Recommendations for Proactive Parents - Swim Lesson Considerations
by Barry Shrewsbury
These ideas and suggestions for preparing your child for swim lessons originated from my years of teaching and from answering parents’ questions and observing what has worked for my students' success.
1. Ask yourself what your goal is for your child. If you would like him to be able to swim, become pool safe, and retain skills, I recommend beginning formal lessons. If you would simply like to introduce him to water, a 'Mommy & Me' class may be all you need.
2. If your child is fearful or anxious about learning to swim, I recommend private lessons. Your child will receive individualized attention, and, in the long run, you will probably feel it was worth the investment. Furthermore, her retention will be stronger with two or more lessons per week. If private lessons are unavailable, I recommend putting her in the smallest class available.
3. Before lessons begin: The entire experience will be made easier and more enjoyable for everyone if your child has become comfortable with putting her face in the water, with opening her eyes underwater, and with taking direction from other adults. These water skills can be introduced at home.
4. Arrive for the lesson early, have your child dressed and ready, and always have your child use the restroom before each lesson.
5. Many programs and instructors prefer the parent not be in view of their child during lesson time. This is especially important in the beginning when your child is adjusting to the process, and needs to be focused on the teacher and his instructions. Often you can find a viewpoint from which you can see without being seen.
6. Children differ in how long it takes them to transition from anxiety to growing self-confidence. Often children will be more resistant right before a breakthrough. Be patient! If you trust the process and allow your child to work through those fears, something magic happens. It is amazing to witness the transformation. If you feel things aren’t going well, you might want to consider waiting another year. Trust your intuition! An additional year’s maturity can make a huge difference in a child’s ability to adapt to new experiences.
many times with your child before and throughout your child‘s lessons. This will help prepare you and your child for what to expect once the process begins. Because all the skills introduced in this book are ones your child will be asked to learn, reading this book together may lessen his fear of the unknown.
8. This will be one of the more memorable and rewarding experiences of your child’s life. Enjoy it! You are providing him with some of the most important skills he will ever learn and something he will use and value the rest of his life!
9. Some organizations to contact regarding both private and group lessons are: the Y.M.C.A., The Red Cross, and Swim America.* Also try your local pools, parks and recreation districts, health, golf and tennis clubs, and high schools. Look in the Yellow Pages under “Swim Schools.” Ultimately, the best source is to ask fellow parents you respect for their recommendations.
* This is not an endorsement of the particular programs or organizations mentioned here.
NEVER ALLOW YOUR CHILD TO SWIM ALONE OR UNSUPERVISED AROUND, NEAR, OR IN A POOL OR OPEN WATER! (EVEN POOL SAFE CHILDREN NEED SUPERVISION)
