A sustainable freestyle stroke is built on a foundation of comfort in the water and basic swimming skills, namely, floating and treading water. It’s important that the child is familiar, if not proficient, with both. That said, if a child can kick their feet and is willing to let go of mom, dad, or the wall, they’re ready to at least try. If they’re a strong floater, all the better ⏤ shooting across the water’s surface should be a relatively simple next step. But how exactly do you teach a kid to swim freestyle? Here’s our step-by-step guide.
Step 1: Kick the Legs
When most parents pop their infant into the pool for the first time, they almost always try to get the child to move their feet. There’s a reason for that: Kicking is a natural place to begin teaching kids to swim. For an efficient freestyle stroke, you’ll want your child to kick with straight legs and pointed toes.
Step 2: Move Those Arms
When it comes to the freestyle arm motion, you want their fingers closed, not sprawled out like they’re going to trace their hand, and their arms to pull water back towards their hips.
Step 3: Now Breathe
Breathing is the hardest part of swimming any stroke, and prior to this point, most kids will usually stop and stand up when they need air. That’s why lifting their heads to breathe will be a challenge for most kids at first. To help, you’ll want to start by tilting their body upward.
Step 4: Practice Patience
Freestyle is not a “learn it in a day” stroke. It’s not even a learn it in a summer stroke. It takes a lot of practice. Some kids will struggle with keeping their legs straight. Some may not get the breathing down. Still, others won’t lift their arms above the water. Don’t worry about their mistakes or apply too much pressure. In fact, if they’ve built strong, confident doggy paddle, let them use it ⏤ you can work in some freestyle practice here and there. It’s more important that they feel good about having a way to cruise around the pool, and that they can play and enjoy the water. Cathleen Pruden is a four-time All-American swimmer at Mount Holyoke College and the Assistant Swim Coach at Bowdoin College. She spent five years as the Head Coach of a summer league swim team for children ages 4- to- 18-year-olds and has taught over 600 private swim lessons to children and adults of all ages.
