The 411: wading in the water, part 1
Growing up, the big thing about summer was the ability to go swimming. When we lived in Arizona, we had a house with an in-ground pool in the backyard. It was so much fun to spend all day in and out of the pool. We would have friends over and have a blast playing “Marco Polo” and water volleyball.
I have blurry memories of the first pool we went to, where I learned to swim. It was the community pool in Lexington, Virginia. My memories include lots of crying and the red kick boards that the swim instructor had us use. What I don’t remember is what exactly got me over my fright of the pool and what clicked to make me the swimmer that I am today.
My best friend has a pool in her backyard and she was going to try and teach her first baby how to swim before he was one. But then she got pregnant again and that kind of fell to the wayside. But she did have the benefit of a child who is not afraid of the water, like my kid.
Our big summer trip every year centers on a trip to Lake Martin, Alabama. And I wonder how Fuller will do this year with going in the water. He hasn’t really enjoyed it that much in the past. I am hoping that this year might be a little different.
In looking around for information on how to teach Fuller to swim, or maybe just ways to lay the foundations before actually committing to lessons, I found this great “How to” on ehow.com: How to teach a child to swim. Because the article breaks the process down into simple steps, it makes me think that it is something that I can really do. (Funny thing, we have been trying to get Fuller to do step 3, blowing bubbles, for a while. At least I know I was on the right track.) And the tip at the bottom of the article really makes sense:
Take your time with each step. The first day, only do the first step. The second day, do the first step again and then add the second step. Start each new lesson with a review of the previous lessons and advance to the next step, but only if the child is ready.
The British website, Swimming Without Stress, offers some sage advice for teaching older children to swim. It begins with making sure the child is comfortable with the water and then moves to swimming techniques for those who are comfortable in the water.
I really hope that I can use this information to help Fuller at least enjoy the lake this summer and not just tremble in fear when we step into the water together. How did you teach your kids to swim?
June 7th, 2007 at 12:00 pm
Don’t forget the sink or swim method that Mom and Dad used with me. I was thrown in the pool (supervised) and it was either sink or swim and I swam.
June 12th, 2007 at 11:01 am
I don’t remember at all how I learned to swim, lol, let alone where!
June 12th, 2007 at 2:50 pm
I remember how I learned to swim, my cousins taught me and almost let me drown but because of it I was a naturally good swimmer. When I moved and was forced to take swimming lessons because my cousin did ? Funny how that worked right? I was 9 years old and was asked to be a life guard because I was better swimmer than most of the trained professionals.
Hmm..