5 Ways To Support Your Little Swimmer
5 Easy Ways You Can Support Your Little Swimmer in Swimming Lessons: A Guide for Caregivers
#1 – Get excited!
Share your joy of swimming with your little one! Tell them about your positive water experiences genuinely and enthusiastically. Bath time is perfect for introducing bubbles, splashes, and loving the water and can serve as an introduction to infant swim lessons.
There are so many great healthy lifestyle activities that have competent swimming and water safety as their foundation. If your goal is to share your passion for surfing, boating, sailing, paddle boarding or fishing with your child, children’s swimming lessons are the place to start.
Listen to what your little ones have to say about starting swimming lessons; this is an opportunity to reinforce realities and ease any fears or concerns they may have. Your child may be more successful in a group lesson, private, or semi-private lessons. These are all great options; if you are unsure which setting is best for your child, ask the aquatic staff! You know your child best; choosing a lesson time that ensures they are well fed and rested before their lesson will give them a great start.
Children love knowing what to expect and being in familiar settings. Be sure to visit either of Steve Wallen kid’s swim lessons locations in either El Dorado Hills or Roseville, California, before the start of your little one’s lessons. If your child is familiar with the pool setting, that knowledge can go a long way to set their minds at ease and to increase their confidence before beginning lessons.
On your way to their lesson, chat about what fun they will have, what they might learn, and how well they have been doing in their previous aquatic experiences. Swimming is much more than an enjoyable activity; it is a critical life skill that will offer them a safe way to engage in a full and healthy lifestyle.
Visits to either of the Steve Wallen pools are also an opportunity for you to model water safety habits, as well as sharing your joy in the water. Both Steve Wallen facilities offer a family swim time as part of their commitment to putting family first in a safe, inclusive environment. Further, this is an opportunity to work out the details of getting ready in the changing room before the start of lessons.
#2 – Read!
There are many children’s books that positively portray getting in the water and having a great time!
Try these classics with your little swimmer: Swimmy; Froggy Learns to Swim; Pool; and The Whale in My Swimming Pool. Ask your local librarian or bookseller for reading materials that will be age-appropriate and of interest to your child.
Along with the benefits of storytime, reading books about activities in the water is a great way to ease fears about getting in and splashing around. You and your little swimmer can talk about the swim lesson constructively, and this will help them be confident and look forward to their aquatic experiences. Books can be a great way to have meaningful conversations about water safety, whether your swim setting is a backyard pool, community center, lake, or oceanfront.
#3 – Get ready!
If age-appropriate, involve your child in the excitement of getting their swim bag packed with a towel, bathing suit, water, and snack.
Swimming lessons are more effective if your little swimmer has ample time to get ready in the changing room. Many children will be more successful if they are not rushing to change and if they have time to prepare themselves for the lesson mentally. Be sure to visit the restroom, so the lesson is not interrupted.
Keep your conversation light and encouraging, and remind your child to have fun! Your child’s swimming instructor is a pro, so trust in the skills and professionalism of your Steve Wallen swimming instructor. Please arrive at your child’s swimming lesson with encouragement and a positive, accepting attitude; your child will carry that into their lesson and be ready and eager to learn!
#4 – Enjoy!
Your child has an enthusiastic and well-trained swim instructor in the water with them. Their swim instructor has your little one’s safety as their top priority. Feel confident in that, and enjoy watching your child from the sidelines as they stay active, learn a lifelong skill, and find their happiness in the water. Every instructor at Steve Wallen Swim School is a skilled professional. Also, class sizes are kept small at a maximum of just three students per instructor, which maximizes the interaction your child has with their swim instructor. Your little swimmer will get the attention they need to be their best in the water, and rest assured, your little swimmer is well cared for by their swim instructor!
#5 – Feed your fishy!
Swimming takes an incredible amount of energy at every age!
Your little one will finish their lesson and be hungry and thirsty! Be prepared with an easy to eat healthy snack and water for après lesson. Bonus: if they are full and content, showering, getting dressed, and leaving the pool is so much easier for both of you!
Get Started With Swim Lessons, Open For All Ages!
These 5 tips are easy to implement and will offer you and your child a firm foundation to begin a lifetime of positive aquatic experiences. Whether they move on to be competent swimmers, competitive divers or world-class wakeboarders, children’s swimming lessons are the first step in a lifetime of safe aquatic experiences!
Steve Wallen Swim School is your skilled partner in seeing your child become water safe and a competent swimmer by offering an encouraging, positive, and satisfying aquatic experience. Everyone is family!
