My sons 3 1/2 and want to teach him to swim?

Question

my son is three and a half. we bought a pool that comes up to his waist and i want to teach him how to swim. i donthave the money (cuz money is tight right now) for him to tgo to safe t swim, and want to teach him myself, how do i go about teaching him my self, i want him to be comfortable with the water,and hes getting use to it buts he is afraid when i try to teach him. whats the best way to approach this

Answer 1

First of all, is he at ease in the water? If he isn't, or is showing dislike, or panic then he just isn't ready. If he is calm in the water, but is having a hard time dealing with you trying to teach him, than maybe you are exhibiting signs of stress or uneasiness. If this is the case maybe you can find a friend or family member who would be willing to try to help him.

If you are both happy and calm and he is showing signs of interest, and seems like he is ready to learn, then here are a couple of things to try with him.

* Have him try to put his face completely in the water and blow bubbles- hold him if he needs you to.

* If he can get his face in the water, then see if he can open his eyes- play a sight game with him like 'guess how many fingers' or 'guess the floaty toy'

* Have him try to float both on his back and his front, but try his back first. You should both be very calm when he tries this- if either is nervous or tense then it will be hard for him to try this. It also may take a few tries to get the hang of this, and keep in mind that some kids just don't float well due to their size.

*Once he can get his face submerged, and can float, try to have him move through the water by holding a floating toy and kicking.

*If he has no trouble going a set distance this way, and seems like he is strong enough, then try to have him use his arms and legs doing a 'doggie paddle'. You probably will need to have your hand under his belly for support for a while.

Make this a fun, happy experience where he receives a lot of praise when he accomplishes a task he tries. Laugh and play with him in the water but please don't rough-house or splash water in his face- that is a sure turn-off to a lot of kids.

These are only basics, and he may not be able to get past some of the steps for a while, or he may be able to progress through them all in a short period of time- every child has their own agenda for this.  GOOD LUCK!!



Also, please remember- do not turn your back on him for a second-even if you are in the pool with him!!!, and please don't use a floating toy simply because it makes it so much easier for him. as soon as he is strong enough to be without it then it doesn't need to be in the pool with him.

Answer 2

I know that some to most towns that have public pools offer swimming lesson to kids of all ages and you're usually allowed to go with them and get a nice tan on yourself =)

I was about 3 when my mom started taking me to swimming lessons. I've heard that kids can learn to swim after a year old. So call the local public pool and talk to them about it.

Answer 3

i think u should wait till u can afford a safe place to have him learn (pool with lots of lifeguards) because if anything should happen then u would have to live with the "he got hurt because i couldn't provide..." guilt. maybe use the pool to have him be confident in the water, to like the water, but maybe not teach him urself just yet.

learning to swim at a young age (like ur son) is good because swimming can improve speech.

Answer 4

i do not know much about learning to swim, i'm from ca and still cant swim, my son is 3 1/2 and i have learned a few things. books and online sites will give you ideas and what to do. but what i know about starting is....

your baby should already trust you enough for know that fear means nothing if you are around. you can sit in the water, hold him with his back to the water, slowly move the water up onto his body and massage him, when he is relaxed you can slowly let go so his face goes under water, only for a few seconds, lift him out of the water and hold him to your chest and talk or sing to him calmly. if you sound or act nervous or scared he will pick up on it and be afraid.

the more you do this the more relaxed he will be in water. by the time he is a year old he will be jumping in and playing and that is when you can start the swimming lessons.

just remember even if he knows how to swim at an early age you should still be close by until he is about 14, but even then teens do crazy things.

Answer 5

I have a very cautious daughter who is 4 and I haven't pushed her to learn to swim.  I watch her while she wades and she is fine.  Slowly she as asked to wear a life jacket and she is teaching herself to float.  I'm sure she will ask for help to swim.

I'd just let him play and get used to the water before I tried to teach swimming if it makes him afraid.

Answer 6

Well have him practice moving his arms and kicking his feet. Get him comfortable with going under the water with you then independantly. Those dive sticks work great once they are comfortable going under. If there is a place have him jump off the side to you and slowly move further away letting him try to swim while you are right there to help him if needed. Get a kickboard and practice big kicks that way. Get him comfortable doing the back float by supporting him.

I have a 3 and 4 yr old that attend swim class and I also work with them. Swim class is not necessary but helpful and all I listed are things they do in their class. Both my kids swim 20 feet independantly so are real basic swimmers.