Last summer, our townhouse community's pool had remained closed for repairs. This made it very difficult for us to teach our three children how to swim. Aside from a couple of trips to neighborhood pools, we resorted to going to the beach, hoping to at least increase the children's comfort level about being in water. Luckily, our pool opened as scheduled this year, so we were able to pick up where we left off.
I have to say how surprised I am about which of our three children is taking to the water and which are not as readily. Our 5 year old son seems to be the one who is the least nervous to be in the water. He is able to relax and have fun, while our 8 year old son and 5 year old daughter seem to be worried that my husband and I are going to let them sink. This especially surprised me about our older son because he can stand up in the shallow end of the pool, which is only 3-1/2 feet deep.
(Click any photo to enlarge)
I think what gives our youngest son confidence is his complete trust in his Dad and having his SwimWays Power Swimr flotation system on as a back-up. After a few more lessons, he might be ready for us to start gradually removing the flotation pads inside the front and back. His twin sister uses the same flotation system, but she is very timid and only wants to cling to us in the water.
Our 5 year old son also is not afraid to put his face in the water, while it took me several tries to get his big brother to do so. Last summer, our 8 year old son put his head completely underwater, but he has yet to do so this year. He wears the SwimWays Sea Squirts Swim Assist Vest, which also has removable flotation panels for when his skill increases. This vest has a shark fin on the back, which he thinks is super-cool. I cannot wait to actually see him swimming face down and fin up!
It is truly amazing how three children can be at such different stages of swim training when they all started learning at the same time. I think our short-term goals for all three would be to get them to put their heads completely underwater, to float on their backs, and for our 8 year old son to feel comfortable swimming underwater and perhaps to retrieve a pool toy in the shallow end of the pool.
If you are also trying to give your children some swim training this summer, I would love to hear about your experiences. You can also find some useful tips at www.TeachMeToSwim.com.
This post has been written as part of the SwimWays Swim Steps Swim Team ambassador program. Thank you to SwimWays for providing complimentary product samples to help us with our swim training.
