How to Prepare Your Child For Swim Lessons

Teaching your child the A,B,C’s and how to spell their name are common things parents teach their children to prepare them for kindergarten. Preparing your child for swim lessons should be thought of in the same manner.

Getting your child to feel comfortable in and with the water are very important to establish before swim lessons actually begin. Here are tips from Sunsational Swim School instructors.

1. Bath time play

Before you start anything, you want to make sure that your child understands that water is fun to play in.You want to make sure that your child feels comfortable with the idea of water and that it is not scary. Playing with toys and splashing the water is a great way to start this sensory experience.

2. Water on the Head and Face

During bath time start getting your child use to having water on their face and head. Start by trickling water on their head like rain drops, then progress to a cup sized amounts with the water running down their face. Always make sure to include the cue “ 1, 2, 3” to let the child know when the water is coming. This process should be made fun and exciting for your child. Make it a game, and celebrate when they successfully feel comfortable with the water flowing over their face and head.

Pouring water over the head during bath time helps prepare children for swim lessons.

3.Blowing Bubbles

Blowing bubbles is a great way to prepare a child for going underwater. Demonstrate this activity for your child. Take a deep breath and blow out on the surface of the water and make bubbles. A great way to explain this to your child is to “blow out the candles on the imaginary cake that is under water.

Have your child demonstrate this after you and have fun with it! This is a great step to do after your child feels comfortable with water in their face. If your child is not ready to get their face in the water for blowing bubbles, use a straw and blow into water in order to create bubbles.

4. Back Float in the Tub

To prepare your child for floating in the pool, have your child lay on their back in the bathtub. There should be enough water that when your child lays on their back the water covers their ears and just their face is above the water. This prepares them for learning to float in the pool with an instructor and gives them the comfort that being in this position is not a scary thing.

Sunsational Swim School wants your child to succeed in learning these life saving fun skills that will make them not only confident swim students, but confident children.