Teaching your children to swim is a wonderful summertime activity that allows you some quality time with them. However, before you begin, make sure that you are comfortable with the water. If you are afraid of the water, even if you know how to swim, you may not be the right teacher for your children. Also, any time you are around the water, make sure there are some floatation devices and a first aid kit. A little preparation can ensure a fun and productive swimming lesson for both student and teacher.

Conquering Fear

Most children have a natural fear of putting their faces in the water. This fear makes sense for two obvious reasons: 1. Water gets in their eyes, up their noses, and in their ears. 2. They can't breathe. It is natural that they are afraid. Your job as their teacher is to help them conquer this fear. Unfortunately, some adults try to force children to put their faces in the water. Then, they are surprised when the child hates the water and refuses to get in the pool. Imagine this, someone asks you to put a plastic bag filled with goo over your head. You don't understand why and the last thing you want to do is have goo in your eyes, ears, and nose. Plus, you are worried you won't be able to breathe. Since the person is bigger than you, he forces the bag over your head. How do you feel? Now, he explains that it is all part of a very fun game, but you have to be able to put the bag on your head. How do you feel now? Do you trust him? Do you even want to play the game? Most people would answer no. The way to help children get over their fear of the water is not to force them and never, never, never throw them into the deep end and expect them to swim, even if that is the way you were taught. True, some people actually learned to swim this way, but very few of them enjoyed the experience. They were just thankful they didn't drown. Leaning to swim should be fun; it shouldn't be terrifying.

So if you don't force children to put their faces in the water, what do you do when they refuse? Be very patient. When children are no longer afraid, they will put their faces in the water. It will take some children one day, some children one week, and others much longer. Usually, you can help them conquer their fears by following these steps: