Practice Swimming at Home

Your child is making great progress in their swimming lessons — and keeping that progress going between classes can make a big difference! While nothing replaces professional swim lessons, a little extra practice at home can help reinforce what they’ve learned in the pool.

The good news? You don't need a pool or even water to help your child practice swimming at home. This post will walk you through practical, fun exercises you can do right in your living room, backyard, or bathtub. You'll learn which drills actually make a difference, how to make practice feel like play, and why these at-home sessions can transform your child from a hesitant beginner into a confident swimmer. By the end, you'll have a toolkit of strategies that fit into your daily routine without turning practice time into a battle.

Why Kids' Swimming Exercises at Home Actually Work

When you practice swimming at home between lessons, you're doing more than just killing time. You're helping your child's muscle memory develop without the distractions of a busy pool. On dry land, kids can focus entirely on getting their body position right, understanding how their arms should rotate, how their legs should stay straight, and how their core needs to engage.

Think about it this way: when your child practices those arm circles in your living room, they're not worried about sinking or getting water up their nose. They can nail the motion perfectly, and their brain remembers that feeling. Then, when they're back in the pool, their body already knows what to do. It's like learning dance steps before hitting the dance floor.

The physical benefits stack up, too. These dryland swimming exercises for kids build flexibility, strengthen swimming-specific muscles, and help prevent those pulled muscles that sometimes happen when kids push too hard in the water. Your child walks into their next lesson with better body awareness and more stamina.

Home Swim Practice Tips for Your Kids

Whether you have your own pool or not, practicing swimming skills at home should start on dry land. Have your kids try improving their swim skills at home with these home swim practice tips:

Standing Rainbows Arms

A strong stroke helps any swimmer to become more effective in the water. You can try this together with your young swimmers and skip the gym. Simply pretend you are making a rainbow with your arms, starting with the right arm. Move it straight back, then straight up so it is pressed against the ear, then extend it straight out in front before pulling it back to your starting position. Repeat this windmill stroke on the left side, making sure that you lead by example, keeping the arms straight and close to the head.

Another important consideration for improving forward motion in the water is that the fingers must be together and cupped, ensuring a strong stroke. 

Straight Leg Kicks

Making the right kicking motions in the water is the best path to swimming success. You can get down on the ground with your child, lying on your belly. Start by slowly raising your right leg, followed by your left leg, to make the same motions as you would in the water. 

When swimming, you should not bend your knees. You can make a game of this with your child by awarding points for not bending their knees and increasing the points earned by seeing how high they can kick their feet. Younger children often struggle with keeping their legs straight while kicking, but when you practice this way, you can help them improve their swimming skills at home.

At-Home Swimming Practice for Kids: Using Your Bathtub

Your bathtub is a secret weapon for swim practice for kids at home, especially if your child is still nervous about water.

Bubble Blowing Practice

Fill the tub with a few inches of water. Sit beside your child and show them how to put their face in and blow bubbles. Start with just getting their mouth and nose wet, then gradually work toward full face submersion.

This skill matters more than almost anything else in swimming. Kids who can't blow bubbles end up holding their breath, which makes them tired and scared. Blowing out controls their breathing and keeps water from going up their nose.

If your child hesitates, blow bubbles in a cup of water first. Make different sounds: hum, buzz, make motorboat noises. Turn it into a game where you see who can make the biggest bubbles or the longest stream of bubbles.

Practice this three times a week for five minutes each time. Within a month, most kids go from refusing to put their face in the water to dunking their whole head under without thinking twice.

Floating Practice in the Tub

Once your child is comfortable with their face in the water, try floating. Have them hold the sides of the tub, put their face in, and let their body rise to the surface. You're right there, hands ready to support them if needed.

This teaches them that their body naturally wants to float. That knowledge is powerful. When kids believe they'll sink, they panic. When they know they float, they relax, and relaxed swimmers are safer swimmers.