Step 3 Introduction to Water with no Shallow Edge

Not every swimming pool has a shallow ledge or step for children to explore — so it’s important to teach children how to enter deeper water safely and confidently. 💦

In Step 3 of our Teaching Kids to Swim series, we introduce children to the water when there is no shallow edge available.

A great place to start is teaching children to slide into the water on their stomach while keeping their hands securely on the pool edge. This allows them to enter the water gradually while maintaining a point of contact with the side of the pool.

This simple activity helps children learn to:

💧 Enter deeper water in a controlled way
🤲 Hold securely onto the pool edge
🏊 Experience their body floating in deeper water
😊 Build confidence without relying on a shallow ledge
↔️ Begin moving safely along the pool edge
🧠 Understand that the pool edge is a safe place to return to and hold

Encourage your child to take their time. The goal at this stage isn't to swim away from the wall — it's to become comfortable entering the water, holding on and experiencing how their body feels in deeper water.

For families with a home swimming pool or access to a swimming pool, practising these simple skills can help children build the confidence and foundations they need before progressing to breath control, submersion, floating and independent swimming.

Keep the experience positive and repeat the activity until your child is comfortable and confident.

▶️ Watch the next video in the playlist to continue the journey. Follow the complete Teaching Kids to Swim series to see the full progression from water familiarisation through to freestyle swimming.

⚠️ Water Safety: Deep water presents a serious drowning risk. Children must always be actively supervised and remain within close reach of a responsible adult. Never encourage a child to enter deep water without an adult present. These activities support swimming practice and are not a replacement for professional swimming lessons.