How To Teach Children To Swim On Holiday

For many people, holidays present an opportunity to spend more time in the pool, increasing your little ones’ confidence in the water. So, if you want to help your kids learn how to swim the next time you jet abroad, read on to find out how.

• Floatation aids

Before you can expect your kids to jump in the pool and do lengths, they need to build up their confidence by using floatation aids, such as noodles, arm bands, float jackets or boards.

Club Med recommends foam noodles, saying: “The long cylindrical floats are ideal for supporting a child’s body while giving them the space to move their arms and legs.”

• Blow bubbles

Lots of kids become fearful of the water because they don’t like putting their face in it. So, the best thing to do while on holiday is encourage them to get their face wet by playing lots of games.

One that is always popular is imagining blowing out candles of a big birthday cake underneath the surface of the water. From this, you can progress to dropping something on to the pool floor that they have to pick up, such as goggles or toy weights.

• Swimming technique

Once they are happy to splash around in the water, you could take advantage of having a pool nearby and teach them some moves. The most important ones to learn to stay safe is how to get out of the pool, either by using the steps or the edge, and treading water or doing ‘doggy paddle’.

According to Simply Swim: “This is such an important life preservation skill because if a child were to fall in the water beyond their depth, if they can tread water, it means they can stay afloat for long enough to call someone or for help to arrive.”

Keep little ones warm when splashing around all day with thermal baby clothes.