Where to teach a child to swim in the pool. How to teach a child to swim: methods for all ages

The ability to swim is inherent in people at the genetic level. So, small children instinctively hold their breath and make rowing movements towards the light. However, incorrect actions on the part of mentors can provoke the development of a fear of water, and subsequently learning to swim may be associated with overcoming this particular difficulty. Therefore, first of all, you need to try to ensure that the first classes with the child take place in such a way that he is as comfortable as possible. It is necessary that there is a person with whom the child feels safe. And, of course, you should not insist if the children demand to finish the lesson, listening to them, you just create that comfort zone from which it will be much easier for them to master a new environment for them.

The benefits of swimming

Regular swimming improves health. This is due to the uniform load on all the muscles in the body. Children who swim regularly have a more resilient heart system as well as better-trained lungs. A constant load on the muscles shoulder girdle and backs form the habit of straight posture.

In addition to improvement physical health, constant swimming training helps to balance emotionality. The water in the pool allows you to remove muscle clamps, which allows the body to properly distribute the load on the arms and legs. At the same time, physical activity has a beneficial effect on hormonal balance, increasing the production of dopamine and serotonin, which makes the child happier.

Unlike other sports, it is almost impossible to get seriously injured in swimming. With a reasonable attitude to safety and compliance with the rules of behavior on the water, the risk of harming one's health tends to zero.

At what age should children be taught?

It is never too late to start swimming, this is true for both children and adults, but in the case of children, this issue is primarily related to the desire of the parents. How ready are you to overcome the difficulties that await your child along this path?

On the one hand, the older the child, the easier it is. Part of the responsibility for this process can already be transferred to him, and he himself sees the benefits of having a skill during water activities with relatives or friends. Besides than older child the easier it is for him to overcome the fear of water if there were no obstacles to his normal development in this regard.

On the other hand, if you think about the prospects associated with sports swimming, then most coaches agree that best time about 4 years, when children tend to learn everything at the highest speed. At this time, a person receives up to 75% vocabulary constantly used throughout life. And such a rapid variability of the brain makes it possible to master all the movements that are needed for swimming in the least painful way.

What to do to help a child overcome the fear of water

It is easier to teach a child to swim in the pool, there is less chance of stressful situations or distractions that can frighten the baby. Therefore, if parents want to instill a love of water as early as possible, then preference should be given to artificial reservoirs. For open water, the child must be at least 4 years old.

What not to do in the pool during class

Do not use rubber rings, it will form a habit of being upright in the water, which will later lead to difficulty in trying to keep the body parallel to the water surface. If you want to reduce the load, then the best option will use an inflatable vest or oversleeves.
You should not ignore the mood of the baby, if something bothers him, then you need to listen before entering the water.
You should not “encourage” the child with phrases in which a negative assessment of his actions is hidden.
It should not be forgotten that a small child has a rather peculiar coordination of movements, and when he enters a new environment, at first he will not be able to correctly perform everything necessary. This is a completely normal condition, which must be taken calmly.

What is needed to overcome the fear of water

It is important to remember that a parent is always a support at the moment of learning the world. Therefore, the entire lesson should be attended by an easy and trusting atmosphere. Otherwise, despite all the advice on how to teach a child to swim, he will not even be able to normally be in the water.
It should be allowed to get used to a large body of water. The first 5-7 minutes the child needs to look around, while they explain to him that when correct position in water, the liquid will push it to the surface itself, the main thing is not to interfere with it.
Further, they enter the pools to a shallow depth, it is important that the child feels solid ground under his feet. It is best when the water reaches the chest, so that when slightly bent legs, the child's lips were immersed in water, then he will be able to release air bubbles and get a funny fountain and seething.
Gradually, when the child gets used to the water, you can try to get him a little deeper, where the water reaches the collarbones. This will help him overcome shyness and fear of water.

When the baby is no longer afraid of water, on next lesson begin to teach him to stay afloat. This is important to do as quickly as possible until the child is used to walking on the bottom.

How to teach a child to swim in the pool

After the child ceases to be afraid of the unknown, it is necessary to teach him to stay on the surface. It is important to do this at a shallow depth so that the baby knows that if he does not cope and goes under water, he will immediately be able to stand up. It is best when the water reaches the collarbones, or slightly lower. If the distance is less, then the effectiveness of classes will be less, and if more, then the child may be very frightened.

Exercises to develop the ability to stay on the water

It is easiest to keep the body above the water on the back. At the same time, the arms and legs are slightly spread out, which is why the exercise was called the “asterisk”. To do this, place one hand under the shoulder blades, and the other just above the knees. And when the baby answers that he is ready, start slowly raising his legs, while holding his back. It is important to do everything smoothly and without jerks. After the child's body has become horizontal, it is necessary to give a few minutes to get used to, and when he relaxes, it is necessary to lower his hands by 1-2 centimeters so that the weight of the body falls more on the liquid than on the parent. Gradually, the baby will understand that it is mainly water that holds him, and not an adult, at the first minute this can be frightening, so you need to be sensitive and attentive, repeating everything from the beginning.
You can proceed to the second stage only when the child can independently “lie down” on the water and calmly stay on it. You should teach him to do the same on his stomach. To do this, you will need a swimming board or other device that is comfortable to grip (avoid balls - your hands slip off them).
When the child is confidently holding horizontally on the water, you can give the “fountain” exercise. In this case, the same auxiliary tool is used. While the hands are busy and help to stay on the water, it is necessary to make small swings with the legs so that the water seethes, but does not splash. It is important to remember that the sock must be stretched, and in the first minutes and even classes, this must be monitored. Such an exercise will even help the child move through the water, which will delight him.

After the ability to stay on the water is acquired, and the fear has passed, you can proceed to learning real swimming without aids. If the baby has mastered the fountain exercise perfectly, then it remains only to work on the movements of the hands, and for this you will need to choose the style in which the child will swim. Of course, later he will be able to study other species, but the first one will leave an indelible mark, so it should be fairly easy to understand.

How to teach children to swim 3-5 years old? Not all parents who have set themselves such a task manage to solve it: many of them do not have the patience to go towards the goal slowly but surely, they expect their baby to swim almost on the first try. But, trying to immediately teach a child to stay on the water means dooming the case to failure. While the child is supported, he “floats”, but as soon as he is let go, he dives headlong, while swallowing a fair amount of water, he is very frightened. But swimming and bathing should bring pleasure to the child!

Let's agree: special exercises it is necessary to instill in the baby some skills that facilitate communication with water and learning to swim. These preparatory exercises You can do it without waiting for the swimming season. But before you start training at your swimming school, I would like to remind you of some of the physiological and psychological characteristics of your students.

At the age of 3-5 years, children are active, but they cannot focus their attention on one thing for a long time. Therefore, it is better to include in each of the classes several different exercises interspersed with pauses and games.

Pay attention to the fact that the breathing of 3-5-year-old children is frequent and superficial, shallow. They breathe, as we say, "belly": inhalation and exhalation are regulated by the rise and fall of the diaphragm. Water creates additional pressure on chest and stomach and makes breathing difficult. So the first step is to teach the child correct breathing- deep, "costal".

Don't forget that Small child it will be easier to understand how to proceed, if you can make the explanation clear, do the exercises with him.

Patiently Seek correct execution exercises. But remember that too much jerking off the child and may reduce interest in learning. Therefore, as often as possible, praise the baby, even in advance, and celebrate his most insignificant successes.

Let's start preparing for learning to swim with breathing exercises (they can be included in morning exercises); gradually the exercises become more difficult, then they are performed in water - in a bath (if possible and if it is advisable) or in a natural reservoir. Only then does the real sailing begin.

Breathing exercises.

Sit the child on your lap. Lightly squeeze his tummy with your fingers so that he does not protrude it when inhaling. Ask to take a few (4-5) deep breaths in and out. Pay special attention to the rhythm of breathing and strong exhalation. Set the rhythm of breathing with a command; "Inhale" - for one count, "exhale" - for three counts. (This rhythm is also maintained when performing breathing exercises in water.)

Explain to the child that when inhaling, you need to raise your shoulders, and lower them when you exhale; show how to do it. To make the teaching go smoothly, you can pronounce stretched out when you exhale: “f-fu-uu.”
Repeat the exercise two or three times, taking small breaks for rest.

I. p. (starting position) - stand legs apart. Hands are clasped behind the head, elbows are turned strictly to the sides. The head is slightly thrown back. Perform 8-10 deep breaths and exhalations.
I. p. - stand legs apart. Straight arms are extended up behind the head, hands are laid one on top of the other, the chin is pressed against the chest. Perform 8-10 deep breaths and exhalations. Make sure that the children "pick up" the stomach. I. p. - stand legs apart, hands along the hips. At the expense of “one or two”, raise your hands through the sides, rise on your toes - inhale. On "three-four" - lower your hands, lower yourself on your heels, leaning forward - exhale.
Funnel game. Have your child sit in front of a bowl of water. Ask him to blow on the water so that a funnel forms on the surface. Turn this exercise into a competition game: who will get the funnel deeper?
Bubble game. The child holds hands on the edges of the basin. After a deep breath, lowering his face into the water, he exhales. Get him interested in getting as many bubbles as possible. At the same time, make sure that he does not close his eyes and does not wipe his face with his hands; he must shake off the water with the movements of his head. (This is very important for what follows: a swimmer's hands are needed in order to swim!) Compete with him.
Teaching short-term breath holding (for 3-6 seconds). Tell your child to take a deep breath and not exhale until you count to five aloud.
The same, only while holding your breath, lower your face into the water. In one lesson, you can perform 3-4 breathing exercises, no more. Keep in mind that deep breathing may cause dizziness in children. Therefore, between exercises, make an interval of one to two minutes.

To feel your body...

Along with breathing exercises, include in the morning exercises exercises that will help you hold your arms, head and torso correctly when sliding on the water, allow the child to feel the position of the body and learn how to control it.

Place the child with his back to the wall. Legs together, arms extended up behind the head, hands superimposed one on top of the other. On the count of “one-two-three”, stand on your toes and stretch up without lifting your back from the wall. On the count of "four" go down on your heels. Repeat 6-8 times.
Ask the child to squat down with his back to the wall (the position of the arms and head is the same as in the first exercise). The shoulder blades touch the wall. Stand up without lifting your back from the wall. In this case, father or mother can press the shoulders of the child against the wall.

Learn basic swimming moves.

We usually start learning to swim with the front crawl. This is the easiest way to swim with alternate arms and legs. Performing preparatory and imitation exercises creates a general movement pattern for children and facilitates learning to swim.

Sit the child on the edge of the chair so that he grabs it with his hands behind him. Ask them to alternately move their legs up and down. Make sure that the knees do not bend, the toes of the legs are pulled back, and the feet are turned slightly inward. Sit on a chair opposite and do the exercise with your child.
Lay the child on the floor on a hard mat. Let him, lying on his stomach, stretch his arms forward and perform alternating movements with his legs. This position will not allow him to strongly bend his knees and will make it easier to control the pulling of the toes (with incorrect execution the baby will touch the floor with his knees or toes). Hips during movements should come off the floor. The movements are frequent, but with a small scope.
I. p. - stand legs apart, lean forward. The right hand is extended forward, the left is pressed to the thigh. Describe a few circles forward with a straight right hand. Change the position of the hands. Achieve a gradual acceleration of the pace of movements.
I. p. - stand legs apart. Right hand up, left hand down. Describe a few circles back with a straight right hand. Change the position of the hands.
I. p. - right leg in front, left leg - behind. Lean forward right hand lies on the right knee, the left performs circles forward. As soon as it comes to the thigh, turn your head to the left - inhale. The hand went past the hip - turn your face down, exhale. Do the exercise 10-15 times, change the position of the arms and legs. Repeat the exercise 10-15 more times.

Exercises are given in ascending order of difficulty and should be included in classes gradually, as they are mastered.

Exercises to help your child get used to the water.

If conditions allow, you can continue to exercise in the water at home.

Fill the tub with water just below shoulder level for the child on all fours. In this position, perform breathing exercises"Funnel", "Bubbles", as well as holding the breath (lower the face into the water).

I. p. - kneeling, hold hands on the edge of the bath or on the hands of dad or mom.

First of all - 4-5 deep breaths and exhalations, then the "Funnel" and "Bubbles" exercises. Make sure that the child does not close his eyes in the water.

Ask the child to lie in the bath on his chest, resting his hands on the bottom. Perform alternate leg movements. (Knees are straight, toes are pulled out). The head is above the water.
The same exercise, only with an exhalation into the water. When the child has mastered these exercises, you can raise the water level in the bath.
Holding hands on the edge of the bath or the hands of parents, the child crouches, going under water with his head. First explain to him that you first need to take a deep breath, then sit down under the water and exhale there (eyes open).
Let the baby get a few items from the bottom of the bath (“drown” the soap dish, molds, keys).
Immersion under water with a delay (for 3-6 seconds) of breathing. Exhale underwater.
Diving under a stick or board placed on the water across the bath.
Holding outstretched hands on the edge of the bath, lie down on the water and perform alternating leg movements. The head is raised above the water.
The same exercise, but with an exhalation into the water. Ask the child to clasp his outstretched arms behind his head and lie on his back. In order for the body to take a horizontal position in the water, which is very important when swimming, the head must lie on the water. Support the baby under the shoulders and back. Performing leg movements.

You are unlikely to meet a child who is indifferent or negative to water. On a hot summer day, it is almost impossible to pull a baby out of a pond. This is not surprising, because the resulting sensations are radically different from those that can be experienced in the bathroom.

Growing up, your child wants to be independent. Therefore, sooner or later you will wonder how to teach a child to swim. In fact, this process is not so complicated, because the ability to swim is given to children easily.

You are unlikely to succeed in teaching a child to swim in a year. But this period is the most suitable in order to adapt to the water. The most favorable period for learning to swim independently is the age of 4-7 years.

The main mistake made by parents when learning to swim

Before teaching a child to swim correctly, it is important to understand the main mistakes that many parents make. The main mistake is that they try to explain to the baby how to stay above the surface of the water.

Dad teaches his baby not to be afraid of being underwater by diving with him

They tell the baby how to keep his head above the water, how to stretch in the water, row with his hands and flounder with his feet. At the same time, they support the child in such a way that he barely touches the surface of the water.

But how can a baby keep his head above water if he does not even know how to swim correctly? After all, for this you need at least to row your hands correctly. For the sake of experiment, try to stay on the water yourself, moving your legs and arms in a disorder, or simply being without movement.

Using this method, you will teach your child to swim for a very long time. Therefore, first of all, you need to teach him to feel confident underwater. After all, if he is afraid to be under the surface of the water, then his movements will be constrained, and the desire to swim is unlikely to be strong.

Many children are simply afraid of the depth when they do not feel support or just the bottom under their feet. Ultimately, they simply begin to be afraid of the depth and there is no longer any talk of learning to swim.

Little girl learns to swim in special inflatable swimming sleeves

But the sleeves will support him on the water. In addition, it will be possible to move away from it a little. The child will feel more independent seeing you from a distance. The sleeves do not hinder movements, the baby can easily paddle with his hands. In this regard, an inflatable vest is less preferred. But it provides almost complete security. Even an inflatable ball can be used as support.

Where can you teach your child to swim?

The child receives the first swimming lessons in infancy, lying in the bathtub. To do this, it is enough to put the baby on his back or tummy. He will instinctively begin to flounder with his legs and arms. In infancy, the little one feels comfortable in the water, because he spent nine months in the amniotic fluid.

Little boy in a swimming cap and goggles learns to swim in a paddling pool

At a young age, it is better to teach children to swim in the pool. Ideally, it should be located at the children's health center. In such a pool, the water contains less chlorine, it is softer. Over time, you can move to the adult pool, but limit yourself in time so that irritation does not appear on the sensitive skin of the child. The advantage of the pool is that the baby can be accustomed to the depth gradually.

Often small children are not taken to the pool. This is motivated by the fact that they are not yet able to ask for a potty. It is also important to consider the temperature of the water. If it was not possible to sign up for the pool, then the bathroom is also suitable for obtaining basic knowledge of swimming, which can be fixed on high water.

At 4-5 years old, you can safely move into the pond. But you should prepare means to ensure the safety of the child on the water. In the process of bathing, in no case be distracted! Always keep the baby in your field of vision!

Teaching a child to swim with the help of the game

When learning the basics of swimming, it is best to use games. The duration of classes is selected taking into account physical features child. It is important that he has enough strength, and the exercises themselves are attractive.

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The following main types of exercises can be distinguished:

"Float". The child, having taken a breath and holding his breath, should sit down under the water. Let him clasp his legs bent at the knees and press them to his chest. Due to the air in the lungs, it will float;
"Asterisk on the back". The child, standing waist-deep in water, should spread his arms to the sides and gently lie down on the water. Divorced arms and legs will create a kind of star. The ears and part of the head must be submerged in water;
"Asterisk on the stomach." The child, holding the air, should lie on the water with his hands up. At the same time, his face should be lowered down;
Leg exercise. Holding on to the side of the pool or your hands, the child should begin to make intense movements with his legs, creating as much splash as possible. A foam board can be used as a support. Under the influence of the force created by the working legs, the baby will swim. This will make him even more interested.

After mastering these exercises, you can move on to the hands. At the same time, support the baby under the chest. When learning to swim, be sure to ensure that the baby does not hold his breath and breathe evenly.

Given the fact that many children flirt and simply do not have the strength to swim out of the depths, it is important to teach them to relax. To do this, teach him to dive under water. Holding your breath allows you to make it more even.

As you can see, teaching a child to swim is not so difficult. It is enough just to be patient and approach this process consistently. It is important to interest your baby, then you will not have problems in the learning process.

Now summer is the time for vacations and beaches, and, of course, expanse for children! Arriving at the beach, you can see both the little ones and the older kids splashing in the water, who no longer just scatter splashes, but know how to swim. What is your child doing at this moment? If he timidly cuddles up to you and does not dare to approach the water, looking around timidly, then you need to urgently start teaching him how to swim. After all, it is probably not worth explaining to you how beneficial swimming is for the health and spine of a person. With the help of swimming, the lungs develop, the back muscles are strengthened and abdominals, the muscles of the hands are strengthened, and indeed the whole body becomes flexible. How can you teach a child to swim, and at what age is it better to do it?

Where to begin?

In general, you can start teaching a child to swim as early as 2-3 weeks - as soon as the umbilical wound heals. Of course, classes for such kids should be carried out only in a home bath - there can be no talk of any reservoirs yet. The reason for such an early start is that in infancy, the baby is not yet afraid of water, but then it will be more difficult to rid him of this fear. Therefore, it is better to start accustoming to water as early as possible, although, of course, you should not expect that the baby will be able to swim like an adult. This refers to the training of certain muscle groups and the development of the baby in the water, fortunately, there are a large number of methods for teaching the baby to swim.

As for the conscious classes that will be carried out with an already grown child, there are two ways: give him to the pool, where he will be engaged professional trainer, or try to teach him to swim on his own. The choice is yours. But still, if you do not want your child to be taught by strangers, and even in a large group, where it is unlikely that much attention will be paid to him, there is nothing better than to take care of his “swimming abilities” yourself. And start better at home, in the home bath. And if you have a special inflatable paddling pool - this will be simply the best option of all! And the first swimming lessons will begin with ... breathing! Yes, yes, do not be surprised, because breathing training is a basic thing for a future swimmer.

Breathing exercises

The most important thing is to teach the child to inhale and exhale in the water, as well as to hold the breath. There are a few simple exercises for this.

1. Put some light object on the palm (for yourself or your baby). It can be a small piece of paper, a feather, a leaf from a tree. After that, take a deep breath with your child and then exhale through tightly pursed lips to blow the object from the palm of your hand.

2. Throw a lot of small toys into the bath and compete with the child: blow on the toys, trying to quickly nail them to the opposite edge of the bath.

3. Pour water into the bath and imagine that a small minnow is hiding from a predatory pike - take a deep breath and hold your breath for a few moments. After that, lower your head into the water and exhale noisily through your nose and mouth - to scare and drive away the pike.

4. Very useful for diving breathing training, but many children are afraid to dive underwater, and even with their eyes open. To relieve the child of this fear and achieve the exercise, you can scatter many of his favorite or even new toys on the bottom of the bath - and ask the child to get them from the bottom. Carried away by an interesting task, he will most likely forget about his fears - and will dive with pleasure. The only thing you need to warn the baby in advance is that he does not breathe underwater, but breathes in and holds his breath until diving and exhales only when he is back in the air. If the baby still chokes on water, take it out and let it calmly cough and spit. It is not necessary to knock on the back or turn him over into various unthinkable poses - unless, of course, you want to scare him so that he is afraid of water like fire for a couple more years.

5. A similar diving exercise is to pour some water into the bath, ask the child to take a deep breath, put his head under the water and reach the bottom with his nose - as storks do with their beak.

6. If you pour a full bath of water - you can do next exercise: the baby puts on his cheeks, takes a deep breath and, holding his breath, plunges into the water, as if hiding from you. After a few seconds, he emerges and exhales.

7. The child takes a deep breath, stretches his lips with a tube and lowers them into the water, after which he exhales, blowing funny bubbles through the water. It is advisable to do this exercise 5-6 times with short pauses for rest.

8. Take a small amount of water into the bath and calmly put the child in the bath on his back. The arms are extended along the body, the legs are straight, the head is raised, the baby is looking at the ceiling, and you support his head with your hands.

9. Starting position, as in the previous exercise, but now ask the child to raise and lower straight legs, tossing water up with his toes.

After you and your baby have mastered these simple exercises- You can go to the beach. Just, of course, remember that the child should not be left on the water unattended.

Educational games in the pond

Before you let your baby into the water, make sure it is safe. First of all, independently examine the bottom for bottle fragments, snags, broken fittings and other unpleasant “surprises”. It would also be useful to find out the depth of the reservoir, whether there are pits at the bottom and sharp transitions from shallow to deep. Pay attention also to the sanitary condition of the reservoir, the water temperature (for preschool children, the water temperature should be at least 23 degrees), the presence of whirlpools and the strength of the river.

It is necessary to choose a place for teaching a preschool child to swim near the shore, where the depth does not exceed 1 meter, that is, approximately up to the chest of the baby (or better to the waist). And, of course, do not leave the child unattended during training.

What are the educational games in order to make your baby a swimmer of the highest qualification?

1. "Floats". This game is exciting even for an adult, not to mention a child. Its essence is to sit down under the water, taking a deep breath, and, clasping your knees with your hands, float to the surface like a float.

2. "Star". Surely, this game is also familiar to you. Its essence is to, standing exactly in the water, raise your hands up and smoothly lie on your stomach on the water. After that, spread your arms and legs to the sides and relax, gently swaying on the water.

3. "Dolphinarium". Such a game really resembles the behavior of dolphins. Its essence is to dive into the water, taking a deep breath, then jump as high as possible and exhale.

4. "Reference ball". For this game, the child will need an inflatable ball that does not sink in water. You need to take it in your hands, lie on the water and, leaning on it, swim, working with your feet and trying to change direction.

5. "Race". The essence of this game is to teach a preschooler to move in the water, helping himself with his hands and feet, making strokes around the body. For this game you will need the floating toys that you used in your home bathroom. At a distance of 3-4 meters from the shore, put the toys on the water, after which, at a signal, run to them from the shore in a race. Having reached the toy, the baby must take it and return with it to the shore. The winner is the one who collected the most toys.

6. "Sliding". This exercise should be performed at a depth to the chest of the baby and is aimed at teaching him to glide and stay on the water. The child stands in the water with his arms raised up and palms laid one on top of the other. You are standing behind him. The child, taking a deep breath, holds his breath, and then lies down on the water (as in the Star exercise), but without spreading his arms and legs. After that, he pushes off from you with his feet - and slides through the water to a complete stop, face down, keeping his head under water.

7. "Arrow". The starting position is the same, but now the child is pushing off with his feet from the bottom of the reservoir, and not from you.

After the general educational games, start doing exercises to work out the elements of swimming movements. It is worth noting that best style swimming "for beginners" is a crawl, because it is with swimming in this style that both arms and legs work in a similar way - as with walking and crawling. Having mastered the front crawl, children will quickly learn other styles of swimming.

What are the exercises for teaching a child the technique of swimming?

1. "Seal". This exercise is performed near the shore, in shallow water. The child lies in the water on his stomach, his shoulders should be in the water, and his head above the water. The legs are straight and move up and down, a little later breathing exercises are connected to this - inhale above the water, exhale into the water.

2. "Sliding" with legs. This exercise resembles the “sliding” exercise, but in the process of sliding on the water, you need to work with your feet and breathe in above the water, exhale into the water.

3. "Crawl". This exercise is a prototype of how a child will crawl in the future. The depth of the water should be up to his chest. The child lies down on the water, lowers his face down, and to inhale, turns his head towards the hand that finishes the stroke. The movements of the legs are the same as in the Seal exercise, but the hands are also connected to these movements, which must be moved in turn: first one, then the other. The fingers should be pressed together, and the hand bent in the form of a boat. When performing a stroke, the baby must ensure that the hand passes under his stomach to the hip. You can practice hand movements on the shore, raising one hand up and holding the other along the body.

4. "Self-sliding." This exercise is a consolidation of all of the above. Its essence is that the child lies on the water and pushes off from you, as in the “Sliding” exercise, after which he begins to work with his arms and legs, and you watch how he swims, securing if necessary. It is better to perform this exercise at a depth to the chest of the child.

And, of course, once again it is necessary to remind you: even if it seems to you that the baby has learned to swim almost better than you yourself, it is extremely dangerous to leave him alone on the water, so always be there - and at least watch him from the shore. If your baby has begun to drown, keep your composure and throw him something that he can catch on while waiting for your help - a life buoy or a piece of foam. After that, swim up to him, pull him ashore, clean him of mucus and dirt, and then put him on your bent knee so that his head and legs hang down and the water comes out of his lungs.

In addition, do not get carried away diving - frequent holding your breath can cause dizziness. And do not expect your child to swim after a couple of classes. Someone swims already at the age of 6, someone learns this only by the age of 20, and someone is afraid of water all his life like fire. All this is deeply individual - and when the time comes, your child will definitely swim. And you will still be proud of the fact that it is thanks to you that it floats so nicely on the water!

Swimming is an incredibly healthy physical activity that allows you to tighten and train your muscles without putting a strain on your ligaments and spine. A child who can swim has good coordination, developed respiratory system he gets sick less often. All parents are aware of the benefits of swimming, so they try to accustom the child to water as soon as possible. But how to make it as painless as possible? How to show a child that staying on the water is easy, you just need to try. After all, wrong habits develop in a child the habit of moving in the wrong way. Subsequently, it becomes very difficult to retrain the baby, and the ability to swim is delayed indefinitely.

Extreme training or why you can not throw a child into the water

Until recently, there was a "household" way to teach a child to swim. The baby was simply thrown into the water and given the opportunity to “swim out” on its own. Proponents of this method say that the skill of survival is innate, and in many cases the child overcomes fear and begins to swim on his own. However, this is by no means the case. First, the baby may not swim. It just gets confused, scared and starts to sink. Of course, you will be there and save your child, but after that he will not even come close to the water. Such extreme training will leave a child with a fear of water for life.

The second reason why you should not throw a child into the water is to undermine trust. For a baby, parents are that stone block that you can rely on at any time. The child trusts you unconditionally, how can you put him in danger intentionally? Many adults who have learned to swim in this way admit that they still harbor resentment towards their parents for such an act, even though he taught them to swim. After such actions, it will be difficult to regain the child's trust. That is why it is worth teaching the child gradually and consistently.

When to learn to swim

Surely you have seen newborn children who are happy to swim in open water without the support of adults? This is not surprising, water for babies in the first months of life is a native element, the baby remembers it from the mother's womb. Over time, these memories are erased, the baby loses the skill and stops swimming on its own. When can you teach your baby to water again?

If your baby is not yet a year old, try swimming in a bath with a special circle. It is worn around the neck and secured with a secure clasp. Thanks to this circle, the baby's head is always on the surface, he moves his legs and arms with ease and pleasure. Under water, movements are easier, so kids love this kind of swimming. In addition, the mother does not have to constantly hold the baby's head while bathing. It is rather inconvenient to stand with the letter "zyu" for 10-15 minutes. Such swimming strengthens the child's muscle corset, improves blood circulation in the tissues, and promotes enhanced growth.

If your baby is over a year old, it is too early for him to swim in the pool on his own. Up to three years, you just need to encourage the child’s desire for water in every possible way, get out to the reservoirs more often in the summer, spend more time near the water. In this case, it is useful to play various games that will make the child feel more confident in the water.

Sea battle. This game will teach the baby to the fact that water can get on the face and head, and there is nothing wrong with that. Take your child into the water so that its depth is as deep as your child's chest. After that, start splashing each other (give in to the child). The one who first says “I give up” and turns away will lose.
Who is first? For next game you will need a helper, like dad. The conditions are as follows - dad gets up in the water a few meters from the competitors. Whoever runs forward in the water to the daddy wins. In this game, it is important to teach the child to rake the water in front of him with his hands. The kid must understand how to move correctly in the water. He realizes that if he helps himself with his hands, he will move much faster.
Undersea world. You can also teach your child to open their eyes underwater. To do this, sit down with the baby in the water and try to open your eyes. If you are at the sea or in a lake, sand and plants can be considered. If in the pool - a drawing on the bottom or toys in your hands. If it doesn't work, try doing it with special glasses.
bubbles. This exercise teaches the child to breathe properly underwater. We quickly inhale the air and slowly exhale it through the nose under water. Toddlers love to give out a large number of bubbles, so they especially like this exercise. You don't even have to completely submerge yourself in the water, you just need to dip your face into the liquid.

These simple exercise games will help your baby not be afraid of water, but perceive it as a friendly element.

Where, with whom and how to learn to swim

By the age of 3-4, a child can be taught to swim. By this time, the kids already understand a lot, perform exercises and are able to adequately assess the situation. It is very important to determine where you will learn to swim. If this is an open body of water, you need to be sure of its safety. On the shore and at the bottom there should be no glass and sharp objects, snags, pieces of reinforcement. The reservoir itself must be flowing - in standing water bacteria multiply. It is very important that the water is not cold, the lower limit is 23 degrees. The weather should also be warm - the air temperature is at least 27 degrees. You should first examine the bottom on which you are going to teach the child. It is important that there are no steep and sharp drops, undercurrents and other factors that pose a potential hazard. The water level in the designated area should not be higher than the child's chest.

All conditions are created in the pool for the child. The main thing is not to go immediately to the depth, but to train in the "paddling pool" so that the water level is up to the chest. In addition, in the pool you can hire a special swimming instructor who will tell you at a professional level how to teach your child to swim. Often, when the child is under five years old, the instructor works in tandem with the parent. That is, the child cannot practice with a stranger, so the instructor teaches the parent's swimming technique, and he shows everything to the baby. Experienced trainers They say that a baby learns to swim best with his mother, because women are by nature more patient and they like the process itself. But men are focused on the result and often push the child, which is unacceptable in matters of learning to swim. But if dad is patient and diligent, he may well become a swimming instructor for his child.

How to teach a child to swim

We will tell you about the basic exercises that will help you teach your child to stay on the water, hold his breath in time and row with his arms and legs.

In training, you can not use armlets, vests and other accessories that initially form the child’s incorrect body retention on the water. Just look at the unnatural position of the baby in armlets in the water. It is very important to teach the child to take a horizontal position. This can only be achieved with a special board that will support the baby at first. This is the only accessory that can be used in a difficult learning process. The board, as it were, supports the baby, but at the same time teaches him to coordinate movement, find balance, and move his limbs.

The child lays down on the board with his chest, and the mother simply pulls him by the arms. Thus, the baby is fixed in horizontal position understanding how to move in the water.

After that, you can complicate the exercise by asking the baby to actively move his legs. The child must understand that this gives speed to the movement. But simply flopping is not enough, you need to move your limbs like fins. In order for the child to feel this, you can let him move his legs in flippers.
Stand in the water and ask your child to squat. The water level should reach first to the chin, then to the nose, and then full immersion bodies into the water. Here we train the psychological aspect more - the child should feel confident that, if necessary, he can always emerge, you should not be afraid. If it is not yet possible to dive with open eyes and nose, they can be closed. Besides, this exercise teaches the baby to hold his breath at the moment when you are under water.
After the baby begins to dive well into the water and ceases to be afraid of it, ask him to stretch his arms forward. After the next dive, drag the baby under water for some distance. It can be at least half a meter, but the baby must feel the dynamics. At the end of this distance, push the baby to the surface and tell him: “Inhale!”. The kid must develop a clear association - when we emerge, we inhale the air, and at the same time, you emerge to inhale when we do not have enough air. It is important to convince the child that everything is under control, that he himself can control the situation.
The next exercise is that you drag the child along the water, and at this time he emerges for a breath and plunges himself into the water. At the same time, it is very important to watch your feet so that the baby does not walk along the bottom, but keeps them on the surface, that is, swims. This is a long exercise that takes a lot of time to master, but do not force things - be patient.
When the skills are perfect and the child stops breathing heavily, try letting go of your hands, first one, and then both. If the baby is in the correct horizontal position, he will not go to the bottom, the water itself will push him out. You will only need to stand nearby and secure the baby. If the baby succeeds in this exercise, consider that he has learned to swim.
When the baby learns to dive and surface on his own, tell the child how to dive on his own. To do this, put your palms together and point them towards the water. Then slowly lower yourself into the water behind your hands and emerge as you did before.
By acting according to this technique, you can teach your child not just to swim, but to swim correctly. Subsequently, from this skill, you can extract a competent and beautiful style of butterfly, breaststroke, front crawl and other areas.

Swimming is best view sports for the child's body. This physical activity there are practically no contraindications, since the body does not experience serious stress. However, you need to be careful with water diving if there is a violation of the eardrum, chronic otitis or sinusitis. Be healthy and enjoy the water element with your child!