1. Make the most of bathtime.
Begin by using this time as an opportunity to familiarize babies with water. “When he’s in the bathtub, get him wet and let the water go over his head and get into his ears,” Garcia suggests. “Having water in the ears is a very strange feeling, and he might not like it, but you have to keep doing it.” By age 1, kids should feel comfortable having water on their face.
2. Enroll in a mommy-and-me swimming class.
These programs, for kids ages 6 to 36 months, introduce swimming in a small and comfortable setting and help toddlers develop the motor skills needed to swim. “Parents don’t have to be swimmers to participate—the pool is very shallow so they just need to stand in the water,” Garcia says. During classes, parents do exercises such as positioning kids atop the water’s surface on their tummy and slowly rolling them onto their back, while letting them kick their feet and splash.
3. Sign up kids for lessons at age 3.
It’s time to progress to private or group swimming lessons without parental involvement. “If kids aren’t comfortable in water by age 4, learning how to swim will become harder with every additional year that you wait,” Garcia warns.
4. Start with fun games.
Instructors at Helen’s Happy Swim School begin by engaging kids in fun, trust-building, and confidence-boosting activities. “We’ll play games like ‘How wet can you get the teacher?’ and the kids will sit up on the deck, put their feet in the water, and splash the teacher,” Garcia says. Non-swimming parents can practice similar exercises, such as this version of “Red light, green light”: Stand in the shallow end of the pool and position your kids on the edge; have the swimmers-in-training do quick flutter kicks when they hear the “green light” cue and abruptly stop when “red light” is called out.
5. Mind the details.
A beginner’s environment can dictate whether the learning process is positive from the very start. According to Garcia, proper water temperature (80 to 82 degrees) is key for young swimmers. “Children don’t have a lot of body fat, so if the water is cold, their body will get stiff and they won’t want to learn anything,” she says. Another way parents can help keep their little ones happy in the water is to dress them in pool-ready attire. “Lycra-based swimsuits are ideal because the fabric won’t absorb water, whereas cotton boardshorts and T-shirts will hold water and weigh a ton,” says Garcia. “When children are carrying all that extra water weight, learning a skill such as kicking on a kickboard will be a lot more challenging.”
6. Take a dip.
When non-swimming parents rise above their fears and conquer the water, it sends a powerful and persuasive message to their children that will resonate far beyond the pool. Throughout the learning process, parents and children can work as a team by acting as each other’s biggest cheerleader. “I’ve seen parents who were so inspired by their child’s progress that it motivated them to learn how to swim,” Garcia says. “Now, they can enjoy water activities together as a family.” It’s no secret that children learn by example, so walking the walk—or swimming the swim—will probably be a parent’s most effective form of encouragement.
Begin by using this time as an opportunity to familiarize babies with water. “When he’s in the bathtub, get him wet and let the water go over his head and get into his ears,” Garcia suggests. “Having water in the ears is a very strange feeling, and he might not like it, but you have to keep doing it.” By age 1, kids should feel comfortable having water on their face.
2. Enroll in a mommy-and-me swimming class.
These programs, for kids ages 6 to 36 months, introduce swimming in a small and comfortable setting and help toddlers develop the motor skills needed to swim. “Parents don’t have to be swimmers to participate—the pool is very shallow so they just need to stand in the water,” Garcia says. During classes, parents do exercises such as positioning kids atop the water’s surface on their tummy and slowly rolling them onto their back, while letting them kick their feet and splash.
3. Sign up kids for lessons at age 3.
It’s time to progress to private or group swimming lessons without parental involvement. “If kids aren’t comfortable in water by age 4, learning how to swim will become harder with every additional year that you wait,” Garcia warns.
4. Start with fun games.
Instructors at Helen’s Happy Swim School begin by engaging kids in fun, trust-building, and confidence-boosting activities. “We’ll play games like ‘How wet can you get the teacher?’ and the kids will sit up on the deck, put their feet in the water, and splash the teacher,” Garcia says. Non-swimming parents can practice similar exercises, such as this version of “Red light, green light”: Stand in the shallow end of the pool and position your kids on the edge; have the swimmers-in-training do quick flutter kicks when they hear the “green light” cue and abruptly stop when “red light” is called out.
5. Mind the details.
A beginner’s environment can dictate whether the learning process is positive from the very start. According to Garcia, proper water temperature (80 to 82 degrees) is key for young swimmers. “Children don’t have a lot of body fat, so if the water is cold, their body will get stiff and they won’t want to learn anything,” she says. Another way parents can help keep their little ones happy in the water is to dress them in pool-ready attire. “Lycra-based swimsuits are ideal because the fabric won’t absorb water, whereas cotton boardshorts and T-shirts will hold water and weigh a ton,” says Garcia. “When children are carrying all that extra water weight, learning a skill such as kicking on a kickboard will be a lot more challenging.”
6. Take a dip.
When non-swimming parents rise above their fears and conquer the water, it sends a powerful and persuasive message to their children that will resonate far beyond the pool. Throughout the learning process, parents and children can work as a team by acting as each other’s biggest cheerleader. “I’ve seen parents who were so inspired by their child’s progress that it motivated them to learn how to swim,” Garcia says. “Now, they can enjoy water activities together as a family.” It’s no secret that children learn by example, so walking the walk—or swimming the swim—will probably be a parent’s most effective form of encouragement.
