Teach My 5 Year Old To Swim

brindles01

TEACH MY 5 YEAR OLD TO SWIM Hi can anyone give any advice on teaching my son to swim. I've looked at lessons but my nearest swimming baths is miles away and so driving to and fro for the lessons will add up considerably with the cost of petrol. Also they only do 12, once a week, half hour sessions or Easter holiday 9 consecutive morning sessions (half hour). I would like some tactics and moves I could use if I take him myself. He is very good in water I just want to get him out of the armbands now.

ginchyqueendangle

Hi,

Well if my memory serves me right, before i started swimming lessons my uncle used to teach me and things he tried were to stand in front of me holding my arms walking backwards while letting me kick through the water.

Then once i got the hang of that he would hold my waist kinda holding me up while giving me the chance to try using my arms to push me through the water as well as kicking the legs.

With the swimming lessons they used a similar technique to my first comment only you had a float to hold on to, who knows what other things we tried though because it was far too many moons ago. :rotfl:

Hopefully some others come along and give you some helpful hints and tips.

Ginch

Poppy9

I had a water baby too. Very confident in water from an early age - put it down to pisces sign as I'm a c'ap swimmer!!. I didn't start her on formal lessons until she was 4. I went for council run lessons in groups of 6. If I remember rightly it was first getting them to put their head under water and blow bubbles. If they refused they just smiled and moved onto next child. Eventually they want to be the same. They gave them a treat at the end of each lesson to jump in from the side. They started off holding 1 or 2 hands (depending on child) and within weeks they were jumping in without any hands. My DD only used armbands for the first weeks. They gradually let the air out of one of them till down to one arm band. When they were confident with the one band then they would ask them to try without or let the air out. My DD only took 6 weeks to swim her first 3 strokes unaided. They also encouraged the use of goggles as splashing can put them off and always face in water to get them in the habit.

I took DD twice a week and supplemented lessons with freebies during school holidays where they wanted learners to help them train swimming teachers. DD now 11 and until last year a club swimmer and now training to be a life guard. The lessons really gave her a good grounding etc. If I remember rightly I paid about £16 for an 8 week term of 2 lessons a week. Private clubs were charging about £5 a lesson at the time.

Bargainbabe_2

My 6 year old son is a Pisces and he doesn't like the swimming baths! My husband is a qualified swimming instructor and he finds it immensely difficult to try and teach him. We given up now as he's not made any significant improvement. We decided to sign him up to swimming lessons with an "outsider" (well hopefully lol)

ginchyqueendangle

Ah poppy9, you just brought back a few memories! LOL i feel so old now, but im more surprised that i can remember things from when i was 4/5.

Ginch

Poppy9

ginchyqueendangle wrote:

Ah poppy9, you just brought back a few memories! LOL i feel so old now, but im more surprised that i can remember things from when i was 4/5.

Ginch

I can remember my own learn to swim. Me & Sister I was about 6 & she 8 (and we had matching navy nylon anoraks:eek: ). At the end of the course she could swim a width. I was still there over a year later still trying to do my first width. Got there eventually though but I hate being out of my depth. My DD has no fear so she had to learn to be a decent swimmer. I remember her trying to copying a backward dive off a board in Corfu into a 9ft deep pool. She was 6!! I was safely in the 3ft end of the pool.:o

sfell

I am a swimming teacher, one of the best things you can do is build up their confidence (tell me to shut up if I am patronising you!) Need to get them to put their face in water, suggest blowing bubbles/ saying their name into water etc.

Also ask them to reach and pull their arms through the water (not over) as they only have little muscles. Hands are 'spoons not forks!'

When you are with them hold on to the back of their costume/trunks and you can gradually change just how much you are supporting them.

Hope this helps a little!