TOP TIPS FOR TEACHING SWIMMING TO LITTLE ONES
Tips for introducing your child to swimming from celebrity mermaid & swim instructor Michelle Lang
“I did the Babytalk program with my first child and loved it—it was a real lifesaver!”
Hello!
I’ve spent the past 15 years teaching swimming and traveling across the globe working with a variety of high-profile clients. I’d love to share my top 3 tips when introducing your child to the water with you.
1. Start in the tub.
Learning to swim starts in the bathtub by teaching your child the most important thing: breath control. Don’t know how to teach breath control? I’ll teach your child for you! Head over to @AMermaidsGuide on Instagram and find the highlight labeled “Kids Bathtub Swim Lesson.” I’ll reveal the 10 swim skills your child can learn in the bathtub.
2. No more bubbles!!!
You have probably been telling your child to blow bubbles underwater, right? It’s the #1 thing I see everyone doing and it’s wrong! Why? Because we need air to float! Think of your body like a balloon. A balloon floats because it has air inside of it. Your body also floats if it has air inside of it. If you blow out all your air, you’ll sink! Instead of telling your child to blow bubbles, teach them to take a big breath and hold it! I call this “Pufferfish!”
3. Micro-steps are key.
Learning to swim is a great opportunity to conquer new, hard things. In addition, it’s a great way to imprint upon your child that it’s okay to try hard things because they are strong and brave.
That said, be sure to introduce skills in micro-steps. For example: Have your child learn how to hold their breath above water first. Then, have them go underwater for 1 second. Once they have mastered 1 second underwater, have them go underwater for 2 seconds, and then 3 seconds. Once they can hold their breath for 5 seconds you can start releasing them by doing something I call, “Floaty magic.” (Which is just a fancy re-branding of a front float.)
The bottom line is, take things SLOWLY! Use micro-steps so your child can accomplish the task at hand, even when the task is new, hard, or sometimes scary. Remind them that if they keep trying, they will succeed. What an excellent microcosm for life!
Michelle is a world-class swim instructor, certified Reiki practitioner, black belt martial artist, and mother of three children. Over the past fifteen years, Michelle has taught over 10,000 swimming lessons, has been WSI (Water Safety Instructor) certified by the American Red Cross, and is the author of the Amazon bestselling book, “A Mermaid’s Guide: Empower Your Child in Water and in Life.”