toward independent swimming. Congratulations to you both!