Tips on teaching your own kid to swim?

[wellyes]

We are in a swim club. DD wears a full swim vest and splashes around happily in the water by herself. She wants to go without. I'd like to help her. I think we can figure this out without going to formal swim lessons - which aren't offered at our pool anyway.

Right now she can doggie paddle from one set of steps to another. She's basically treading water, often with all but her face submerged. She's too vertical and making lots of small movements, which is exhausting and ineffective. And she has gone under once or twice without meaning to.

Obviously, we only allow this when our eyes are glued on her and she's in arms reach.

What tips can I give her to help her?

I've suggested kicking practice and using longer, stronger arm strokes.
DH just helps by having her swim horizontally with a hand on her belly (underneath her) for practice.

What has worked for you?

[mom2binsd]

Find someone who can give her private swim lessons, the technique your husband is using is ok, but a swim instructor will be able to get her swimming quickly as it sounds like she is really ready.

[magnoliaparadise]

Hi,
I don't know if this is a tip per se, but we had private lessons for awhile (somewhat long story - started DD1 at 3.5 yo and she was PETRIFIED of the water and would not join classmates). What I saw was that teacher (who was great - skilled and loving and fun) didn't do ALL that much more than I would have done, honestly - she held her and tried to get her to do basic stuff - at your kid's level: submerge head, blow bubbles, stand in place and maneuver arms alternatively, and the biggest thing she kept doing was having DD1 at wall and telling her to swim towards her (ie towards teacher). Kind of like when our kids learned to walk and we encouraged them to walk to us. Mostly, DD1 just pushed off wall and used her momentum to get to teacher, and then she clung, but gradually (very gradually) she started to swim a bit. I didn't think it was a huge improvement, honestly, and was questioning myself about all the money spent, but then this summer, in camp swimming 2x a day, DD1 (5.5) suddenly started getting it and now swims a little.
So... in sum... my theory now is that it's really just about exposure to the water and time and that all the kids eventually get there. It's just about (for us at least) getting over the fear of the water, and not so much the specific skills in the pool.
I am going to try to get DD1 in a regular weekly group class in September... I just want her to have basic skills for her own safety. And I am going to get DD2 (21 months) in, too, well before 3.5 years.

[o_mom]

This website has some great videos and lesson plans for free: http://www.uswim.com/

The lesson plans are linked under each video. I would start with the 'stage 2' to make sure all the basics are covered before moving on to stroke development.

[brittone2]

This website has some great videos and lesson plans for free: http://www.uswim.com/

The lesson plans are linked under each video. I would start with the 'stage 2' to make sure all the basics are covered before moving on to stroke development.
Fantastic link, O_mom!

[TwinFoxes]

I would get private lessons at a "real" pool, like at a university or aquatic center. The instructors at our local university's pool are head and shoulders above the local kids who teach during the summer. If that's not feasible, one big difference I see is the instructors have the kids in deep water, where they can't stand up. The instructor is right there, but the kids don't have the pool bottom as a security blanket. They also practice having the kids jump into the deeper water. They push the kids' comfort level, but the kids learn to swim faster. If you teach your DD, I'd say be sure to push her a bit.

[wellyes]

Thanks all.

This website has some great videos and lesson plans for free: http://www.uswim.com/

The lesson plans are linked under each video. I would start with the 'stage 2' to make sure all the basics are covered before moving on to stroke development.

These are great - really step by step in a way that makes sense. I will be able to use with the 3 year old too! Thanks!!
And I have to confess the final lesson for 5+ year olds helped me figure out what I was doing wrong with my OWN freestyle!

[niccig]

I would get private lessons at a "real" pool, like at a university or aquatic center. The instructors at our local university's pool are head and shoulders above the local kids who teach during the summer. If that's not feasible, one big difference I see is the instructors have the kids in deep water, where they can't stand up. The instructor is right there, but the kids don't have the pool bottom as a security blanket. They also practice having the kids jump into the deeper water. They push the kids' comfort level, but the kids learn to swim faster. If you teach your DD, I'd say be sure to push her a bit.

I agree with lessons - we bounced around between a few places and DS had to unlearn bad habits. Eg. one place taught him to put his head up in front to breathe, well then he couldn't unlearn that for side breathing. I was not happy. He had 3 lessons when visited my parents in Australia last month and the swim instructors at local aquatic center are semi-professional - all compete and all get re-certified each year in how to teach swimming. In 1 lesson, DS was alternating side breathing. A good instructor makes such a difference.

[BabbyO]

I have to agree with PP's who recommend lessons. Stachio couldn't attend the lessons that were for his age group last summer so DH and I tried really hard to take him and teach him ourselves and Stachio just simply would NOT be taught by us. He's the same way with practicing numbers or letters for DH and I. For some reason, an unrelated instructor seems to command their attention better for this type of thing IME