We’ve been doing weekly swim sessions with Birch, and his progress has been amazing! Here are some tips for teaching a 5 year old to swim (without swimming lessons).
Many of you may have kids who swam way earlier than five. Or, you might just think “put the kid in swim lessons?” Every child is different, and Birch is a very cautious child who is very nervous around strangers. We tried swimming lessons a few summers ago and he cried the entire time four weeks in a row. I think he was more scared of being with a new person than he was of the water. (We also tried having me be there with them and also nearby, but that didn’t go so well either.)
But that’s all water under the….diving board…. at this point!
Mazen learned to swim over a winter when we took him to the indoor pool so much he had no choice but to figure out it! That was the goal here too.
A few months ago Birch was a very confident puddle jumper swimmer who had zero interest in taking his puddle jumper off. He refused to try goggles or put his face in the water. We decided to make the goal of taking him to the indoor pool at ACAC every week, sometimes twice, to build his confidence in the water. And within a few weeks he was swimming! It was nothing short of a miracle in our eyes. So while every child is very different, a few of you commented on Instagram that you’d be curious to learn the steps we took to get him swimming. There is no right or wrong way, but here are our experiences teaching a 5 year old to swim!
Tips For Teaching A 5 Year Old To Swim
During every step of the way during this process there was some resistance to try anything new. I tried very hard not to push him to do something he didn’t want to do, and to instead inspire him with a challenge. A good example of this was bringing Mazen and his goggles along and asking Birch if he wanted to put his goggles on and see what Mazen was doing under the water. Once he did this he realized it wasn’t too scary, and then he did it 100 more times. So much of teaching him was building his confidence.
Pre-Season: Goggles in the bathtub
The clue that we thought Birch was ready for some serious swim lessons is when he started to put his face in the water in the bath. We made sure his goggles were right there, and he started to use them in the bath.
1) Forget the puddle jumper
Birch was so mad when I told him we didn’t have the puddle jumper. As I said above, he really liked it! He pouted on the side of the pool for a good 15 minutes before he finally broke a smile and decided to come into my arms. He gradually got comfortable floating on his back in my arms and swimming with our arms extended.
2) Get Brave with Goggles
Our next goal was to learn to put his face in the water. Of course goggles help a ton with this! Having an older brother and cousin who also wear goggles and putting goggles on myself all helped Birch realize goggles are normal and fun. Once he decided to look under the water, it was all fun and games from there! He figured out how to hold his breath on his own, and we had lots of fun playing guess the finger and making silly faces.
3) Swim to the step
Once Birch was comfortable going under water, he was ready for underwater swimming (which I think is much easier than above water swimming). I would give him a push to the steps and he would swim to them. This started with inches and moved to feet until he was swimming! Learning to move his arms and kick came naturally. Once he could go a little further, we started having him swim across the bench area, which in our pool is about 10 feet. He couldn’t make it all the way at first, but now he can do it no problem! One detail about our indoor pool is that there really isn’t a shallow end where he can touch, so it’s all deep water to him. I think this has helped with swimming because there is no “safe zone” for him to refuse to leave.
4) Jumping in
I was shocked how fast Birch went from not going under water to doing cannonballs off the side! Early on, he spent an entire hour jumping in over and over he was so proud of himself. I made sure to tell him how proud I was of every step of the way. His love language is words of affirmation, and he ate it them up! Once he learned to jump in to me we practiced jumping in and getting to the side.
5) Touching the bottom
Touching the bottom was a skill he was SO excited to try. I think he sees all the big boys going to the bottom and knew it was a cool thing to do. We started by me pushing him down and him springing back up. Day by day he has learned to dive down on his own, but he still needs a little help in deeper water. The next week we added dive toys! After borrowing our friends’ rings, I bought this set. The gems and rings have been so fun to hunt and dive for.
6) Swimming farther
Once Birch was confident swimming to the step and jumping in, we really worked on him swimming father distances. I made sure to stay by his side so that if he ran out of breath he could take a break on me.
7) Treading water / taking a breath mid-swim
This has been the last skill for him to learn. Once he can tread water and/or take a breath mid-swim, he’ll be officially a swimmer. We are still working on this and I am never not right beside him (or he’s with his older brother) because he can’t quite tread water yet. I am confident he will be a full swimmer by the summer!
And beyond!
Mazen never wanted to join the swim team at our pool, but we will definitely see if Birch is interested this summer. Mazen is a very strong swimmer at age 11 and never had lessons, so I do think that time in the water and practice is ultimately the best way to learn whether you have a coach or not. We are lucky that the pool at ACAC is heated to about 95 degrees, so it’s very parent-friendly! If it was a cold pool I’m not sure I would have the guts to get in it every week. I’ll report back with any updates as Birch gets even better!
If you have any tips of your own to share, please share them (so long as they don’t criticize other people : ) )
Allison says
We never used any flotation devices in the pool (of course this means you always have to be right there) which I think leads to earlier swimming. My kids both loved water from the start so did not need to be coaxed to put their faces in, etc.
They both really learned to swim at age 4 while on vacation for a week at a resort with lots of pools. Having them in the pool so many hours right when they were ready worked great for us.
Kath Younger says
I agree the more you swim (without a floater) the faster they learn!
Amy says
One tip I heard on a podcast that I did with my kids ( now 7 and almost 6) is to make sure they always spend time in the pool every time you go both with their puddle jumper on and off (in parents arms or in shallow where they can touch.). That way they always know how their body feels in the water both with and without a flotation device. Too often accidents happen because kids assume they will float when they jump in the pool c they *always* have their floaty on.
My kids were always a little resistant to do time without their floaty but they quickly knew it was part of going to the pool (even if it was just for 5 minutes). As that floaty- free time increased, so did their confidence. And I always had peace of mind knowing they knew enough not to assume they could jump in any time.
Kath Younger says
That’s a really good tip!
Shannon says
One item that is often overlooked is the importance of having children learn to float on their back. This can save their life when they get tired. We live in Florida and it is the first thing different instructors taught my kids.
Kath Younger says
Thank you for sharing this.
Jenny says
Thanks so much for sharing these tips! Still working with our five year old and hoping that she’s more confident this summer. Having him comfortable in the water has got to bring you some peace of mind!
Ellen says
This is a great post! I love that you involved Mazen so much, and I love that you shared Birch’s love language!
I have three kids, and they were all really different. None were prodigies, but they all “got it” around age 6 or 7. My first learned through regular lessons with one of the lifeguards at our pool. But, like Birch, my second HATED the group lessons. She “got it” from me really practicing with her in a lot of the same ways you did. Then peer pressure did the rest — she wanted to keep up with her friends. My third is a daredevil and flung himself off a diving board one day … BAM, he could swim. :O
Kath Younger says
Haha that is funny to hear how different they were! You never know what kind of personality you get.