How to Teach Beginner Swim Lessons
Swimming is great exercise and can be a lot of fun. It can also save your life. Many people enroll their young children in programs to learn how to swim, but you can teach this important skill to people of any age. All it takes is patience, confidence and some practice.
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Things You'll Need
- Swimming suit
- Pool, pond or lake
- Kick board (optional)
- Swim goggles (optional)
Instructions
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Get comfortable in the water. Have your student wade around in shallow water, get used to the feel and temperature, and blow bubbles by putting his face in the water and exhaling out his mouth.
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Try kicking. Ask your student to hold onto the side of the pool. You can also hold his hands. Have him stretch his arms and body straight out behind him and kick his feet on the surface of the water without bending his knees. If he is comfortable with this after a few times, you can have him hold onto a float like a kick board, or simply pull him around the water by his hands while he is kicking.
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Work on arm circles. While standing in the water, ask your student to form scoops with his hands by holding his fingers together. With both arms outstretched, tell him to take one hand and dig it into the water in front of him. Have him move that same arm in a large circular motion from the shoulder all the way around until his fingers come up out of the water and touch the surface again. Repeat this with the other arm.
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Once your student is comfortable with both kicking and arm circles, try to put these two motions together. Hold the student in a front float position, and walk alongside him while he tries kicking and doing arm circles together. Once he seems to be swimming on his own, you can let go.
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Tips & Warnings
Some people are visual learners, so it may be helpful to demonstrate what you want your student to do when trying something new.
If teaching more than one student at a time, make sure that all students keep at least one hand on the wall or remain standing in shallow water when you are working with someone else.
References
- Photo Credit ready to swim image by Diorgi from Fotolia.com
