Many parents want to know how to teach their child to swim without hiring a sports coach. Is it possible to do this on your own, or is it better not to skimp and pay for a professional teacher? And in general, at what age should a child be taught to swim - at 3, 5, 8 years old? We will talk about all this in this article.
Optimal child age
A lot has been said about the benefits of swimming, hardly anyone today will refute the obvious. Speaking specifically about the advantages of this sport for children, we highlight the following points:
- Swimming develops the child physically. Trains muscles, posture, strengthens the musculoskeletal system, improves coordination;
- Children who regularly go swimming in the pool are less sick. Exercise helps to harden, strengthen the immune system;
- Sports swimming improves endurance and strength, and also increases self-esteem;
- And also, it gives positive emotions, helps to relax, calms the nervous system.
At the same time, you do not have to force the kid to pass standards for a category or rank. It is quite enough just to teach your child to swim in the pool and turn these activities into a healthy and regular habit.
The best age to teach a child to swim is between 3 and 4 years of age.
Children under 3 years old are not yet ready to purposefully study, they come to the pool to splash and frolic. Explaining the technique to them and getting them to comply with the workout routine and schedule will be difficult.
However, it is necessary to accustom the baby to water from the infancy period. He should not be afraid that water gets on his head, flows into his mouth and nose, and, ideally, he should be able and love to dive.
We recommend that you water your baby with water while bathing, encourage him to dive, teach him to hold his breath.
The most important thing that a child must master is that you should not try to take a breath underwater. Once he reflexively masters this skill, the fear of diving and depth will go away.
But do not think that it is difficult for children after 10 years to learn to swim. They successfully master the skill at 5, 8, and 15 years old - the most important thing is to prepare them correctly.
Where to teach a child faster?
Let's continue to figure out how to teach a child to swim at 7 years old or later. First of all, decide where you will study. The best option is a shallow pool in a sports complex. The baby should feel safe, so the water's edge at its deepest point should not reach above chest level.
Many people are interested in how to teach a child to swim in the sea, but we do not recommend getting acquainted with this sport in open water. First, the natural environment creates obstacles - waves, uneven bottom, salt water, which is unpleasant to dive into. Secondly, being in the sun for a long time is harmful to baby's skin. Well, and thirdly, there are sides in the pool that you can stick to at the initial stage of training.
Also in the pool, you can ask for special sports equipment - planks, rollers, etc. These devices help to overcome the fear of depth and master the basics of technology.
Children 3-4 years old are taught to swim in a playful way. Children 5-8 years old can explain the technique in simple words. Beginning at the age of 10, feel free to treat your child like an adult.
Well, we answered where you can teach a child to swim, but we emphasize that our position is recommendatory. If you live in the south and have the opportunity to often travel to the coast, a teenager can learn to swim at sea. Just make sure that he is always under supervision.
How to teach a child not to be afraid of water?
Do you know how coaches teach children to swim in the pool, what technique do they use? A good specialist practices special exercises that help the child get comfortable in the aquatic environment and overcome the initial fear:
- Float. The child holds his breath, wraps his arms around his knees and plunges into the pool. Releases air and floats. By the way, you can scatter bright cars along the bottom so that he has an incentive to dive;
- Footwork. The child holds his hands on the edge of the pool and makes movements with his legs "scissors", "frog", "Bicycle", swing, etc .;
- Hearts. Let the child draw on the water surface of the heart, provided that the base of the figure must be under water. At the same time, the body lies horizontally, the legs help the body to maintain balance;
To quickly teach your child to swim, help him overcome fear. As soon as children stop being afraid, learning begins to go by leaps and bounds. The child is tirelessly and happily walks in the pool, happily repeats the movements behind mom and dad and instantly absorbs the technique.
At this stage, it's time to teach the baby to stay on the surface.
Balance exercises
To teach your child to swim properly, allow him to feel that the water is able to hold his body. The "Star" is the ideal exercise for this purpose.
- The child lies down on the water, arms and legs wide apart, plunging his face into the pool. You can stick to the side with one hand. In this position, you need to lie until breathing ends;
Help your baby learn to balance.
- Lay him on his back, let him spread his arms and legs, relax. The spine remains straight, without deflection in the lower back. Lie as long as necessary so that he finds a balance so that his legs and head do not outweigh each other. At this point, the parent can discreetly remove their hands.
How to teach a child to swim at different ages
There is no unequivocal answer to the question "in how many lessons will a child learn to swim". Everything is very individual here and depends on the initial skills. Consider how to organize the process depending on the age of the child:
- Up to 1 year. There is no need to specifically try to teach your baby to swim. Have fun splashing and diving. The ideal environment is a home bath full of colorful toys;
- 1-2 years. At this age, come up with interesting games with your child. For example, put a boat on the water and blow into its sails to make it float. This period is considered ideal for explaining the technique of holding the breath. Ask your baby to take a mouthful of air and dive. And then blow a whole bunch of funny bubbles as you exhale into the water;
- 3-4 years. It's time to start doing sports exercises: frog legs, swing and hand strokes, "bike", jumping on the spot, etc. Combine strokes with your hands and pendulums with your legs, show what you need to do in order not to just flounder, but to move forward;
- 5-7 years old. We have already said where you can teach a child to swim, and we will raise this topic again. In the pool, you can take special equipment with which the child will master the technique of water style, breaststroke, crawl on the back. Holding on to the board with his hands, he will be able to feel for the first time what it is like to swim on his own. Over time, the need for inventory will disappear. Please note that only those who are fluent in them can teach sports swimming styles. Therefore, parents should carefully study the technique, and, of course, be able to swim.
- 9-12 years old. A child at this age is already old enough to understand how good swimming is for his health. Many of them willingly come to study in order to keep up with their more developed peers. In order to quickly and independently learn to swim, a child of 11 years old sometimes only needs strong motivation. If your son has shown an ardent desire to go to the pool, do not reject this impulse for anything. The learning process here is the same as for adults. First, they teach them to stay on the water, dive, explain the technique on land. Then, with the help of the inventory, they begin to swim. Further, the technique is being worked out and the speed indicators are improved.
If you have a vacation in the country and you are wondering how a teenager can learn to swim quickly in the river, feel free to apply the tips given in this article. However, remember, natural reservoirs are fraught with various dangers - strong currents, eddies, sharp stones at the bottom, etc. Never let children go to the river without adult supervision.
How you can't teach a child to swim
In conclusion, we give a list of points that in no case should be used when teaching children to swim:
- Do not under any circumstances force;
- Don't be nervous or annoyed in the process;
- Encourage children with praise;
- Do not take away the task from the child by helping to float. It should lie on the surface on its own. Dad holds the baby by the torso, and the child diligently rowing his arms and legs, rejoicing at how well he is doing. At the same time, his stomach is barely submerged in the pool. As soon as the dad lets go of the child, he instantly contracts and begins to sink. Sound familiar? Don't do that!
- Do not allow use of a rubber ring. In it, the child hangs like a float, instead of taking a horizontal position;
The most important thing at the beginning of training is the spirit and a passionate desire to learn. Swimming should be associated with something fun and interesting. Then the child will be happy to attend classes. And yes, you need to teach your child to swim! Believe me, when he grows up, he will say “Thank you” for this more than once.
