From soccer to dance and karate to piano, things can get a little hectic when it comes to managing your kids activities. Because of this, sports that are hard to register for β like swimming, are often the first ones to fall off your radar. To prevent that from happening we've created this essential guide. In it you'll find everything you need to know to get your children on the path to being safe swimmers. We'll answer all of your burning questions including:. There are lots of ways to learn swimming but in each method you'll find the same core skills being taught: breathing, floating, gliding, kicking, pulling, and treading water.
Lessons for young children should also include fun activities that help introduce them to the water including getting wet, splashing, retrieving objects from under water, and safely entering and exiting the pool.
Both community centre pools and swim schools offer group swimming lessons for babies and children. Lessons for babies are often called Parent and Tot classes since moms and dads also participate in them. In these classes, an instructor leads a large group in songs, games, and activities that provide babies with a first positive water experience while teaching parents basic skills like how to support their baby in the water.
Lessons for preschoolers, aged 3 to 5, generally take place in smaller groups of about 4 or 5 students. Here, toddlers learn basic swimming skills like floats, glides, kicks, and later some basic arm pulls. For the first few levels instructors almost always provide some assistance but in the higher levels, even the tiniest of swimmers will start to do amazing things on their own.
In these lessons, there should always be a large component dedicated to water safety and specifically the need to be with an adult whenever kids are going into the water. Older children, aged 6 to 12, often learn in groups of up to 10 students.
