How to Help Your Child Overcome The Fear Of Water

When your child is afraid of the water, it can be a real challenge for the child and the parent to start swim lessons. Here are a few tips to make the transition from fearful child to excited-little-swimmer a bit easier!

Show them pictures and videos of other kids swimming

Pull up a video or two of kids swimming and having fun in the pool, explain to your child that the pool is fun and by doing to swim lessons, he/she will learn to swim like the kids on the video. Children are masters of imitation, if they see that others are excited about swimming they will likely be very excited about it as well. That includes parents as well, so make sure that even if you are feeling nervous about your child starting swim lessons, you try not to show it when the child is around.

Turn bath time into practice time!

Most children love to play in the bath, which makes it the perfect place for getting comfortable in the water. Instruct your child to practice putting his/her mouth in the water and blowing bubbles or splashing with their hands to start. Next encourage them to get their nose and face wet by splashing it, slowly work up to submerging or “hiding” the face in the water completely. Then when they are comfortable with this you can have them practice kicking with their feet in shallow bath water.

Understand that tears and fear of the water are very common

Children are often afraid for the first few lessons and that is totally natural. Most swim instructors are trained thoroughly to work with kids who are crying, fearful, and uncomfortable. Within a few lessons the child will most likely stop crying and start enjoying swim lessons! But until then just remember that your child’s tears are hurting you more than they are hurting him/her. If you can stick it out and continue on with the schedule for lessons, your child will progress and it will get easier.

Take your child in the pool.

If you have a home pool, get in with your child often on the days leading up to swim lessons. If you do not have access to a home pool then try taking your child to a public pool and getting them used to the atmosphere and being in the water. The more exposure to the water, the better prepared they will be when it comes time for swim lessons!

Explain to Your Child Why Swimming Lessons are Important, and put Them in Swim Lessons!

No matter your child’s age, it is helpful to explain to them what happens at swim lessons. Then make sure they know that you are putting them in swim lessons because you want them to be safe in the water and learn help themselves out if they happen to fall in. This will give the child an understanding of what to expect as well as the reason behind it. Mental preparation is a huge step in the right direction.

You now have all you need to get your child swim-lesson-ready! Now take a deep breath, and let the instructor take the wheel.

About the Author: Kailey Pavao:
Hello, my name is Kailey and I have been teaching swim lessons for 6 years with ages 3 to 16. I have also worked with infants and adults. Before I became a lideguard and swim instructor I did Jr. Lifeguarding at the beach and at the pool. I am currently a student at SDSU working toward a degree in Kinesiology. I love teaching swimming lessons because it is very rewarding to know that I am teaching kids a life saving skill!