Swimming is one of the best sports for children. It not only represents a very useful training that reduces the risk of drowning but also helps to expand their lung capacity, promotes oxygenation, and stimulates child psychomotor development. In addition, it improves the coordination of movements, strengthens the muscles, and favors their ability to move. And, as if that were not enough, it is an excellent exercise to relax children, while helping them to fall asleep better and rest more.
However, parents often wait until children are older to introduce them to swimming. However, the truth is that the smaller they are, the faster they will learn to swim. This is because they still retain the swimming and apnea reflex, an involuntary response from when they were in the amniotic fluid inside their mother’s womb, which will allow them to function more easily in the water with Lifeguard Training.
Another great advantage of teaching them while they are small is that they will present less resistance to learning to swim since the fears have not yet been established. Therefore, the sooner you start with the classes, the better.
Steps to teaching a child to swim
1. Make him feel safe
There are children who feel like fish in water, while others are terrified because they do not feel comfortable in this environment. In these cases, it is important that you get the child to lose his fear of water because otherwise, it will be very difficult for him to learn to swim. A good strategy to achieve this is to enter the water with him since in this way he will feel more confident and secure and will gradually lose his fear. In any case, never force him to be in the water if he puts up a lot of resistance as it could be counterproductive.
2. Always start in a place where you bottom out
Many parents think that the best way to teach a child to swim is to take him to a place where he will not hit the bottom and throw him there so that he instinctively learns to stay afloat. However, in reality, this is a terrible strategy as it can become a negative precedent and trigger fear or a phobia in the child. To teach a child to swim, the key is to start classes in a place where she can touch the bottom. In this way, the little one will have the certainty that if something goes wrong he will be safe and that will give him an extra dose of confidence.
3. Show him some exercises to control breathing
A fundamental skill in swimming is knowing how to control your breathing underwater. Therefore, this is one of the first exercises that you should teach the little one. You can start with the bubble game: ask him to breathe in through his nose, hold his breath and submerge himself, preferably in the bathtub, and then expel the air through his mouth while blowing bubbles. To make him lose his fear, you can show him how it’s done and then ask him to do it together.
4. Teach him to do the kicks
This is another key exercise to learn to swim, although sometimes it can be a bit complex because it requires a good dose of coordination. However, with a little practice, the child will eventually learn it. At first, you can hold him by the abdomen so that he stays afloat while he exercises the technique, although he can also practice holding on to the edge of the pool or aboard. Once he feels safe, encourage him to move his legs up and down, without bending his knees.
5. Encourage him to use his arms
In swimming, the arms not only help to stay afloat but also propel the swimmer and allow him to move faster. Therefore, it is important that you teach the child to use his arms while he is in the water. To begin, you can explain the technique of the stroke: ask him to raise his arm, pass it over his head, and introduce it into the water at an approximate angle of 45º and then bring it back under the water again. You can show him how it’s done and ask him to practice the technique standing in the water.
6. Make him coordinate the movements of his arms and legs
Once the little one already knows the technique of kicks and strokes, the time has come for him to learn to coordinate them. At first, it can be difficult since normally the legs go on one side and the arms on the other, but with a little practice the child will end up getting it. To help him, you can hold him by the abdomen while he practices both exercises, but after several attempts, you will have to let him go so that he learns to do it on his own.
7. Motivate him to train
Practice makes perfect, so once the child already has the theory, it is time for you to let him practice alone. Obviously, in the beginning, he should train in a place where he hits rock bottom since, in addition to giving him more security, in case he makes a mistake, he will not have major consequences. However, later on, when he has at least learned to stay afloat, you can allow him to swim in deeper spaces or with other children. Of course, in no case lose sight of him until he has learned to swim well.
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