Anonymous wrote:As a former swim teacher, I recommend working on more water acclimation at home - does he mind showers? Does he like baths? Work on getting him use to the water.
If you have a pool pass, take him when you can. Having a teacher that is understanding or a smaller class (I would say four or less kids per teacher tbh) will help immensely. I've had kids like this and usually it was a matter of time and consistency over a couple of months of twice a week lessons. I taught at a YMCA, I know that's less common in this area.
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:You need to be the 1:1 teacher. This is not about teaching your kid to actually swim. He needs to get over his fear of the water first.
Take him to an indoor pool with a play area. The first day there you both put on swimsuits and put your feet in the water. That's it, just your feet, tushy's stay on the coping. Stay for 15-20 min.
2 days later you go back. Maybe today you sit on the first step....maybe you still just put your feet in the water.
2 days later, back you go. Let your son dictate how far he is willing to go each time and how long he is willing to tolerate it.
Buy a season pass to the indoor pool. You should plan to be there frequently.
Hopefully, he will eventually get used to the water and see the other kids having fun on the slides and such and want to join in. That might not be for a long time though. Don't rush him.
So, we've actually done this to a degree, and he can have fun in the water up to his waist/shoulders or so. But if he's around other kids who might splash his face, game over. I'm also not sure how to make the jump from immersing the body to putting his face in, and actually floating.
Anonymous wrote:You need to be the 1:1 teacher. This is not about teaching your kid to actually swim. He needs to get over his fear of the water first.
Take him to an indoor pool with a play area. The first day there you both put on swimsuits and put your feet in the water. That's it, just your feet, tushy's stay on the coping. Stay for 15-20 min.
2 days later you go back. Maybe today you sit on the first step....maybe you still just put your feet in the water.
2 days later, back you go. Let your son dictate how far he is willing to go each time and how long he is willing to tolerate it.
Buy a season pass to the indoor pool. You should plan to be there frequently.
Hopefully, he will eventually get used to the water and see the other kids having fun on the slides and such and want to join in. That might not be for a long time though. Don't rush him.
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Are you sure the not wanting to be in water isn’t a sensory thing? The fact that it expands to showers or water pouring on his head makes it seem more than that. I agree with consulting others if you think that might be possible, maybe an OT?
Yes it's definitely sensory in a way - although it's more related to anxiety and proprioception (he's surprised by the water hitting his face). He doesn't have any sensory issues in other context (food, clothes, etc).
Anonymous wrote:Are you sure the not wanting to be in water isn’t a sensory thing? The fact that it expands to showers or water pouring on his head makes it seem more than that. I agree with consulting others if you think that might be possible, maybe an OT?
Anonymous wrote:My 6 year old is still terrified of swimming - won't even take showers or pour water on his head. I've tried lessons and he never makes much progress. He's literally only gone under water completely once in his life, and that was when he slipped in the pool when he was wading about waste deep. Now he's old enough that he'll refuse to do camps or lessons he doesn't want to do, so I don't think group lessons will work. I think he'd make progress 1:1 with a teacher who was really engaging and good with anxious kids, but it seems basically impossible to find 1:1 lessons in DC proper at any rate of reliability and frequency to make a difference ... So what, do I just give up until he gets old enough to decide for himself he wants to swim? I myself am a capable swimmer and have been trying to get him into the pool since he was a baby, and he'd just cling to me terrified.