Teaching kids to do anything can be a serious challenge, especially when it is a particularly difficult task, like swimming. Indeed, teaching kids to swim can have an added frustration level, because some children may be too afraid to get in the water. However, teaching your kids to swim is critical, especially if you have a pool or live by a body of water. Not only that, but there will be countless occurrences in your child’s life where there will be a pool and people beckoning your son or daughter to jump in. When giving your children swimming lessons, there are a number of missteps you want to avoid. Here are five common mistakes to avoid when teaching young children to swim.
- Not telling your son or daughter that you are about to dip them under the water. Not giving some kind of physical or verbal warning that they are about to be submerged can cause them to be afraid of the water. This fear may not subside for years, which can make the entire experience of teaching them how to swim completely fruitless. Not only do you want to create a warning system for when you are about to dunk your son or daughter, but you also want to give your child enough time to decide whether they are ready or not.
- Not being patient. Patience is key when you are teaching a young child how to swim. If you are not patient, it will be incredibly difficult to take the time that is necessary for your child to get the hang of swimming. You may not realize it, but swimming is actually very natural for humans, especially young children, so all you have to do is hang on. If you become impatient, it may make the whole experience miserable – for you and your child.
- Not taking your child to a swim school. On top of teaching your child how to swim yourself, you also want to enroll them in a swim school, like the Swimtastic Swim School. Having trusted and experienced teachers will give your child a broader exposure to different swimming styles. Plus, there will be more of a structure to the learning environment, which will allow your child to better grasp some of the basic and key swimming concepts.
- Not having realistic expectations. Most people believe that all they have to do is throw their child into the pool and they will know how to swim right away. However, this is far from the truth. All children will learn how to swim at a completely different pace. So, your child will probably learn differently than other children. If your child doesn’t quite get the whole swimming thing at first, you can’t get angry or authoritative.
- Not creating a comfortable environment. Some really young children need a safe environment to learn how to swim. So, you may want to place a few toys in the water and maybe a few blowup rafts too. Making the swimming experience fun is one of the best ways to teach a young child how to swim.
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