You came to the sea or to the river in the village, laid out a towel on the beach, and your child looks enviously at his peers who are splashing in the water, because he cannot swim? Or, on the contrary, are you trying with all your might to shove the baby in for a swim, but he doesn’t, says he’s afraid? It seems like an adult already, it's time to learn! Or maybe it's better to leave him alone, everything has its time?

When it's time to teach a child to swim and what needs to be done so that these lessons are not a burden for him, but a pleasure. At the height of the summer season, the editors of Tlum.Ru decided to answer all these "water" questions. Here are the advice of doctors and the opinions of experienced mothers who have already taught their babies to stay afloat.

Should babies and toddlers swim?

To begin with, it is worth saying that the truth is "everything has its time." Teaching a child to stay on the water from infancy, as is now popular, is not always correct, and sometimes even harmful. Doctors advise up to 4 years to give the child the right to just swim without teaching him any techniques. Let him enter the water shallowly, splash with water and get used to this element. So he will learn not to be afraid of water, he will understand that nothing bad will happen if it gets into his eyes, nose or ears, he will swallow a little and in general he will be ready for learning.

At this time, you can teach the child to lower his face into the water, exhale into it, push off from the parent with his legs, lie on the water. You can put glasses on your child and send him to study objects at the bottom. You should not let him go free swimming, it is better to tow the child by the handles on the surface.

As for the sea, if your baby no longer tries to swallow water and enjoys swimming, all the same procedures can be done there from a very early age. The only recommendation is that the water should be above 24 degrees. If the water temperature is lower, then only short immersions in the water in an embrace are suitable for you so that the child does not freeze.

Parents' opinion:

“We have been swimming since a month, the child is delighted. First, with an instructor, a few lessons, as soon as I learned to hold my breath and dive well, we were moved to a large pool, where I already work with him myself.

“We started swimming at the age… it was 10-11 months old, I don’t remember well) the first two lessons I cried, it was cold for him, I bought a suit… Now you can’t pull it out of the pool by the ears… it’s already the third year))”.

_{THE BEST CARTOONS ABOUT THE SEA}

“We’ve been swimming in the sea for two, but I don’t know how it happened) Somehow I took it and swam, we just were given a diva))) and since then somehow with arms and legs He’s been trying for a year now, we’re thinking of giving him to the pool, he really likes it!!”

“At 3 years old, a child can (and should!) be taught, if not to swim, then to hold his breath in the water. This is a vital skill, since in sleeves and in a circle and in a boat you can turn your face into the water, and the child should not be frightened, not confused, but simply hold his breath. Therefore, I advise you not to put a circle on the child right away, but first to play "hide and seek" in the water, learn to dive and hold your breath and get used to the large volume of water and space.

Teaching a child to swim

After the age of 4, you can begin to slowly teach your child to swim. All experts recommend doing this in a suitable pool where the water is no higher than the bottom of your baby's chest. The length of the pool must be at least five meters. You should start with "asterisks", "floats" and "arrows".

"Asterisk" - the child lies on the water, legs and arms spread out to the sides. "Float" - the child wraps his arms around his knees, lowers his head to his knees and hangs on the surface of the water. "Arrow" - the child pushes off the side of the pool and slides, stretching his arms and legs along the surface of the water.

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You need to teach your baby to breathe correctly. A quick inhale through the mouth, a long exhale through the nose and nothing else. It is best to exhale into the water. In no case should you hold your breath while swimming. These exercises will not only help the child to swim correctly, but also strengthen his immunity and increase endurance.

When it comes to swimming movements, you should first learn to glide. Then work is added to it with the feet, then with the hands, then inhale-exhale. You need to move slowly and continuously, without straining individual muscles. You can also work on the technique on land.

Of course, you must be close to your child during the whole course and not leave him alone. Having lost sight of the parents, the baby may become confused, panic and go to the bottom. Therefore, try to always be in sight during the first swims or, if you are swimming for insurance a little behind, constantly let us know by voice that you are nearby.

Parents' opinion:

“He will learn by himself. My son is 12. From the age of 6 he floundered in the summer in the river in the country. Rowing the bottom with my hands. After 2 weeks I look, and he swims. Last summer we bought him fins, a mask, a snorkel – he dives and swims like Ichthyander.”

“Cut out a board from the foam to hold onto it or sew a belt in this way. or buy ready-made. but my opinion is to study in the pool, they will explain what if what!

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“We put on the armlets and gradually (during 2-3 months) blew them off. True, every day in the pool a couple of times. Learned. He moves his arms in a breaststroke, and his legs in a crawl. But he began to swim very quickly. Then they hired a coach who, in 3 lessons, taught him to swim breaststroke perfectly (so far) and dive properly. We started it all at 4.5 years old.”

“I taught mine at sea when I was 5 years old. Without armlets, without anything, but under supervision and only from mom to dad, you increase the distance and, lo and behold, a fish is swimming)”.

Basic mistakes

The first mistake is sleeves, circles, vests, flippers and other means of helping the child. For training, only a swimming board is suitable for you and that's it. All of the above means hinder learning and reinforce harmful vertical skills. When swimming in armlets, the child gets used to holding his head vertically above the water, relying on his armpits, which means he does not feel his body and cannot learn to swim on his own.

For those who still use armlets, experts recommend gradually removing air from them so that the baby begins to feel his weight and position on the water. The swim ring also keeps the child upright in the water, and flippers spoil the kicking technique.

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The second mistake is to teach the child to swim on his stomach at the very beginning. You should start by swimming on your back, so the child will not be afraid that water will get into his nose or mouth. The baby can be supported by the head, the stomach can be lifted up to reach a horizontal position.

The third mistake is ignoring children's fears. Parents say: “Oh, what is there to be afraid of, it’s not deep right there. Enough already, go swim!”. But what seems easy for you, for a child, is a real test that you need to decide on. Children's fear cannot be ignored, but it can be deceived. Start with swimming, splashing, playing in shallow water, the child should get used to it and only then will he want to try to swim.

Parents’ opinion:

“Stop wearing a vest, it keeps it in an unnatural position on the water, it’s like standing in the water, but it should lie on your stomach or back, in this sense, armlets are better than what he himself needs keep the body in the right position in the water, and the armlets just don’t let you go under the water.”

“Yes, he will learn what to teach there))) let him look at others and repeat, like a dog first, then on the back, with a bater there, with all sorts of strokes. Small ones don’t need to swim at all, from the age of 7-8, when interest in this appears, they themselves are already learning. ”

_{OWN TRAVELER}

“Despite the fact that the child was swimming in the pool regularly, up to 5 years in the sea only in a vest or next to his parents. For some reason, I don't trust sleeves. If someone suddenly pushes into the sea in the game, they want to "sink" - as children sometimes play, a vest is better here. And if the child is a lover of calm swimming, then armlets.
The circle is nothing at all, you can fall out of it once or twice.

“My first was afraid to swim, I didn’t care, but my husband insisted, in the end I threw him in the middle of the river from the boat. No, the son swam, swam to the boat, climbed in, but he didn’t approach either the water or the husband for another month))))”.

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Interesting materials:
At what age should a girl start wearing a swimsuit?
5 ways to keep your child busy on the beach

At what age can a child start swimming?

It not only increases the stamina of the body, but also develops strength of mind. Swimming is undoubtedly beneficial for children, as it promotes both growth and the correct formation of posture, because during training all muscle groups are involved, which naturally has a very beneficial effect.

Lessons in the pool for small children up to 3 years old are always held individually. During such training, the child will be in constant contact with the instructor. With the help of such activities, it will be possible to accustom the child to being in the pool, since many children at this age, to varying degrees, are afraid of water. In the process of training, fears will pass and health will be significantly strengthened. It is worth remembering that classes, especially at such a young age, should be regular, since breaks of a month or more lead to the inevitable loss of skills. However, the positive attitude of the child to water will already be formed, which is important in itself.

Most swimming coaches believe that a child should start playing this sport at an early age - from the age of three. At this time, the baby's posture continues to form and the pool will provide invaluable benefits to the spine. It is worth noting that the pool for children from 3 years old is just a pleasant pastime, since at this age it will not be possible to start swimming professionally. Since swimming is an intense sport, experts recommend attending training during this period no more than twice a week.

At this age, while in the pool, children use special sports equipment that helps them to better stay on the water and master basic skills.

Swimming classes for children aged 5 and over will help grow a real champion, since it is at this age that children are accepted into professional sections. The child is now just beginning to understand that this is not just entertainment, but a serious sport. And if the child himself wants to engage in the sports section and participate in competitions, then it's time to bring him to the pool. The number of lessons in the pool for children 5 years old should gradually increase from twice a week to five. In order for a young swimmer to be able to perform intense physical exercises, parents must understand that he must be provided with a complete balanced diet.

5 years is the age when a child can also be sent to learn to swim from scratch. The swimming school provides classes both in a group (as a rule, according to the level of training) and individual training. The child is under the constant supervision of the coach - the groups are formed small so that all swimmers have enough time and attention. Children who start learning to swim at this age quickly catch up with those who start learning at 2-3 years old.

Along with the first classes in a general education school, the child can also easily start swimming. Accordingly, from the second grade and older. At this time, he becomes more disciplined, which makes it easier for him to go to the pool. If effort is also applied to this quality, then the child easily compares the tasks of the coach with the tasks of school teachers and quickly moves towards tangible results.

Additional equipment at this time is usually not provided, but it all depends on the level of training of the child and is decided individually by the coach.

The advantage of swimming in the pool from this age is that children begin to absorb information better. They can listen more carefully to the theoretical part of the classes without being distracted from the instructor, which will improve both the quality of training and the progression in learning.

-12 years. The instructor complicates the teaching methods, developing the child's endurance and focusing on honing the techniques of swimming styles, which contributes to the expansion of the young swimmer's theoretical knowledge along with skills in this sport.

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