How to Teach Pool Safety Skills Through Swim Lessons

I’ve taken on the guest blogger role on other sites. However, I’ve never featured one on Weather Anchor Mama – that was until fellow blogger and mom Kaitlin Gardner approached me about writing a guest post on how to teach pool safety skills through swim lessons.

I learned how to swim in high school. But after accidentally ending up in the deep end of the pool, I became scarred. I’m still terrified of venturing out beyond shallow waters. I didn’t want the same for my kids, so when Princess was born, I vowed to sign her up for swimming lessons. We started mommy-and-me classes when she was ten-months-old, and after six weeks she graduated to solo lessons. Parents may also invest in a swim spa at home. It will not only help you relax but it can also help your toddler get used to being in the water before teaching them to swim.

I think every child should learn how to swim, which is pretty ironic considering I’m scared of the water. But, I plan on working on overcoming my fear.

When you do decide to teach your kids how to swim, don’t forget to reinforce pool safety. Kaitlin explains how below. Be sure to check out her blog, An Apple Per Day, where she shares tips on healthy living and all things eco-friendly.

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How to Teach Pool Safety Skills Through Swim Lessons

My kids love to play in the water, and we go to the pool often. We’re currently on the lookout for a house with a backyard pool, so they can have fun right at home. Safety is a top priority for me, which is why swim lessons have been high on my list. I believe it’s essential for them to not only enjoy the water but also to learn crucial safety principles. Additionally, I’ve been exploring options like “Wet Pour Surfaces” around the pool area to enhance safety further and provide a comfortable play environment. However, If your kids get injured in a public pool due to the management’s negligence, you have the right to hire a personal injury lawyer and file a claim.

Lessons or home taught? I thought about teaching my kids to swim – I was on the swim team in college, and have been around the water for years. But just because I can swim well, it doesn’t mean I am a qualified swim instructor. Plus, I don’t want to get into power struggles over trying to get my kids to understand something as basic as “no running at the pool.” We have enough trouble getting the boys to clean their rooms, so why add to the list of things to reinforce. I’ve found some great resources about swim lessons and kids:

• Swim Lessons For Kids
• Swimming Pool Safety: Layers of Protection
• Drowning Happens Quickly – Learn How To Reduce Your Risk

Formal lessons. When my kids were about 4 years old, I signed them up for their first swim lessons in the fall. The classes were less crowded, and I wanted my boys to be ready to enjoy playing with their friends by the following summer. I checked out the class beforehand, and watched how the instructor handled it. He was very calm and professional, and the lesson obviously had a purpose. He didn’t move forward until each child could demonstrate that he understood or could perform what was being taught. There was an underlying message all through the lesson that emphasized the need to be safe around the pool. I asked the instructor for his credentials, and he was glad to show them to me. I asked him how they covered safety in the classes. The types of safety rules we want to enforce are:

• No swimming alone.
• No running at the pool.
• Always listen to the lifeguard.
• Stay at a safe depth.
• Swim with a buddy.

The instructor explained how safety issues are taught and reinforced during classes. He said he had no problem issuing a “timeout” for a child who ran during a class. When the first child realized that the timeout just added to the length of his lesson, and he had to stay over a few minutes when the other kids were through, it really made the kids pay attention to the safety rules.

Advanced lessons. Kids don’t go to first grade and then leave school – their education continues. I felt the same way about swimming. I plan to sign my boys up for intermediate and then advanced lessons. Every time they hear “don’t swim alone” it means one less time I have to try to get them to understand that message. Though they are strong willed, my boys are really good about understanding when we’re doing something for their safety.

Doing our part. While I can’t teach my boys to swim, I can definitely reinforce what they are learning in classes. My husband and I started by having a family meeting. We did it inside the house, not while we were at the pool, so we’d have their attention. We asked them to repeat to us what they had learned about safety in their lessons. We then went over why each of those rules was important. “If you run at the pool, you might fall and hurt yourself.” The rules became more real to them.

I feel at ease keeping an eye on my boys at the pool, especially since they’ve become safety-conscious through their swim lessons. It’s reassuring to know they’ve learned essential skills. If you’re interested in enhancing your safety knowledge further, you might want to learn more about CPR certification.

Kaitlin Gardner started An Apple Per Day to explore her passion for a green living lifestyle, and healthy family living. She and her husband have just moved to rural Pennsylvania, where they enjoy exploring the countryside to discover interesting and out of the way places. She is also learning how to paint watercolors.