Best swim fins for kids

The best swim fins for kids are the Finis brand swim fins. There are many other wonderful brands of swim fins, but if you’re ordering fins online, naturally you’ll want them to fit just right so that you don’t have to go through the hassle of returning them. Finis brand sizes are perfect. They always coincide with my students shoe sizes.

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And in case you wanted to know about a couple of other brands of swim fins.

Here’s the low down. I find that the TYR brand fins are very narrow, so if your child’s foot is skinny, it’ll work but not good for wide feet.

And last but not least, the Sporti brand swim fins fit way too big for kids. The sizes are way off. But for adults, they seem to have it covered.

The best stuff about swim fins!

Once my students understand how to kick with the fins, they can’t get enough of them. The fins, not only improve kicking skills they also give my students a reason to believe in themselves. I see their confidence skyrocket all the time.

For many of my students who are still working on getting more comfortable in deep water, they will launch themselves to the deep end with the aid of a bar float or a kickboard.

Learning how to kick with swim fins is also a great way to introduce your child to treading water if it hasn’t already organically transpired.

There is a learning curve with swim fins.

The younger your child, the more challenging it is. You need to encourage straight legs, and pointed toes is a must. Of course, the legs ultimately aren’t totally straight for the entire kick. There is a little bend at the knee when first initiating the kick; then it finishes straight.

These details are just a little too complicated for children to understand. So, only encourage straight legs. It all ends up being just right eventually.

How to properly teach how to kick with fins

Have your child sit on the edge of the pool (fins on) and make sure she knows how to point her toes. With my female students, I tell them to do “pointy ballerina toes.” Now have your child kick with pointed toes. If she can keep her toes pointed while kicking, she’s ready to try it on a floating mat.

If all goes well, then it’s time to try it with a bar float or a kickboard and a pull buoy held between her legs. Then have her try to kick without the pull buoy. When you remove the pull buoy, have her pretend that the pull buoy is still in place and kick as she did with the pull buoy. If you follow these steps, she’ll be well on her way to kicking like a pro.

Benefits: Improves flutter kick and boosts confidence. Best swim fins for kids.

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Finis Floating Island

The Finis Floating Island isn’t just for kicking practice. The possibilities are limitless. The Finis Floating Island looks like a slice of swiss cheese, so it’s been aptly named the cheese mat by all of my students.

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To use the mat for kicking, have your child lay face down and kick while reaching with straight arms. It’s great because it prevents the bicycle riding leg action since she can’t bend at the waist while laying down on the mat. Not the case when kicking on the back, but that’s okay.

The Finis Floating Island is also perfectly designed to master climbing skills

Place the mat on the deck at the edge of your pool and then have your child latch on to the holes and pull herself out.

This mat is very versatile

Kids love to use their imagination, and the Finis Floating Island does not disappoint in this department. You can turn it into a bridge and have her go under it.

You can also pretend that it’s a raft and give her a rocky ride on the river. It can even be a deserted island that you can make part of an adventurous obstacle course.

And, you can even play Whack-A-Ball with it. A favorite game among many of my students. Often requested at the end of a lesson. I place plastic golf balls in the holes, put my hand under the mat and start popping the balls up as they try to keep them down.

Is your child or student unable to put her face in the water?

The holes in the mat provide a fun way to motivate her to work on this skill.

Drop objects that sink and have her hold her breath then look through the holes for a specific amount of time to see the sunken treasure, rings, torpedoes or other objects that sink.

Have your child run across the Finis Floating Island

This activity is fantastic for the toddler or preschooler who is already comfortable with submerging. It promotes balancing skills and is so much fun that if they had their way, the whole swim lesson would be this one activity.

To safely place your child on the mat, first, sit her on the edge of the pool, hold the mat in place against the wall and under your child’s feet. Grab your kid’s hand and encourage her to run. So much fun!

My students love the Finis Floating Island AKA the cheese mat!

Promotes: Kicking, getting comfortable with putting the face in the water, climbing skills, balance, and imagination.