5 Ways to Practice Swimming Without a Pool

It’s hard to believe that my kids have been taking swim lessons for almost 3 years now! They each take one 30-minute class per week at Aqua-Tots Swim Schools–even in the winter! And, they like to practice in between their weekly swim lessons. So, today I’m sharing 5 ways to practice swimming without a pool!

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Blair’s Swimsuit // Blair’s Goggles

I’m really impressed with how well my kids are swimming at such young ages! At age 5, Colton is already a better swimmer than me. He’s currently in Level 5 at Aqua-Tots, and Blair is in Level 3. If you’re in the Kansas City area, we go to the location in Olathe, Kansas. However, Aqua-Tots has franchises in other areas too. You can click here to see all of their locations.

Colton’s Swim Trunks // Blair’s Swimsuit (similar) // Blair’s Goggles

Some of the students at their swim school go 2-3 times per week for swim lessons. But, my kids have so many other activities throughout the week that we can only commit to 1x/week for swimming. I do think Colton will want to swim more than that soon–he keeps telling me he wants to join a swim team! Which makes it all the more important to practice in between lessons.

Here are 5 ways to practice swimming without a pool:

Getting Your Face Wet: Going underwater can be a big obstacle for many kids. You can increase their comfort level at home by having them practice putting their face in a bathtub or even a large bowl of water (think bobbing for apples). Letting shower water run over their hair and face can work, too. (Obviously don’t allow kids to practice this unattended! Always supervise your kids around water, even a small amount.)
Strong Kicks: Have your child lay on their stomach and practice small, strong kicks like they would use in the water. Then, flip over and practice kicking on their back as well (as in backstroke).
Arm Strength: Strong arms are a must for swimmers! Beginners can practice freestyle arms (remember to cup the “water”), and more advanced students can add some wrist weights or hold small dumbbells to make it more of a workout.
Chicken-Star-Rocket: This is the colloquial phrase for how beginning swimmers learn elementary backstroke. It’s a combination of arm and leg movements, as demonstrated in this helpful video from Aqua-Tots and by Colton here!
Holding Your Breath: Start by having your child practice holding their breath outside of the water. If they’re more advanced, they can practice holding their breath in the bathtub or a large bowl of water (again, obviously with your supervision!).

Helping your child practice swimming without a pool will help them progress even faster in their swim lessons! Look how proud Blair is to show off her progress! I love how Aqua-Tots gives us these “Aqua Cards” to review each class. It lets me know as a parent exactly what my kids need to work on to progress to the next level. And Colton is getting old enough to read his own card and tell me what he’s working on by himself!

She also gets excited to get a lollipop after each class!

Colton’s Swim Outfit // Blair’s Swimsuit (similar)

If you’re considering swim lessons for your kids, check out these other posts I’ve written about the benefits of swimming:

I hope you found these tips on how to practice swimming without a pool helpful. Follow me on Instagram so you don’t miss out when I share new posts! You can follow Aqua-Tots Olathe’s official account as well to stay up-to-date with even more swimming fun!