The Basics of Teaching Your Child Freestyle Swimming

Teaching your child how to swim is not just about water safety — it’s a gift that builds confidence, coordination, and lifelong health. Among the four main swimming strokes, freestyle (also known as front crawl) is the most commonly taught and used in recreational and competitive swimming. It’s fast, efficient, and relatively simple once broken into manageable steps.

In this article, we’ll walk you through the basics of teaching your child freestyle swimming, including foundational skills, step-by-step techniques, and tips to make the learning process safe, fun, and stress-free.

🧠 Why Start with Freestyle?

Freestyle is often the first stroke taught because:

• It mimics natural body movement

• It’s useful for water safety and stamina

• It introduces key swimming skills like breathing control, kicking, and streamlining

🧱 Foundational Skills to Practice First

Before diving into stroke technique, your child should be comfortable with:

✅ 1. Water Confidence

• Practice blowing bubbles, face in the water

• Play games like “fetch the rings” to get used to submerging

✅ 2. Floating

• Practice back floats and front floats using support (like a noodle or your hands)

• Encourage relaxing the body to stay buoyant

✅ 3. Gliding

• Push off from the wall in a streamline position (arms straight overhead, hands together)

• Glide like a “torpedo” with face in the water

These skills create a strong base for learning freestyle efficiently and safely.

🏊‍♂️ Step-by-Step: Teaching Your Child Freestyle

Step 1: Body Position and Streamline

What to Teach:

• Keep the body flat and horizontal in the water

• Head should be neutral, looking down

• Arms extended forward during glide

Fun Cue: "Be a rocket ship!”

Step 2: Flutter Kick

What to Teach:

• Legs straight with a slight bend at the knee

• Kick from the hips, not the knees

• Small, fast kicks with feet just under the surface

Drill: Use a kickboard or noodle, and race across the shallow end.

Step 3: Arm Movement

What to Teach:

• Reach forward with one arm at a time

• Pull the water back in a circular motion under the body

• Recover arm above water, elbow bent

Drill: Practice single-arm freestyle while the other arm is extended or at their side.

Fun Cue: “Catch and pull the water like a big scoop of ice cream!”

Step 4: Side Breathing

What to Teach:

• Turn the head to the side with the body during the stroke

• Breathe quickly, then return face to the water

• Exhale underwater between breaths

Drill: Practice breathing every 3 strokes, or use side-glide breathing drills while holding a kickboard.

Fun Cue: “Peek-a-boo breath!”

Step 5: Putting It All Together

Combine the arm movements, kicking, and breathing in short sets (like 5 to 10 meters). Focus on:

• Staying long and streamlined

• Breathing on one side to begin with

• Keeping calm and relaxed

Tip: Use visual markers in the pool (toys, rings, cones) to help them stay focused and motivated.

🎮 Make Learning Fun

Children learn best through play and repetition. Add some fun to your freestyle sessions:

• Treasure hunts for dive toys

• Kickboard races

• “Red light, green light” freestyle edition

• Offer praise, high-fives, and small rewards for effort, not perfection

🛟 Safety and Patience First

• Always supervise closely

• Keep lessons short and positive (15–30 minutes)

• End sessions on a happy note

• Don’t force — if your child is tired or frustrated, take a break

Consistency, encouragement, and celebrating small wins will lead to long-term progress.

🏁 Final Thoughts

Teaching your child freestyle swimming is a step-by-step journey that’s as rewarding as it is essential. With patience, structure, and playful engagement, you’ll help your child develop coordination, water safety skills, and confidence that will serve them for life.