Tips for teaching little ones to swim

Depending on your child’s age, they may need some kind of flotation device. Babies and toddlers can use armbands and rubber rings, whilst older children will likely need a float – it won’t impede arm movement, and provides endless opportunities for kids to channel their inner sharks. A swim vest is another top choice for those who are almost able to swim unaided – just remove the floats gradually until they are ready to go it alone.

Nobody likes getting water in their eyes, and the right-sized goggles can make a huge difference. Once your kids realise they can explore underwater life without stinging their eyes, they’ll have a whole new lease of aquatic life. Just you wait. 

Swim toys and accessories help keep swimming interesting, and things like swim noodles, inflatables and dive sticks quickly become an instructor’s best friend.

If you want to know how to teach a child to swim step-by-step, there are really just a few key skills that they need to practise - separately to start with, then over and over until they feel natural. At that point, swimming tends to just ‘click’, and your little water baby will be off! 

The most important skills to practice are:

•    Kicking – encourage them to keep their legs as straight as possible, point their toes and keep the movement controlled. Try a version of the traffic light game to practice this: green means kick as hard as they can, yellow is a slow kick, and red is the signal for stop.

•    Holding their breath – essential for learning breath control (and avoiding swallowing half the pool). Start by getting them to blow up their belly and cheeks with air - a bit like a hamster - and counting as they hold it in. You can practise this one out of the water too.

•    Blowing bubbles – after holding their breath, the obvious next step is to release it. Young children will love making a game of pretending to talk to the fishes or being a motorboat as you both blow bubbles. 

•    Using their arms – a front-crawl-type stroke is the best choice for little learners. Get them to stretch their arms out in front of them and then pull them back through the waters, keeping their fingers together for stronger propulsion.

Once your child is getting the hang of the basics, it’s time to mix things up with skills like treading water, diving underwater, and floating on their back in preparation for learning backstroke. 

Games and little challenges are a great way of keeping things fun. Here are some of our favourite ideas:

•    Pretend to be sea creatures - whether its dolphins or mermaids, children love using their imaginations.

•    Races – gradually increase the distance and be sure to let them win (for now at least). Mix it up with variations like seeing who can push a beach ball to the other side fastest or riding on swim noodles like cowboys. 

•    Shark Tag – the ‘shark’ tries to tag other players. If they manage, that player becomes the next ‘shark’. We also love Octopus Arms – a pool version of British Bulldogs where you have to swim from one side of the pool to the other without getting tagged by whoever is the ‘octopus’. 

•    Swimming through an underwater obstacle course of hula hoops – great for kids who are just discovering the excitement of underwater life.

•    Playing with floats – from jousting to ‘surfing’, there is no end to the float fun. 

•    Diving for colourful dive sticks and toys. Give it a creative twist by setting a magical scene: the kids are pirates, diving to find their lost treasure.

•    Challenges and contests – from who can hold their breath underwater the longest to who can make the biggest splashes, competition is always a great motivator. 

The best thing about these games? The kids will enjoy themselves so much that they won’t even notice they’re actually learning to swim. You’ll have a great time too. Fact. 

If you’re a confident swimmer yourself, it can be hard to remember a time when you were once scared of the water. But, believe it or not, you probably were. So if your kid is scared to start off with, don’t worry – it’s just their survival instinct kicking in! 

The good news is that when they do eventually trust you to keep them safe, they’ll eventually lose that fear and discover how fun the water is. Just hold on tight, make them feel safe. and reassure them that you’re there.

On a similar note, don’t rush it - every child learns at their own pace. If you’re giving them lots of opportunities to be in the water and have fun, then they will get there. As with everything, just take it one step at a time.

A great thing about a holiday with a pool or the ocean is that children are fantastic imitators. If they see other children swimming, splashing around and having a great time, they’ll likely join in on the action.

It’s a well-known fact that children are not always as amenable to tips and encouragement when it’s coming from their parents! Sometimes a qualified swimming teacher will have more success – and that’s okay. 

Whether you want to treat your kids to some one-to-one swim coaching, or have them doing fun water-based activities (and swimming) in our kids’ clubs, the Neilson team are on hand to help. Some expert tuition for your little ones whilst you relax? Sounds like a win-win.