How to Teach a Toddler to Swim

Summer is just around the corner and temperatures are already rising. Pools will be opening, and it’ll be time to swim! But wait, you’re not excited? You’ve got a toddler? That’s okay! Keep reading and we will give you some tips on how to teach your toddler to swim. And don’t forget the chance to enroll in swim lessons to further develop these skills!

Let’s start simple.

Learning to swim starts before we even hit the pool so let’s start now. The best place to begin practicing is the bathtub. You want to help your child to develop a positive association and experience with water. Safety tip first though- always make sure your child is being supervised even in the tub. Shallow water can still be dangerous if a child isn’t being watched.

Let’s take a bath!

• Be excited; remember this is fun!
• Carry on conversation and talk with enthusiasm about the water and swimming.
• Play some music that your child enjoys. This will keep the energy upbeat and can also help to facilitate movement and rhythm.
• Bath toys- have a variety of toys your child enjoys playing with in the tub and be ready and willing to play with them. A doll that can go into the tub is a great option as you can use the doll to demonstrate different water skills and let your child help to teach the doll as well.
• Blowing bubbles- the bathtub is a great place to develop the skill of blowing bubbles. Children can be hesitant to get their faces and lips wet at first so let’s progress to this. A fun idea is to grab a straw. Keeping the straw at full length, let your child hold one end in the water and blow bubbles through the straw. Fun, right?! Gradually cut the straw lower and lower encouraging your child to get their face closer to watch with each shortening of the straw. It might take a while but eventually this will bring them down to water level allowing them to blow the bubbles directly into the bath water.
• Practice floating- as your child increasing in comfort with the water, begin to introduce the idea of floating. Start by demonstrating the float with the doll if you have one. Let your child assist the doll with front and back floats. I bet the doll does a great job! Now it is your child’s turn; let them try! Notice what seems to be more comfortable for your child, whether it is front float or back float. In the pool, children are often more inclined to the front float as they can keep eye contact with the individual holding them as they look them in the face. In the bathtub, this is more difficult and sometime the back float is more comfortable as you have more ability to learn over the tub and keep eye contact with them while on their back. Play around with this idea and concept and see if it comes naturally. Don’t worry if it doesn’t; no need to get frustrated. Remember, keep this fun and positive!
• Keep practicing and working on building comfort and confidence in the water.

Well what’s next? Pool time!

But wait; let’s bring that positive bath experience with you. Bring the same toys, music, doll, straw for bubbles, and any other props you used in the tub.

How you begin with your transition to the pool depends a good bit on the pool itself. If you have a pool with a walk-ramp, start in that shallow water where your child can walk and sit in allowing them to emulate the bathtub. Similarly, stairs that they can sit on create the same experience. If these aren’t available, start in the shallow end. Have your child sit on the pool edge while you get in. And remember, you are having fun as you get in! Bring your child into the water with you at their comfort level. This might be an easy transition, or it might be a little scary; just be patient. Overcoming fear and gaining confidence in the pool takes time.

Experiment with different styles and ways of holding your child to find how they are most comfortable. Often children will prefer to be face to face with while you support them under their armpits. It allows them to maintain eye contact and feel a greater sense of security. This is a great position for acclimating to the pool as it allows them to watch you as you demonstrate bubbles and putting your face in the water. This position also will allow for the child to transition into a front float where you can continue to support them at their core.

Start with the kick.

Encourage them to let the legs float up and as they progress you can help move their legs in a flutter kick motion. Walk backwards while doing this so the child experiences the feeling of swimming forward while they kick. This can also be done with a side hold keeping the child up against your hip with your hands on either side. This also creates more ability for the introduction of the arms.

Adding arms.

Alright; so, let’s add the arms into the stroke. Here’s an idea. Grab a toy that your child likes. Shift yourself so that you can hold your child with one arm up against your hip to keep the same position. Extend your hand with the toy out in front of your child and ask your child to reach for the toy, one arm at a time. Keep encouraging with them with this concept and then work on continuing the kick while they do so. There is a lot going on at this point and it can be hard for children to combine the skills so keep up the encouragement and enthusiasm. As they pick up on the concept, add bubbles and putting the face in the water. It is a process, but they will get it!

And finally…

Keep incorporating new skills including the front float, back float (check out How to Teach a Child to Float) assisted jumps into the pool and so forth. Remember, be patient, have fun, and don’t give up!

Jennifer Stanger’s bio:

Swim Instructor in Charlotte, NC

Jennifer moved to Charlotte, NC several years ago after growing up in CT and living in various states in the New England and New York area. She was a competitive swimmer from ages 5-18 competing at both local and state levels. She started teaching swim lessons and coaching at the age of 16 and has continued her love of swimming. She now teaches group exercise classes at the local YMCAs, works in the behavioral and mental health field and continues to swim while also taking up the love of distance running. She continues teach swim lessons to all ages and abilities as it is a way of sharing a positive experience of her own childhood with others.