Swimming is not only very useful certification to prevent child drowning, but it is also very beneficial for increasing children 's respiratory and lung capacity, and stimulating their psychomotor development.

Every year, especially in summer and vacation times, the cases of drowning children increase. The best way to avoid this is by teaching them to swim as soon as possible . Babies can begin to have their first contact and lose their fear of water through midwifery,  a modality that allows parents to immerse themselves in the pool and perform simple, fun exercises and games with their babies.

7 steps to teach a child to swim

But what happens when the baby grows? How can we teach him to swim and move through the water without parental help? Here are some tricks.

1. Lose fear

The first thing you have to achieve is that the child loses his fear of water and that he feels safe. The sooner the child begins to become familiar with water, the better. You can start from 3 months. If the baby's first contact with water is with her parents , she will feel confident and secure, and she will lose her fear. Starting at 6 months, babies begin to lose the water reflexes with which they are born. That is why it is recommended that your first contact with the pool be before.

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2. Start where the water does not cover

When the child loses his fear of water, he can start learning to move in a place where he can touch the bottom with his feet. This will offer you security and confidence to continue learning to swim. One of the main problems children have when learning to swim is the fear of sinking . If you know that she can put her feet up, the fear will go away and that will give you an extra dose of confidence.

3. Teach him to blow bubbles to control his breathing

To teach him to breathe correctly, it is best to rehearse in the bathtub beforehand . Ask him to take a breath or breathe in through his nose, hold his breath for a few seconds, and then immerse his mouth in the water and expel the air through his mouth, making bubbles in the water.

You don't have to put your whole head under the water yet. For him it will be a game with lifeguard classes in USA, but he will be practicing fundamental breathing to learn to swim. First, you do it, for the child to see and learn. Repeat this exercise several times until the child feels comfortable doing it.

4. Teach him to put his head in the water

Once the child has had fun with the bubble game, it's time to go one step further. He asks that when making the bubbles, that he put his face in the water. It will take a second. The first time he will be surprised, but when he sees that the bubbles keep coming out and nothing happens, he will lose his fear. 

5. Teach him to move his legs and arms

So that the child learns to move his legs in the water, hold his hand by his belly and help him stay horizontal, perpendicular to the pool floor . Children tend to sink their legs and body in at first, but before this happens ask them to move their legs up and down, without bending their knees.

Once he learns to move his legs, the child must learn to move his arms. Stroke with your arms stretched out in front, moving them up and down, while you hold it by the abdomen. The child must practice these exercises with the legs and arms several times.

6. Coordination of arm and leg movements

Now you must coordinate the two previous exercises, the one with the bubbles and the movement of the legs. Hold him by the armpits and ask him to blow bubbles while moving his legs. Obviously, you are helping him. Then, the time has come for him to learn to coordinate the movements of the arms with those of the legs. With practice the child will achieve.

7. Let him try to practice it alone

When he is confident in himself and is practicing bubbles and leg movement, let him go for a few seconds so that he realizes that he can do it alone. This is how he will learn to stay afloat in the water. You won't learn in a minute. Not in a day. You have to be patient, but with the help of these exercises and daily practice, the child will learn to swim. Parental motivation is essential for the child to learn to swim well.

To know more: What is it to be a lifeguard?