Get your child to ‘swim’ for the first time by asking them to plunge towards you or the side of the pool. With encouragement, they will pluck up the courage to throw themselves forward, take their legs off the ground and reach for you or the side with their hands stretched out.
Explain to them that kicking with their legs and pulling with their arms will help them to go further. Encourage them to keep their hands stretched out in front of them, slightly cupped with their fingers not quite together. Show them how pulling their hands down the front or the side of their body pushes them forward.
The secret of good swimming is being able to lie flat in the water. The more streamlined the body is, the easier it is to move smoothly and quickly. As your child gains confidence as a swimmer, encourage them to keep their head down in the water.
As your child gets better at swimming, set them challenges such as:
- how far can you go in 30 seconds?
- how fast can you swim a width?
- how few arm pulls can you use to cross the pool?