Hello hello!

Summer is here and school is coming to a close this week. Topping the To Do List this summer is teaching Kiddo how to swim. I can sure use some tips on the teaching end of it. I don't want it to turn in to a stress filled traumatic event for her and I DO want her to learn how to swim confidently. I never had proper swimming lessons and figured it out somehow when I was 26. Prior to that I'd never leave the shallow end of the pool I will be teaching her at the sea, we do not have pool access and she is determined she 'won't use the floaty toys anymore like the little kids' so we're off to a good start.

Any words of wisdom though on the topic would be appreciated!

Pay someone else to do it - lol !!
No, seriously. Yeah, have someone else do it.

That's my experience anyway.
Good luck !

It will be harder in the sea vs a pool....do you know of someone with a pool you can use? Don't the waves make it more difficult?

I'd try holding her up while she floats on her back. Have one hand under her head, and the other near the small of her back. DO NOT let her go. Reassure her that you will not let her go until she asks you.
Practice blowing bubbles in the water.
Hold her (while she's on her stomach) and let her "swim" the freestyle while you hold her. Teach her how to put her face in the water and turn her head to the side when she needs to breathe.

There are some articles if you google "teach child to swim"

Definitely pay for swimming lessons. It's much more fun and less trauma for them when they are simply learning the skills in an environment with other kids around.

I taught my kids to swim and these are pretty much the basics. I also taught them that their lungs are their "built-in" floatation devices and not to get scared when they sank a bit when breathing out, especially when they started floating on their backs on their own...freaks them out when they start to sink.

I remember learning how to swim.

We held onto the edge of the pool and bobbed our heads up and down into the water and blew bubbles. Just standing still - no leg movement.

Then we used those floaty boards - our teacher would grab onto the other edge, and we would kick our legs so we propelled ourselves forward, and later added putting our heads into the water and blowing bubbles at the same time.

Then once we were good at propelling forward, we started propelling our arms one at a time with the floaty board, (bobbing head, kicking legs) and eventually without the floaty board.

Hey, I never realized it, but they sort of taught us a piece at a time. Those smart instructors!

I really liked having them throw the rings at the bottom of the pool and jumping in to get them. I guess that strengthened our ability to hold our breathes and use our limbs to push to the surface.

Good luck!