Swimming Lesson for 3 Year Olds - Safety Skills & Goals

Congrats, parents! You’ve made it through the infant and toddler stage and are now the proud owner of a preschooler. One of the most important life skills that you can provide your child with is the ability to swim. By 3 years of age, children are mentally and physically ready to master the demands of beginner swimming.

Swim lessons are an essential life skill, rivaling car seats and proper sleep safety for importance. Drowning is the number one cause of unintentional injury related death in children aged 1-4. The CDC says that participation in formal swim lessons can reduce the risk of drowning up to 88%.

Now, the type of swim lessons I am referring to are not to be confused with “survival swim lessons” or other methods taught to children as young as 6 months where they can fall in a swimming pool and flip themselves over to wait for help. I’m talking about certified, actual, “it’s-time-to-swim” swim lessons.

Private Swimming Lessons for 3 Year Olds: Goals to Achieve

Goal #1: Water Safety & Drowning Prevention

We want our children to be safe around the water. Children are naturally curious about the water and tragedy can happen in a moment’s notice. Each swim lesson should incorporate some safety lessons. When I teach young children I start EVERY class with “Who gets in first?” with the correct responses being “the teacher, an adult, my mom, my dad…” It might sound redundant but children eventually associate sitting on the pool’s edge with “who gets in first.”

Top 5 Water Safety Rules to teach your children:

• Adults get in first (or adult must be supervising)
• 911 (or how to access an emergency system)
• Never swim alone
• Always listen to authority figures (parents, lifeguards, other supervising adults)
• If you get exhausted DON’T PANIC. Float on your back and float until help arrives or you can get back to safety.

For additional water safety tips, click here.

Goal #2: Necessary Skills in the Water

Swimming is a fun, enjoyable activity. We want our children to learn how to have fun in the water and play various games but foundationally, we want them to be safe first. Essential skills taught in beginner preschool swim lessons should include the following:

• Submerging the face without ingesting water (see ideas here)
• Returning to the side once the child enters the water (component of the Sunsational Learn to Swim Guarantee)
• Paddling on the front
• Floating on the back
• Climbing out of the pool independently

Let’s break each of these down. It is very important for a child to be able to submerge their face without ingesting water. This is a fundamental skill that many other things are built on. A good way to practice this skill is by blowing bubbles in the water. (A fun trick I use is having them pretend to blow out a birthday candle). Once they learn this skill a great way to practice and move on to returning to the side is to have the adult stand a couple feet away from the wall with the child, count to three, and push the child’s face under the water while propelling them towards the wall on their tummy.

Returning to the side once the child enters the water. This is huge! If a child were to fall into the pool they have a much better chance of returning to the wall without becoming disoriented if you practice, practice, practice this skill. A great way to do that is by holding their hands, having them jump towards you into the pool and quickly turning them back to the wall. The repetition will teach them how to turn and the more they practice the earlier in the exercise you can let go of their hands and have them work independently.

Paddling on the front. This is a skill you can start with at any level and progress as the child’s abilities and comfort increase. This is just holding them in a horizontal position on the tummy and having them pull their arms and kick their feet. This typically starts with the child’s face completely out of the water and as they begin to master the other skills they can submerge while paddling.

Goal #3: Self Confidence

Each step in the learn to swim process is a building block for your child’s self-confidence. Every skill learned in swim lessons is a huge accomplishment. Think of how exciting it is for you to watch your child accomplish anything new: learning to walk, talk, or tie their shoes. For them the excitement is more than ten-fold. They are becoming independent and are able to master skills independently. Make sure that you ask your child to show you all of their newfound skills. Have your child practice, practice, practice!! Reinforcing these skills is very important!

Goal #4: Lifelong learning and opportunities

There are tremendous benefits to being a proficient swimmer. Safety around water is paramount of course, but there are several other activities that people can enjoy once they can swim comfortably. It is great low-impact, cardio exercise. Swimming laps can burn approximately 500 calories per hour. It is a full body, low resistance workout.

Good swimmers can progress into competitive swimmers, triathletes, and water polo players. There are several professions that require excellent swimming skills such as lifeguards, swim instructors, and marine professions. Some of the most unique pass times (think SCUBA diving and snorkeling) require swim skills.

To summarize:

Learning to swim is one of the best gifts that you can give your children. Even though it is scary to watch your preschooler submerge and struggle a little bit, they are learning and growing every time they are in the water. Make sure that you select a reputable program with certified instructors to teach your children. Good places to look are your local YMCA or city recreation center.

Remember to ask questions and look for the following topics in your preschooler’s swim lessons:

1. Safety
2. Necessary in-water skills
3. Self-confidence
4. Lifelong opportunities (optional)

So if you think it’s time to sign your child up for swim lessons, private instruction from the convenience of your own pool is a great way to go. Book swimming lessons with your local Sunsational Instructor and get your child swimming today!

Heidi Blair’s bio:

Swim Instructor in Saint Petersburg, FL

Heidi Blair is an Aquatics Professional that has over 15 years of experience in the non-profit sector as an operator with the YMCA. She is a lifeguard instructor for The American Red Cross, Jeff Ellis and Associates, and the YMCA of the USA. She is a swim lesson trainer for the YMCA of the USA and has taught thousands of children to swim in the St. Petersburg area. She has lead her association in several initiatives sponsored by Florida Blue, The Tampa Bay Rays Foundation, and the Juvenile Welfare Board all related to drowning prevention and Safety Around Water. Heidi is an active member of the Association of Aquatics Professionals. She graduated from Eckerd College with a degree in Environmental Science with a minor in Anthropology. When she's not working you can find her enjoying our local beaches, kayaking, reading, and listening to Jimmy Buffett cover bands.