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SALT LAKE CITY — As the temperatures stay high and parents take their kids to the pool, many parents will do their best to teach their kids how to swim. But, some instructors say many parents may be doing it wrong.
Teaching a child to swim is a delicate process which can be rewarding, yet frustrating. Instructors say every child learns at a different rate, so what worked for one person may not work for that same person's child.
"Any parent that gets in the water, they can understand how their child learns, a little bit," said Fairmont Aquatic Center Instructor Amber Morgan. "They know what works well for them. It can be a very productive situation."
Morgan says there are a couple important things parents are overlooking before they try to teach their children the mechanics of swimming. She says the first thing kids need to learn is breath control.
"Those are some of the things you see it that parents don't have the knowledge to be able to break down the skill in an appropriate way," Morgan said.
This is a skill that even many adults may have not learned, properly.
Probably, one of the biggest things I've noticed in adult learners is that they've skipped (teaching breath control)
–Amber Morgan
"Probably, one of the biggest things I've noticed in adult learners is that they've skipped that part," Morgan said. "They've never had a lesson on breath control. So, they're unaware of what's necessary to be able to be comfortable in their breath so they can swim a longer distance."
There are some tricks parents can use to teach their child this important concept. Morgan says having a child blow through a straw into the water works well. Parents can tell the kid to make bubbles, like they would if they were drinking milk through a straw at home. Or, there's another trick they could try.
"Have them blow on a little ball on the surface of the water and then they can see how it will blow away from them," Morgan said.
The other thing kids need to learn is how to float. Granted, this can be tricky to explain since it's a skill that's centered around how the swimmer feels in water. Morgan says it's helpful if parents support their child's back when they first start out. Eventually, the parent will know when to slowly take that support away.
