Instead of teaching their kids how to swim themselves, parents should sign them up for lessons, experts recommend. — dpa
KIDS can pick up new skills very quickly, but sometimes it's better not to start too early, like with swimming.
Water safety experts recommend starting swimming lessons not before the age of five, when your child has reached pre-school age. Instead of teaching them yourself, you should consider enrolling your kids in a class.
"Parents are experts for their children, but not necessarily experts in teaching them to swim," says Harald Rehn from the German Lifesaving Association (DLRG).
Even if parents consider their own swimming skills to be good, they should leave the teaching to trained swimming instructors, he says."In the water, we have to develop completely new movement patterns in a horizontal body position, and this requires specialised knowledge and a methodical approach."
Rehn also recommends that parents don't pressure their kids when they are learning how to swim. With the approach of family holidays, many parents tend to sign up their children for lessons on short notice, he says, expecting them to be confident swimmers by the time the family hits the beach.
However, such expectations are not realistic and make things harder for the child, he says.
"Swimming and bathing should be fun and enjoyable exercise. It's often not possible for children to have this experience in one or two months in a way that will last a lifetime."
Rehn recommends being patient with children when they're learning how to swim – and above all, giving them enough time.
A child attending swimming lessons once a week will need up to a year before swimming becomes fun, he says. Meanwhile, acquiring completely new motor skills also takes time, Rehn adds.
Every child is different and that also applies to swimming, the expert says. While some learn quickly, others tend to be a bit more anxious and need more time.
But regardless how long it takes them, the main thing is that children learn to move safely in the water, he says. – dpa
