Tips on Submersion for Preschoolers and Children

Being comfortable with putting faces in the water is one of the biggest challenges that faces young children in swimming lessons. Children who were not introduced to the pool at a younger age will typically view putting their face underwater as a scary task. From my experience, I've noticed that children who were not introduced to the pool/being underwater by about age 3 children will have already developed fears (or acceptance and enjoyment) of being underwater. At this age you should not dunk children  because it has the potential to make their fear significantly worse by confirming their negative association with the water. At this point the child needs to choose to submerge their head at their own pace. However you can still be supportive and a little persuasive to help the process move along.

Disclaimer: Make sure your child is comfortable in the water before moving on to submersion.

Here are 3 tips on how to get your children to submerge their heads underwater.

1) Demonstrate. Make sure you are putting your face in the water to show them that its not scary. Be happy when you come back up!

2) Small steps. Encourage your child to put small parts of their face in the water little by little. Start with their chin, move on to their ears, cheeks, ect. Finish with their whole face in the water. Give praise for each small step towards the goal. Try playing simon says!

3) Tricks. Use a fun engaging task to trick them into putting their face in the water. I like to use rings (or sink toys). I start by placing them somewhere shallow where your child can pick them up without going under water. Progressively move them deeper until they have to put their face and head underwater to pick up the ring. Stairs work great if you don't have a slopped pool. Most children get so engaged in getting the ring from the bottom they will put their face in unintentionally. Be extremely happy when they do and give them the praise they deserve.


This can be either be a fast or slow process depending on your own child. You may need to get creative about what activities to use. Different children will be more engaged in certain activities than others. Check out my song and games resources for lots of suggestions for different activities.