Until this week, Marlow couldn’t swim. In fact, she was never really enthusiastic about getting in the water and when she did, she wore floaties to keep her afloat.
I was chatting to a friend in Australia last month, a mother of three, and she said, “You know the trick for teaching your kids to swim, right?” I stared at her blankly. “You put flippers on them and put them in the water and they will naturally just swim!” The trick seemed too easy to be true. But we bought Marlow-sized flippers just in case.
Earlier this week, we tried it… and what do you know? IT WORKS! Marlow started swimming like a fish (though she insists she’s a sea turtle)! : ) Within minutes she was swimming the length of the pool, under and over water, holding her breath for long periods of a time and becoming a strong, confident swimmer. When we take the flippers off, she’s not as strong or speedy, but she’s still able to swim confidently.
What a quick transition! A tip definitely worth sharing…
Courtney x
p.s. Obviously I only suggest trying this trick under total supervision.
Comments (18)
really?!? will do for Lior in Provence..and let him figure it out while i go for a little pastis..ok?!?! ahahah
Haha! (Of course Michael suggested I add that last sentence! You know… ‘safety dad’!) 🙂 xx
oh by the way i just discovered a new page on the blog the one with the picture of all of you and contributors with children it’s so lively and personal..really great new layout! xx
Thank you!! 🙂 xxxxx
Awesome!! Go Mars! I’ve been wondering if this would work since you mentioned it. I keep meaning to try this with Ev before we leave for Italy. I’ll add it to the to do list!! 🙂
I can’t wait to try this with my daughter who, although can swim, is very uptight in the water. Thanks so much for the excellent tip! I’ll let you know how we get on ;-D
Ah!!!! I shall try this with my youngest thank you!!
Fantastic idea and so easy! Also loving the new layout, well done!
wow i didn’t recognise Marlow in that picture! so good she’s learning to swim!
I can’t wait to try this with my two girls as both are very timid swimmers and will only go in with floats so fingers crossed this may get them swimming finally! Loving the new layout – the site looks so fresh.
I have to try this with Casper this summer! What a great trick! x
this reminded me of 30 years ago on holidays my younger brother discovered flippers and it gave him huge confidence – for a year afterwards he was the only kid with flippers in our local pool doing lessons but a way happier kid- prior to that he dodged swimming lessons as much as he could…..flippers …i had forgotten how much they made swimming fun for him.
This also works well for older children who struggle with coordination. The flippers “force” them into the correct movement.
Can’t wait to try this. I wonder if I can find reasonable flippers. Thanks for the tip.
Thanks for your comment! I think the flippers we bought for Marlow were around $20 Australian dollars, and they’re great quality. So hopefully you can find something similar. Good luck! x
Ha, interesting! Courtney, just wondering how your other children learnt to swim – did they have formal lessons in London or did you teach them at your grandparents? I noticed that Ivy was able to swim at quite an early age!? My daughter is the same age has been learning for almost a year now & is working towards her first swim diploma in July here in Holland.
Hi Courtney, its so funny to read this now as we have just made this discovery a few weeks ago with our son Matthew! He can swim (reluctanly) but really struggles to move very far in the water so had lost confidence and motivation. We bought some flippers in advance of a holiday and took them to his swimming lesson, and what do you know … whoosh! he was off like a rocket! Now cant wait for swimming lessons and has really gained in confidence with fins on and off xxx Well done Marlow! xx
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