All children should have swimming lessons. According to the CDC, drowning is the leading cause of death in children ages 1-4. It is important to do everything you can to prevent accidents from happening, but what are the age-appropriate steps to take with swimming lessons?

Start early by helping your child get familiar with the bathtub. Use this controlled, safe environment to get your child used to the feeling of water on their face and their head briefly under water. Try filling up the bathtub more to help them feel what it means to float. Practicing blowing bubbles underwater also helps with breath control and reduces the risk of swallowing water. Confidence in swimming begins at home with active supervision in the bathtub.

Every child’s development is different in terms of their readiness for swimming lessons, but around the age of 4, children typically gain the cognitive skills necessary to follow instructions and retain new information. This is the perfect time to introduce your child to swimming lessons to keep them safe in the water. Knowing how to float, tread water, and swim to a surface are skills that can save their lives.

Getting some resistance from the child because they are scared of the water is normal, as swimming can be a strange, new experience. That being said, it is so important to keep persevering for the sake of your child’s safety. Gradually increasing familiarity with the use of active support and positive reinforcement can help make the process less scary.

As they master the basics of swimming safety and get older, they can move on to learn different strokes. Spending more time in water with family and friends increases their knowledge of the different ways to move underwater.

Prevention of accidents does not only include swimming lessons, but it also includes constant active supervision by an adult, use of proper floatation devices, and accessibility to a safe area to swim.

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Grace Hoey

UConn KIDS Research Assistant

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