Swimming Lesson Skills to Practice at Home

We all know that practice makes perfect, but what does that mean for swimming lessons? Do you actually need to show up to the pool every single day for your child to be able to practice? Are they doomed to be mediocre swimmers if you only make it to the pool once a week?

Daily practice is important, but you don’t have to go to the pool every day. There are some really important swimming skills you can practice at home – getting wet is not required!

Arm positions and movements

You can practice arm movements such as the forward stroke or the backstroke while lying on the living room floor. Frequently kids move their arms forward on the sides, which actually pushes them backwards rather than forward. Lying on the living room floor on their stomach or back, they can learn the correct movements for the strokes they are learning, so that they can move correctly and efficiently when they get in the pool.

Leg kicks

Kicking our legs back and forth with knees straight, or mostly straight, is not something that we do much outside of swimming. That is why it is important to get coordination with this movement and to build up the muscles required. Have your child lay on their stomach on the floor. Keeping their knees straight, they should lift up first one leg and then the other. This is the movement they will be making when they do their flutter kicks, and this practice will help them kick better in the pool.

Blowing bubbles

Breath control is an important part of swimming. Most parents try to keep their kids from blowing bubbles in their milk, but this is a good activity to help them learn to control their breath. The bathtub is another fun place at home to practice blowing bubbles. Kids can even practice putting their faces underwater in the bathtub, but be careful about getting soap in their eyes!