Swim Lessons/Practice for young children?

Question

I've been swimming for USA swimming and summer league for awhile now. A few days ago my summer league coach (also my teammate for year-around) asked me to work with two five year olds (male and female). It's quite fustrating because all the want to do is doggy paddle or swim underwater. I need some help getting their arms out of the water. They also have very poor listening skills and lots of energy. I need some games that will keep them happy and work on their techinque also. They just need to brake their doggy paddling. Oh, and also how could I get them to stop holding on to the lane ropes during the middle of a swim. These kids have lots, LOTS of energy with very SHORT attention spans. We have a one hour practice 5 days a week. Have any ideas? The girls likes to chat a lot and the boy is vey active. I need ways to get thier attention, keep their ears open, and let them have fun. Because lap afte lap after lap is working for them. Help?

Answer 1

I can offer you a link to a really good yahoo answer and I would also perhaphs try, if you can, the water toy weights or just floaty rings to swim to that you throw into the water according to how deep they can swim, so probably the shallow end. But this link had a lot of great advice! I hope it can help you out!

http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?...

Answer 2

ok, try these games:

Motor boat game

Have the child on a noodle or on your knee. Have them face you and tell them that you think you can make loader motor boat noises than them. Then blow bubbles in the water and make a motorboat sound. Then ask them if they can make a better motorboat sound. This game teaches kids how to blow bubbles with their face in the water.

Keep ducky or squishie dry game

Tell them that they have to keep the ducky or squishie ball dry on their tummy. Have the child go into the back floating position, with you holding them underneath. Then put the ducky or ball on the child’s stomach. If the ducky starts sinking, tell the child to try to push their tummy to the ceiling. This helps a child learn how to float on their back.

Red light/green light/purple light

This is my personal favorite game, and I think that most of the kids love it to. Once they have mastered all the lights, you can also add more lights, with different actions for each one. You can also do this game with a kickboard, and have the child call out the lights, but he/she has to still do them. Have the child hold onto the gutter. Do the drill together with the child. Let the child know what they have to do when each light is called out. Red light: stop kicking. Green light: start kicking. Purple light: Kick while blowing bubbles.

Bobs

Then there are the old fashioned bobs. These help the child to submerge the entire head under the water, open the eyes underwater, and exhale underwater using their nose and mouth. You both jump in the air and go underneath the water and blow out bubbles for as long as you can. Then come up for air. You can also make it a contest, like who can touch the bottom of the pool, who can do the most bobs in 10 seconds, etc.

There are many other games I also play with the kids if they don’t like any of these. The goal is to “trick” the kids into actually learning something while they’re actually having fun. Different instructors use different games and different versions of the games.

and to keep them off the lane ropes, try to keep them on noodles or hold them

Answer 3

I have been in a similar situation for a couple of years now, teaching for my summer club. One thing you can always do is tell the kids that if they cooperate, they will get to play a game for the last part of the lesson. And, follow through and only let them play if they behave.  Also, to get them to stop holding onto the lanes, have them practice kicking with boards or hold them up as they swim so they feel a little more comfortable and get used to it.  Good luck!!!

Answer 4

The reason the kids are doggy-paddling and swimming underwater is that is all they really know how to do.  Also they probably have average attention spans for 5 year olds.  When coaching young kids it is important to keep them moving and to give them as much positive based reinforcement as possible.  You should try and give each kid some feedback after each length.  This has two effects: first it will help the become better swimmers faster and second the kid will feel special and that you're watching them every time so they will listen better.

You need to do a lot of drill work with them.  Start with the basics and then build.  For freestyle work a lot of flagpole kick, FR traveling drill, etc which will help teach proper body line and make having their face in the water more comfortable.  On backstroke, again a lot of kicking drills to help them swim flat and not up hill (head in line, hips up, straight leg kick).  Don't worry too much if their arms get stuck at the finish, but rather make sure they maintain the body, enter properly at the catch (little finger down just outside the shoulder line), and are pulling through properly.  As for breast and fly, teach the legs, but until they have gotten a good hold on FR and back don't try and teach the full stroke.

Other good classroom management ideas are to break up the workout into different sections.  Do some drill work, then give them a 30 second somersault break, or a touch the bottom break, handstand break, etc.  Play a game like "Go Ghost", "Stuck in the Mud", etc.  You can spend 15 minutes working, then 5 minutes playing, and the kids will have a release valve for their energy.

If you have a diving well at the pool, put the kids in that.  6 and unders will have endurance issues that can easily be overcome by shorting the pool.  You'll be able to do more lengths in a workout, thus giving them more opportunities to swim and you more opportunities to offer reinforcement and you won't have the fatigue issue as much.  

Also make sure that they are breathing out underwater.