I want to teach my 6 year old daughter how to swim. She is afraid to stick her head into the water. What are the best techniques to teach swimming in a fun way?
2006-09-08 08:54:53 · 10 answers · asked by whats_not_taken 2 in Sports ➔ Swimming & Diving
Games. It is important that you show your child that water is fun. That it is perfectly okay. With older children such as your daughter the best thing to do is make it fun. Get a basket of sand toys that have the little grates and use a bucket and the sifter to make it rain on her head. Also watering cans work. Squirt each other with plastic squeeze toys. When that is okay move to making "soup", Have your child copy your actions, first make a big circle in the water using your arms and ask your child to tell you ingredients to put in it. If you're lucky you may get food items, when that happens "chop it" with your hands alternating chopping the water, stir the pot with one hand swishing the water and then, "taste" the soup by blowing bubbles. At first, have your child just stick her lips in, then as she gets more comfortable encourage more and more of the face in.
Work on blowing bubbles together, inching your face deeper until you can look at each other underwater.
Be sure to invest in goggles so her eyes don't burn and so she can look at you.
Have her sit on the edge of the pool and jump to you, do this a lot and every now and then, dunk her under the water (as a game) while you swing her around in a circle.
Play pop goes the weasel and dunk her when the weasel pops.
The goal is to get her comfortable enough to play in the water without fear. When she is to that point, get weighted toys that will sink like rings, batons, or fish and have her get them. Start at shallow levels and work deeper.
Once the face thing is accomplished work on kicking. Have her crawl on the steps like an alligator. then have her hang on to the steps and stick out her feet and work on kicking. Also work on floating. Have her rest her head on your shoulder and stretch out. (make sure she pulls her tummy up so her butt isn't sinking in the pool.). After that is easy move so that she is floating and your arm is in the small of the back and the upper thigh. Make sure she is keeping her chin back, eventually SLOWLY let go. This will take a lot of practice. For front floats work on stretching out with a noodle or kick board or use the wall. and again help support her.
To work on arms. windmill the arms while walking in the water, moving the arms slowly. From there use a noodle and do the same thing. then get her kicking with the noodle and eventually add the arms nice and slow. You will need to walk with her to help guide her arms in a constant motion.
To work on breathing have her kick, holding the walll or step and putting her face in the water, get her to turn her head to the side to breathe.
2006-09-08 11:28:29 · answer #1 · answered by Lissa 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Firstly, always be near your daughter at all times. As she is 6 years old I would not recommend any sort of floatation device. Find a spot in the pool where the water is waist to chest deep on her.
You will have to slowly gain her confidence. Some games I would recommend for head submergence are:
Blowing a ping pong ball accross the surface of the water. (This requires putting the face low to the water.
Have a splashing "fight".
Get a bucket and puncture holes in the bottom of it. Fill it with water and let it shower down over your daughters head. Encourage her to keep her eyes open - looking at you and to breath out. (Later on this will develop into blowing bubbles in the water). Also get your daughter to take showers each night, the more water she is exposed to on her face the better.
I would not encourage googles at this stage. You can bet if the child accidently falls into water, they will not be wearing goggles so they need to know what it is like. Goggles are for when swimming is more established and the head is under water for long periods. A little water will not hurt their eyes. Do make sure the chlorine is TOO string tho.
Blowing bubbles...start off getting the chin wet, then the nose, then the eyes...then the hair etc.......
Retrieving objects off the bottom. If you really want them to go under, use some coins. Let her keep any that she retrieves correctly ie. head under the water, eyes open and blowing bubbles.
Half of the battle is over when your child is confident and can play happily in the water.
Remember, the more often she is exposed to the water the quicker she will learn and the most important reward you can give her is your praise. PRAISE, PRAISE, PRAISE.
I taught all 4 of my children to swim and they were all swimming by the time they started school. We went to the pool daily and played. My youngest swam in her first race last year at the age of 2 1/2. She swam 12m freestyle.
Good luck to you and your daughter.
2006-09-09 02:25:00 · answer #2 · answered by vaniller2 2 · 0⤊ 1⤋
- games* this makes everything fun & you have to be in the water playing those games with her too
- an example, just retrieving an object underwater (toy) in the somewhat shallow area. (goggles might help her fear a bit)
To be honest though, if you did place her in a swimming class, she'd have friends to play with and will be able learn from an instructor. Not to say that you can't teach your own daughter. =]
List of games: http://www.swim-city.com/kidscourt.php3
This might be helpful : http://www.ehow.com/how_5295_teach-child-swim.html
^^ best of luck to you and your daughter! =]
2006-09-08 12:36:21 · answer #3 · answered by iD2 2 · 0⤊ 1⤋
I would say just get in and swim with her and show her theres nothing to be afraid of. I was taught to swim by force. My father threw me in the lake and told me "Sink or Swim" LOL. As cruel as it was, it worked and now I LOVE the water!
2006-09-08 08:57:12 · answer #4 · answered by •°¤Lauren¤°• 3 · 0⤊ 1⤋
in my opinion, ya they might earnings self assurance of the floaties and it ought to sidestep there own swimming self assurance. besides the fact that, evaluate it like a pill dependancy, according to possibility wein the youngster off of them as a substitute of taking them away and by no skill making use of them. teach them the swimming strikes with floaties, then an identical with out on an identical day. slowly development their self assurance
2016-10-14 11:30:46 · answer #5 · answered by ? 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
First principle. always and I mean all the time be there -- in the pool yourself. Next -- get her some good floating balloons or life savers and teach her how to swim...while doing the movements and she is secure...in her floating. Next, practice, practice, practice. and Be there. Water is always fun -- nothing to add nothing to deduct.
2006-09-08 12:41:26 · answer #6 · answered by s t 6 · 0⤊ 1⤋
When my cousin didnt want to put her head under water, we incouraged her, by playing "Blowing bubbles".
We sat at the shallow end, and with our heads only half emerged blew bubbles, then later moved on to putting our whole head under and blowing.
We never revealed our intentions to her, and simply pretended it was a game, and it worked, and made her more confident.
2006-09-08 09:02:29 · answer #7 · answered by Anria A 5 · 1⤊ 1⤋
Let her swim with floats first and when she becomes confident that she can swim, she will stick her head underwater.
2006-09-08 10:45:14 · answer #8 · answered by -WANTED- 3 · 0⤊ 1⤋
Just put them in the water and tell them to do doggie paddle and when they get a feel for the water you can work on kicking.... but you should be in the water!
2006-09-08 09:18:47 · answer #9 · answered by magswimmergirl99 2 · 0⤊ 1⤋
give her like a treat or prize to get her motivated for each step
2006-09-08 08:58:42 · answer #10 · answered by avocadoadam 4 · 0⤊ 1⤋