Why are group swimming lessons beneficial?

I directing this post at parents who are good swimmers and want to teach there children how to swim themselves… although thats great! There are many benefits to group sport. 

Research in the domain of sport and performance psychology has shown that group activity and cohesion are associated with future sport engagement. This means that children who are involved in group activity are more likely to continue physical activity later in life. 

In fact this study was conducted on a school aged learn to swim program. Very applicable to our topic! They tracked children who took swimming lessons in groups and compared them to those who didn’t. What they found was that the children in group swimming lessons where more likely to continue with swimming in the future. 

My take on this is that its important to have your kids involved in group sport in general. This makes group swimming lessons an excellent form of development for your children… however I still think supporting your child and making sure they succeed is extremely beneficial to their swimming skill. Obviously our number one goal should be to make sure children are safe around water and can rescue themselves from water related incidents if needed.  

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.

Tips on Submersion for Babies and Tots

The dunking dilemma... should you and how do you dunk your children underwater. Through my time as a swim instructor, I’ve seen this task plaster a look of fear on the faces of parents and children alike. However it doesn’t have to be a scary thing. In fact it can be a positive one as long as you catch it before the fear stage.

First disclaimer: I don’t suggest doing this to any child who is 3 or older. By age 3 children usually have already made their minds up about being scared of putting their face in the water or not. At this point you need more gentle persuasion.

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

I’ve taught many parent and tot classes for children ages 2 and under and this age group is the ideal time for teaching children being underwater is a positive thing. It can by pass the fear all together if done correctly. You can use your strong relationship and understanding of your child to ensure they have positive experience. 

 Here are 5 tips for safely dunking your kids.

1) Only dunk your children if they are having a good time and are in a good mood. NEVER dunk your child if they are crying or scared. This will cause them to associate being underwater with negativity.

2) Don’t be jerky with your dunking. Make it a quick but smooth dunk. Jerky dunking can be very shocking for children. In fact, I bet you wouldn’t want anyone doing that to you!

3)Keep them moving. Moving your child head first through the water in an upside-down rainbow pattern (or a smile shape). This will inhibit the water from getting in their nose and mouth. 

4) Go under water with them. Demonstrating to your child how much fun going underwater is will help them become more comfortable with it.

5) Smile. When you come back up make sure you have the biggest smile, your being very positive and try generating a lot of excitement about what just happened. Games and songs are a great way of doing this as well. This will cause your child to associate going underwater with fun.

Tips on getting comfortable in the water

One of the biggest reasons why kids don’t succeed in the lower swimming levels is because they are to stiff in the water. When our bodies are stiff we sink making it extremely difficult to learn how to swim.  Being comfortable and relaxed in the water is the foundation of all swim strokes.

Here are 5 tips on getting your child comfortable in the water

1) Start young. 

Bring you baby and/or tot in the pool from a young age (4 months or older is usually a good time to start).

2) Be patient. 

Make sure you proceed slowly. If you force your child to do something they are simply not mentally ready to do you run the risk of causing a very adverse reaction towards swimming. Remember small bite size steps.

3) Make it a positive experience. 

Play games, sing songs and don’t forget to smile. Your children can pick up on your emotions; so make sure you appear to be having a good time.

4) Recognition. 

Remember to recognize all small accomplishments that your child makes. Whether those actions were done intentionally or not is insignificant.  For example, if they get their face wet because they got splashed, don’t go wipe their face off and comfort them. You need to congratulate them for their fantastic job getting their face wet. It sounds funny but I can tell you from experience that this makes or breaks a child’s positive reaction to the water.

5) Encourage exploration. 

Trying new things in the water will help your child get more comfortable and be able to ‘ride the wave of new experiences’. Try suggesting, but not forcing, new activities on them. For example you can pretend you see some fish on the bottom of the pool when you put your face in and they have to put their face in the water to be able them to. If they put there face in the water fantastic! If they don’t, try a new activity.

Why swimming lessons aren't always enough

Does your child struggle to get through each swimming level? Are they repeating it over and over again? Well they are defiantly not alone. Actually, I can say from experience, a large percentage of kids are unsuccessful in completing any particular swimming level and some even end up repeating the same level over and over again. Swimming certainly doesn’t come naturally to everyone and that’s ok! Different people have different strengths and weaknesses.

However constantly repeating the same level can be costly and frustrating for you as a parent but more so for your child. One of the most common solutions some parents resort to is moving their child to the next level without them completing the last. To be honest I don’t blame them. However let me ask you one thing.  Who are we helping by doing that? Not your child, since the next level is just going to be more difficult, and not the instructor, because it just makes it harder for us to give each child in the class equal attention and feedback. I suppose it helps you, as the parent, by not having to see your child upset over not completing their swimming lesson.

But guess what? I have a better solution to your dilemma. A tutor! Oh more money you say? Where do I even find one? Well…look in the mirror! Some kids simply need more practice time than others and you are the perfect candidate to make that happen! This blog will help you realize your potential to ensure your child’s success in swimming lessons.