Step 15 Propulsion Learning To Kick

Now that your child can push, float and hold a strong streamline position, it's time to introduce propulsion by learning to kick the legs. 💦

In Step 15 of our Teaching Kids to Swim series, we begin adding kicking to the skills your child has already developed, helping them create their own forward movement through the water.

Start by learning the kicking action

Before expecting your child to kick and swim at the same time, give them plenty of opportunities to practise the kicking action on its own.

Shallow water is a great place to start. Children can sit or position themselves safely in the shallow water and concentrate on what their legs and feet are doing.

You can also practise holding onto the side of the pool, allowing your child to kick while remaining supported and secure.

And don't forget — adults can demonstrate! Children learn by watching, so get in the water and show them what a relaxed kicking action looks like.

Encourage your child to:

🦵 Keep their legs long and relatively straight
💦 Keep their knees underneath the water** rather than lifting them high out of the water
🦶 Keep their ankles and feet relaxed and floppy
⬆️⬇️ Kick the legs up and down in a continuous action
🤲 Practise kicking while holding onto the side of the pool
💧 Practise the movement in shallow water, this resrticts the depth of the kick and encourages the correct position
👀 Watch a parent or adult demonstrate the kicking action

For families with a home swimming pool or access to a swimming pool, these simple kicking activities can be practised regularly as you continue building your child's swimming skills.

▶️ Watch the next video in the playlist as we continue developing propulsion and working towards independent freestyle swimming. Follow the complete Teaching Kids to Swim series to see the full progression from start to finish.

⚠️ Water Safety: Children must always be actively supervised and within close reach of a responsible adult around water. Keep swimming distances appropriate to your child's ability and confidence. These videos support swimming practice and are not a replacement for professional swimming lessons.