The world children are growing up in today is dramatically different from the one we knew even 20 years ago. The way they learn, engage, and interact with their environment has changed, shaped by rapid technological advancements, instant access to information, and an increasingly structured and adult-led world. Traditional teaching methods, particularly in activities like swimming, must evolve to meet their needs.
The Digital Age has transformed the way children learn
Children today are used to instant results. Technology has made everything fast-paced and highly interactive—if they have a question, they can get an answer in seconds. If a game or activity isn’t engaging enough, they simply move on to the next. Their attention spans have been shaped by this constant stream of stimulation, meaning they are less likely to stay engaged in passive, repetitive, or rigidly structured learning.
This presents a challenge when teaching skills like swimming, which require patience, repetition, and gradual progression. If lessons feel slow, overly controlled, or lacking in excitement, children mentally check out. Their brains crave dynamic, hands-on, and immersive experiences that align with the way they process the world.
Modern children are more restricted than ever
Despite this digital stimulation, children’s physical freedom has been drastically reduced. Schools have become more rigid, reducing playtime, limiting movement, and prioritising academic studies over physical literacy. After-school clubs are often adult-led, with strict structures and little room for exploration. Even at home, screen-based entertainment has replaced the free outdoor play that previous generations took for granted.
This lack of movement affects key developmental systems:
Vestibular System (balance and spatial awareness): Limited movement means many children struggle with coordination and confidence in unfamiliar environments like water.
Proprioception (body awareness): Without varied movement experiences, children are less in tune with how their bodies work, making swimming technique more challenging.
Interoception (internal body signals): Many children struggle with recognising and responding to sensations like hunger, thirst, or fatigue, which can make self-regulation in water difficult.
Too many rules—not enough real-world learning
Children today are constantly being told what not to do.
In school, they are given a long list of don’ts:
“Don’t run.”
“Don’t climb.”
“Don’t make too much noise.”
“Don’t play rough.”
Even in sports and swimming lessons, the risk-averse culture dominates:
“Don't jump in unless I say.”
“Don’t go under the water yet.”
“Don’t try that, it's too dangerous.”
While safety is important, over-controlling children’s experiences deprives them of critical learning opportunities. Exploratory play (Risky play)—where children explore their limits, test their abilities, and navigate challenges—is essential for developing confidence, resilience, and real-world decision-making skills.
In a highly controlled environment, children may seem "safe," but when faced with real-life challenges, they lack the tools to assess risks independently. If they are never allowed to take safe risks in a supervised setting, how will they manage when they encounter unexpected situations in water or other aspects of life?
In swimming, we must incorporate exploratory play and challenge-based learning rather than rigid drills and overly cautious restrictions.
How we need to adapt swimming lessons to fit modern children
If we want to truly engage modern children, we need to embrace their natural learning tendencies, not fight against them. Traditional swimming lessons often feel boring, repetitive, and uninspiring—yet swimming should be one of the most exciting skills a child can learn.
1. Move beyond just teaching the four strokes
Swimming should not just be about front crawl, backstroke, breaststroke, and butterfly. While these strokes are valuable, they should not define a child's swimming education. Instead, we should focus on Water Wisdom—teaching children how to be adaptable, confident, and competent in any aquatic situation.
Sculling, treading water, rolling, diving, and floating should be prioritised just as much as stroke work through GAMES.
Play-based learning can be used to encourage natural movement and problem-solving in the water.
Survival skills should be integrated into lessons, making learning relevant rather than just technical.
2. Encourage Exploratory and Risky Play in the water
Instead of restricting children to tightly controlled, adult-led lessons, we need to embrace exploratory play and safe risk-taking.
This could include:
Allowing children to jump in and find different ways to surface rather than always following strict "safe entry" rules.
Encouraging them to try different ways of floating or moving instead of rigidly enforcing one technique.
Letting them experiment with deep water, currents, or underwater swimming in controlled settings.
Common sense is key here though!
Risk-taking builds competence. It allows children to:
✔ Learn how their bodies move in water
✔ Develop problem-solving skills
✔ Understand consequences in a safe environment
✔ Build confidence in their own abilities
By removing unnecessary restrictions, we create Water Wise swimmers who can navigate real-life water scenarios, rather than just following instructions in a controlled pool setting.
3. Give children more autonomy in learning
Children learn best when they feel in control. Instead of dictating every step, allow them to take ownership of their learning:
Let them set small goals in their lesson.
Encourage them to experiment with different movements and figure out what works best.
Allow them to lead their own warm-ups or suggest activities.
When children feel a sense of agency, they become more engaged and invested in the learning process.
4. Prioritise Sensory-Rich experiences
Since many children today lack fundamental movement experiences, swimming should provide them with opportunities to develop these skills:
Vestibular challenges: Encourage spinning, rolling, and changing direction in the water.
Proprioceptive activities: Have them push, pull, climb, and resist movement in the water to develop body awareness.
Interoceptive awareness: Teach them to listen to their bodies—when to rest, when to push forward, and how to regulate their breathing.
This not only makes them better swimmers but also improves overall coordination, confidence, and adaptability.
The SMART Approach: Creating Water Wise swimmers
The SMART swimmer approach perfectly aligns with what modern children need:
Self-Awareness: Helping children understand how their bodies move in water.
Mastery of Movement: Focusing on overall water confidence, not just strokes.
Anticipation Skills: Teaching children to think, react, and problem-solve in water situations.
Respect for Water: Fostering confidence alongside safety awareness.
Trust in Their Abilities: Allowing children to take ownership of their swimming journey.
This approach moves away from rigid, outdated teaching styles and instead aligns with the way children naturally learn best—through movement, play, and autonomy.
Final thoughts: We must evolve like nature does
The world has changed, and children have changed with it. They are growing up in a fast-paced, highly stimulating world that requires a different approach to learning. We can no longer expect them to thrive in rigid, compliance-driven lessons that fail to capture their curiosity.
Nature evolves, adapting to new environments, challenges, and changes over time. As educators, we must do the same.
By rethinking the way we teach swimming, shifting away from rigid stroke-focused lessons, and embracing a dynamic, sensory-rich, and autonomy-driven approach, we can create Water Wise swimmers who are not only technically capable but also truly confident and adaptable in water.
It’s time to let go of outdated methods and embrace the future of swimming education—one that meets the needs of today’s children and sets them up for a lifetime of water confidence and competence.
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Move beyond traditional lessons and embrace an approach that truly works.
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