Teaching Your Toddler To Swim
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By the time your child is a toddler, she is beginning to have enough coordination to learn how to swim. There are a variety of specific activities that you can do with your toddler to help the process of teaching your toddler to swim.
One of the very first things that many swim classes for toddlers teaches in to blow bubbles. To do this, have the child sit down in a shallow area of the pool. Tell them that you are going to use your mouth to make bubbles in the pool. Take a deep breath, and blow the bubbles. Ask your child if they can blow bubbles in the pool. This will help them get comfortable with having their face in the water.
Another activity that you can use to teach your toddler to swim is to teach them how to kick. Here again, you will want to sit with them in a shallow area of the pool, or on the steps. Teach them to use their legs to kick, keeping their legs straight and their knees bent slightly.
Next, it is time to help your toddler to go underwater. Instruct your toddler to breathe deeply, and then hold his breath. On the count of three, “bounce” him down under the water. Help him to wipe the water out of his eyes, rather than to rub it into his eyes.
Toddlers can also learn to float on their backs. Have your child rest her head on your shoulder as a pillow. Support their body with your arm. After a while, you will be able to remove your arm, while still supporting their head. Then, they will be floating!
In addition to the time you spend teaching your toddler to swim, many organizations offer swimming classes for toddlers. Your local YMCA, YWCA, or community center is often a good place to start looking for these types of classes.
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