How to teach kids to swim at the beginner level
Learning to swim is a very important life skill and can greatly reduce the risk of drowning.
That’s why we’ve created this Beginner Swimming Lessons for Kids series, where we teach you how to teach your child (ages 3 and up) to swim.
Teaching your child to swim is also a great way to bond and create lasting memories with him/her.
I still remember how fun it was when my mom and aunt taught me how to swim when I was a kid. I also remember when my dad taught me to ride a bike. These types of memories can last a lifetime!
However, because memories of learning to swim really do stick (whether they are good or bad), it’s important to teach swimming in a fun and progressive way that starts with teaching basic swimming skills first and then building on additional skills until a child has all the skills needed to swim independently.
Many adults who are afraid of the water report that they had a bad experience as a kid either with water in general or with learning to swim. Or some adults just never learned to swim, which caused a natural fear of the water to develop.
Let me help you prevent this from happening to your child (and the future adult version of him/her), AND let’s have some fun along the way 🙂
So, I’ve broken up how to teach your child to swim into 3 Levels for children (ages 3 and up) who are beginners.
Please make sure your child can complete ALL the skills in a level BEFORE you move on to the next level.
Remember, we’re building skills on top of other skills here, so we need to have a good foundation to build on.
Below, you’ll find a summary of the skills for each level to give you an idea of where we’re going.
{Click on the level you’d like to start with to see detailed instructions on how to teach your child each skill along with pictures and videos.}
Level 1 Skills Summary
- Teach Your Child Breath Control
- How to Teach your Child to Put Their Face in the Water
- Teach Kids How to Kick and How to Float with Assistance from a Parent/Instructor
- Learning to “Monkey Crawl” along the Edge of the Pool to the Stairs
- Assisted jump in the pool from a seated position, then turn and grab the wall
Level 2 Skills Summary
- Teaching Kids to Put Their Head Under Water
- Teach Your Child to Kick in the Water Independently
- Learning to Roll from Front to Back and Back to Front in the Water
- Turn and Kick to the Edge of the Pool After Being Dropped into the Water
- Teach your Kid to Climb Out of the Pool
Level 3 Skills Summary
- How to Teach Kids to Swim with Arm Circles
- Teach Your Child the Pop-up Breath
- Teaching a Modified Elementary Backstroke
- Learning to Pick Up Deeper Objects in the Pool
- Jump into Pool, Turn, and Kick Back to the Wall Independently
- How to Teach Kids to Tread Water
Start at whichever level your child is currently at. For example, if your kid can complete only half of the skills in Level 1, then go to Level 1 and start with the skills that your child needs to learn.
Or, if your kid can complete all the skills in Level 1, start in Level 2 and test your child on the different skills until you find the skills that they are unable to complete, and start working on those.
Have fun! AND leave a comment below to tell me how the lessons are going for you or if you have any questions!
