Building Comfort And Confidence In The Water

Learning to swim is not only imperative to your child’s long term water safety in and around bodies of water, but it can be an incredibly fun activity to help them bond with family and friends, as well as build self confidence. Like learning anything, there can be a lot of self-doubt and anxiety that gets coupled with learning a new skill that is outside of their comfort zone. For parents who have been long time swimmers there can be a feeling to want to rush into having your child be a strong swimmer, when in reality strong swimming skills are built over years. On the other hand, for parents who feel they are weak swimmers or who are unable to swim, there can be residual feelings of unease around water, which can be unintentionally transferred to their children through the parent’s energy and actions. In both of these cases, there leaves little room for the child to comfortably learn at their own pace in an environment that is nonthreatening and with no pressure.

Creating a Safe Space

No matter your own feelings toward swimming, it is important that your child learns this life saving skill at their own pace. Encouraging words, smiles and positive body language are the first steps in creating a safe space for your child to feel comfortable learning this new skill. While as a caregiver your first reaction may be to console and comfort your child in an instance that they feel uncomfortable or surprised, it is important to reinforce positive encouragement and affirmations no matter a small splash to the face, or suddenly falling into the water unexpectedly. During my own personal years of teaching swimming lessons I have seen parents react to their child swimming in a wide range of ways, from harsh words and even a little push to get into the pool, to coddling and consoling over the smallest splash that brings tears. I have seen children brought to tears over something as small as an accidental splash to the face, to suddenly slipping and falling into the shallow end and needing to be pulled out. No matter the instance, it is important to give positive encouragement and praise. Children are very intuitive, and as soon as there is an energy shift (especially in someone like their caregiver), their first reaction may be to react in a flurry of tears, worry and uncertainty. Since learning to swim is already putting them outside their comfort zone, reacting with positive encouragement is key.

Fostering Confidence

Ways to begin to build this confidence in the water can start at bath time. Encouraging your child to put their head underwater, pouring water over their head and blowing bubbles are the first steps toward building water confidence in the pool. Once they understand that getting water in their eyes, and getting their face wet is something that is normal and typical when in the water, they are more likely to be confident in the pool. Starting swimming lessons at an early age is another key component in building lifelong strong swimmers. You can start as young as six months old with “Baby and Me” classes, which brings caregivers and the infant into the pool together to play in a space that is both supportive and fun.

Different Strokes for Different Folks

Throughout swimming lessons, it is important to understand that all children learn to swim at their own pace. Just because you have one child who is a confident and strong swimmer straight out of the gate, doesn’t mean the other child will be. No matter the level or age, be patient, positive and encouraging. Swimming is not only a life saving skill, but will bring your child self-confidence and joy for the rest of their life!

About the Author: Angelina Ward
Angelina is a lifetime lover of all things aquatic. Originally from the North Bay, she is a graduate of UC Santa Barbara and has spent her life always in the water. She has been a competitive swimmer, played water polo, lifeguarded for six years and a swim instructor for eight years. She firmly believes that learning to swim should be fun, and enjoys working with all levels from infant to adult.