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wikiHow to Teach Swim Lessons for Kids

Three Methods:Setting the FoundationTeaching Small ChildrenTeaching Older ChildrenCommunity Q&A

When it comes to teaching swimming lessons, there are some basic guidelines that every experienced swim instructor follows. Whether they do it knowingly or naturally, there are some swim lesson basics that should take place in the process. The most important thing is to get the kids comfortable with the water and to be kind yet firm when giving them instruction.

Setting the Foundation

  1. 1
    Remember that safety comes first. Before teaching a new skill, one must make sure that everyone involved stays safe. Never turn your back on a beginner. Be cognizant of the dangers involved in swimming, which include drowning, equipment malfunctions, or slipping. Be up-to-date in your understanding of CPR and first aid. Though lifeguard certifications can last multiple years, consider attending first-aid seminars on a regular basis.[1] Prioritize general safety over the teaching of skills.
    • Consider having a lifeguard or water watcher present as you teach. That way, you will be able to more completely focus on teaching individual students while someone else keeps watch over the entire pool.
    • All the steps in this guide should be followed alongside proper teaching and safety protocols, which are learned through certified programs.
  2. 2
    Show that you care. Children often need extra encouragement and welcoming when they enter strange environments or learn something new.[2] Warmly welcome every student. Get to know them as individuals, including knowing their names, how they like to be approached and taught, and what their strengths and weaknesses are. Developing an intuition about the needs of every student takes time, but a warm and approachable attitude can jump-start the bonding process.
    • It's often a good idea to include parents in this process; not only can they let you know ahead of time what a child struggles with, but being on good terms with parents can lead to their children trusting you more.
  3. 3
    Be prepared with a comprehensive lesson plan. Children often learn quickly and easily in structured environments that provide consistent feedback based on performance.[3] Develop lesson plans for each swimming session, keeping in mind what the class might focus on based on how they're doing. Consider consulting an experienced teacher or mentor when developing lesson plans, especially if you are having trouble tutoring individual children and their needs.
    • Your lesson plan should be flexible, easily alterable, and feature age-appropriate skills and challenges.
  4. 4
    Create a positive environment. The backbone of your approach and presence should be positive. Every class should include attainable but challenging goals, praise, and positive feedback. More than that, class should be fun! It is okay to loosen up class plans every now and then if students are engaged and playing. Learning can still happen, and often does happen, through play.[4]

Teaching Small Children

  1. 1
    Teach age-appropriate skills. The average age of your class will determine your lesson plans and goals; very young children will not respond to certain challenges that older children may thrive with. For instance, children under a year old should simply become acquainted with playing in water rather than being forced to swim.[5] Often, teachers get bored teaching fundamental skills and jump to something that interests them rather than that properly challenges the students. Be patient and mindful of your students' needs.
    • You may consider shadowing a more experienced swim teacher in order to observe how they react to different demographics of children. Contact a community gym, pool, or fitness center to see if this is an option.
  2. 2
    Encourage the development of coordination. Children won't be competent swimmers until the age of about six or seven, but skill-building in a classroom environment can begin before that age.[6] Children between four and six years old can benefit from coordination and stabilization exercises in the water. These exercises will help them get used to the basics of moving in the water.
    • Water safety should also be a prioritized lesson at this age. Teach children not to run by water, to be careful on slippery surfaces, and follow a protocol when entering and exiting a pool.
    • Be patient. Children at this age are not learning disciplined form; they are learning how to interact with the water. Interest levels and prowess will change day-to-day at this age.
  3. 3
    Teach independent floating. An ability to independently float in the water is a fundamental skill for swimming in general. Independent floating can be taught as an assisted wall float: with the student's back in the water, have them place their heels on the edge of the pool, anchoring them. Then, have the student extend their legs, flattening their body on the surface of the water and spreading their weight out to the length of their body. Once their legs are extended and their body is floating on the water, have them breathe normally and sustain the float for as long as possible.
    • It is best for them to not use their hands to assist their float. Once they master the assisted wall float, they should move on to try floating without any assistance.
  4. 4
    Teach stomach floating. This form of floating can help students get used to having their head and stomach underwater. Much like the assisted wall float, this exercise requires students to put their feet on the pool edge and extend their legs; this time, though, they will be floating on their stomach rather than on their back. Keeping hips and shoulders on the surface of the water, students must take a deep breath and put their face under the water. Students may use hands for the stomach float, but only to help bring the head up for another breath.
    • Assisted wall floats and stomach floating can be alternated as part of a drill or a game. Challenge students to be the one who can sustain a float the longest.
  5. 5
    Teach wall push-offs. Students who know how to push off a wall to float will understand how to use momentum to move in water. While their feet are on the wall of the pool, have the student take a breath and push off the wall. This will propel them through the water. Have the student relax and feel their head, legs, and arms sink in the water as they lose momentum and finally stop. This will help them become accustomed to sinking in the water and correcting this with a float. You don't necessarily have to couple this with a lesson in strokes, but a wall push-off is a good exercise to pair with continued movement through the water.
    • You may want to conduct this exercise in the short end of the pool, so that inexperienced swimmers can stand up after they lose momentum.
    • Water noodles and floating boards are good tools to pair with this exercise, so inexperienced swimmers can experiment with using their legs and arms to continue movement through the water.
  6. 6
    Encourage the development of discipline. Often, the point of instructing young children is to instill discipline, self-awareness, self-esteem, and curiosity rather than build great technique. Empathize with your students and understand the challenges they are facing in trying something strange and new. Making their first experience with swimming a friendly, safe, and responsible one can lead to a lifelong interest in learning.
    • A safe environment can be established through instructional generosity. Sandwich "corrections" with compliments, reward those who try new things, and keep in mind each child's fears or weaknesses.
    • At the same time, hold students responsible for their conduct, discipline, and effort. Make sure lesson plans are followed, even if altered.

Teaching Older Children

  1. 1
    Introduce more complex expectations. Older children, from ages 6 to ten, are more agile and coordinated than younger children. They can enter and exit the water by themselves and can learn fundamental strokes, such as the backstroke or breaststroke.[7] Though children in this age group aren't ready to be professional swimmers, it is healthy to increase expectations for behavior, reception of technical instruction, and stamina. Lessons can be more focused, longer, have more detail, and introduce higher expectations.
  2. 2
    Teach basic strokes. These are the basic building blocks for moving through the water. Basic strokes include the backstroke, the butterfly stroke, and the breaststroke.[8] Each of these strokes require coordinated movement across the body, meaning that teaching these strokes can take up large amounts of time. Often, instructors will break each stroke down into several parts, teach the parts individually, then combine them into a whole. One can follow this method to introduce basic movements to young children.
    • Instructors can break strokes down into "cues" that can illustrate a complex stroke. Children can easily memorize cues--which may indicate certain body postures or movements--and use them to build a stroke.
  3. 3
    Begin with the backstroke. The backstroke is an easy stroke that can be taught through specific skills. Begin with students floating on their back and stroking the water using only one arm--25 strokes with the left arm, then 25 with the right. Once the movement is perfected, the arms can be alternated. After the student can keep a steady rhythm with alternating arms, they can be taught a flutter kick. Once the student can alternate arms, flutter kick, and stay afloat on their back, they can use these together in rhythm in order to perform a backstroke.[9]
  4. 4
    Introduce measured challenges. Once the student is able to move in the water with the backstroke, introduce challenges or drills that require them to apply the technique. Swimming a certain number of laps in a lap pool, or around the edge of a pool without laps, can be a good challenge, as can be races against other students. Randomized challenges, such as swimming to pick up randomly dropped pool weights, can develop reaction and decision-making skills.
    • Try to have your students reduce their time spent completing each drill or challenge. Consider recording their times in order to encourage development.
  5. 5
    Use practical skill progressions. This is similar to teaching strokes by breaking them down into cues. Skill progressions introduce students to small tasks or movements that, once mastered, are then combined or extended into larger ones. A skill progression will establish foundational skills that are predictable, then lead students to more complex skills that are less predictable and indicative of mastery.[10] Using a skill progression in teaching swimming might mean playing a game that develops a simple skill, then moving on to more technical-based lessons that build upon that skill.
    • Skill progressions can be used in the open (that is, you can provide a chart or graph that tracks the skills attained) or can be used in an unacknowledged way.
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    Reduce structure. As students get older and more experienced, their need for structure may be reduced, as they are able to make their own decisions and rely on their own intuition about their skills. Students might need to be weaned off structure in order to develop this independence. Consider challenging your students more, or introducing the risk of failure; putting students outside their comfort zone can often lead to the largest jumps in competence and skill acquisition.
    • At the same time, remain generous, gentle, and responsible with your students' self-esteem. Never make them internalize failure, feel lasting shame, or have deep doubts about themselves.
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    Educate parents on their child's progress. As children gain mastery, they may need more support than you can give in order for their skills to develop. Talk to your students' parents about their progress, weaknesses, improvements, and opportunities for activity outside your lessons. Parents do not have your expertise or time with their children and may miss information about their child's development.
    • Continue to remind parents about swimming safety. Many parents assume that once a child has taken swimming lessons, they can swim alone. This is not the case; all children should be supervised while swimming.
  8. 8
    Act like a professional. Arrive early, stay on schedule, keep your equipment and props neatly organized and maintained, and avoid talking about personal issues. The higher expectation you fulfill for yourself, the higher expectations you can expect from your students.

Community Q&A

Add New Question
  • How do I teach a child to hold his breath a long time?
    wikiHow Contributor
    Tell him to take a big breath and go underwater, and be sure you know how long they can hold their breath. Don't push the limits too much, but practice with them until they can hold it longer and longer.
  • How do you open your eyes in the water?
    wikiHow Contributor
    It would be better to wear goggles, and it's better to keep them closed. If you have to open them, don't overthink it and just open them like you usually do.
  • How do I teach a 5-year-old to keep water from entering the nostrils while learning swimming?
    wikiHow Contributor
    Have the child blow bubbles out of his/her nose. Practicing this skill first, then combining it with the skill being taught may be helpful.
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Video samples of "How to Teach Kids to Swim" from Swim Lessons University video TEACH LIKE A PRO by Jim Reiser, M.S.

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Categories: Basic Swimming Techniques

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