How do i get a child who is extremly afraid of water, to swim?

Question

I know a 5 year old, who is dealthy afraid of water and screams and cries when near it. She had had no tramatic experience with water, just hates it.

Answer 1

Swimming lessons are usually the ticket in those cases. Lessons without a parent, like the girl above me said, are your best bet. Find a facility with traineed instructors with experience; not just a teenager who works at the Y for money in the summer. Four to 5 years of experience for the instructor makes a world of difference with what we term "fearful" swimmers. Small class size helps as well. Your child will see the others playing and learning and time will find her more and more curious. She will get more comfortable as time passes and will be willing to try things. Lessons are also great because nothing makes a kid happier than showing mom/dad what they learned! Be encouraging but not forceful. At this point in your child's life the fear has been established whether you know the source or not. Overcoming fear is never easy and it takes time and sometimes intervention of outside sources, in this case, instrcutors and other children. Your child knows you love him/her and would never let anything happen to him/her. Half of the reason your child may be displaying so much fear may have to do with his/her trust in you. If you are not around, your chlid may not display as much fear because his/her "rescuer" is not present. Kind of the same way children know what buttons to puch to get their way. The psychology is the same. Try the swim lessons, the instructors will want to help you out. Let them know ahead of time your concerns and they will accomodate.

Good luck!

Answer 2

I would start her out playing in the bath tub. Put her in their sometime without washing her up. Throw in some toys and show her how the water works with them and how fun it can be to splash, put your head in the water, kick your legs, etc. After she gets comfortable with that buy a small inflatable pool for the backyard. Once again throw some toys in there and show her how much more fun it is when the pool is a little bigger. Once she gets comfortable with that go to the baby pool, then the big pool, etc. While taking it a step up teach some safety tips and how to swim. At one of the lower levels throw some floaties on her so she understands this is what you need to be safe and stay afloat. Let her get used to them so it doesnt seem like you need these wierd things once you get to the big pool.

Answer 3

DO NOT FORCE HER TO GO IN. that will only make it worse, and it might prevent her from ever learning to swim.

there are 2 places children get their fears from, one is from experience, the other is from watching the emotion of the parrents (mostly the mother)

here are some things you can try:
lets her see and experience how much fun being in the water can be. take her to a pool where other children are having fun, playing etc. dont force her to come in the water.

if youre trying to teach her how to swim, make sure she cannot see her mother. ive seen this over and over and over 'the mother says before the lesson 'oh shes a bit afraid of the water...' then sits on the terras and her face turns white everytime the child goes under or plays wildly. children are very estute to this kind of behaviour, it teaches them what to fear and what not. Usually the mother is much more frightened than the child is.

make sure if you do get her in the water that you slowly build up things, start with drippling water on heads, putting faces underwater. until totally submerging. (blowing bubbles is usually great fun, it works liek a charm)

motivating her with attention is another good way, leave her on the side, and go in the water, paying attention to other kids, shell have to come in in order to get attention aswell, kids starve for attention and shell eventually come in. the screaming and crying can also be a way of grabbing attention for herself. some children do this. try ignoring it, shell calm down and might join out of her own accord.

Answer 4

My child was so afraid of water too and I bought this swimmer trainer that looks exactly like a 1 piece bathing suit and has a tube inside that fits around the waist and cant come off. she cried when we got near water I put her in tub full of water and showed her it would hold her up and we went in pool next day and after that she wouldnt stay away from the pool as long as she had her swimmy as she called it ...
good luck You can get them at a pool supply store (leslies) is where I got hers

Answer 5

You should get her some swimming lessons. When she goes to lessons she will probably cry and scream but don't give in. It would probably be easier for you to leave her sight and let the teacher deal with her. It will be hard for you to stay put with your child screaming. I have been teaching swimming lessons for three years and I deal with this kind of this all the time. Just don't give in. It is important for her to learn this while she is young. The older she gets the harder it will be for her to overcome.

Answer 6

don't pressure her, that will just get worse. instead, start out by playing in the sprinklers and with water guns and such with her. then she will get used to the "being wet" idea. eventually, when she is comfortable running through the sprinklers, take her to a local pool that has a kiddie pool in it and start out by just letting her dip her toes in. it might also help to play games with her and maybe even tickle her a little. then, ask her if she is ready to get her belly wet, if she says yes, gently dip her in and out (be careful not to splash!) of the water. if she says no, keep playing with her toes until she is ready. if she refuses to get in that day, come back a few days later and try again, this time starting with her toes again, and then her hands. after her stomach can get wet, start letting her sit in the water, or til it comes up to her elbows. if she can do that, ask your local pool if they give classes for little ones that you can be there to help her out and to give her support.

Answer 7

Toss em in.

The phobia comes from somewhere else- parents, friends, etc. Children are the best natural swimmers (as far as humans go), so if you don't put them in a position to do it, they won't. Obviously, you want to make it as enjoyable as possible, but remember that the US is one of the few places where we coddle our children. Other countries still REQUIRE swimming in elementary and middle schools. They don't coddle, they just toss em in.

Answer 8

wow.. how does she shower? lol
but try to get her to play some fun interactive water games with u.....and if that doesn't work then show her how fun being in the water is.
one more... u and other people should go in the pool, leave her on the side and encourage her to come in.

Answer 9

hmm i'm not sure what you should do, forcing don't work, maybe the best thing would be to ask a professional swimming trainer, i'm sure they have come across the problem before, but don't take the advice of just one, ask around to many then see what the majority says is best, because i know that forcing the child can be damaging mentally / emotionally, but not necessarily so.

please seek professional advice,

Answer 10

carry her in with her clothes on and a blindfold over her eyes and goggles