Tips for Learning at the Pool
Learning how to swim is a thrilling time in every child’s life. After all, the pool is a play paradise! The aquatic environment presents a unique, exciting, and purpose-driven setting in which to learn, but it is not without its challenges. For this reason, the swimming instructors at Steve Wallen Swim School in El Dorado Hills and Roseville are highly trained, enthusiastically mentored, and carefully supervised. Your child’s safety while learning how to swim is our highest priority.
Our teaching methodology is designed for success…
Because we value safety in the water so highly, our class sizes are small. Our maximum of three students per class allows for optimal supervision of your little one while they learn to swim. Many swim schools have large class sizes, sometimes as many as ten or twelve children in each class. Not only does a large class size jeopardize safety, but it also significantly reduces the amount of individualized attention each child receives.
Knowing what to expect brings calm and focus…
The aquatic setting may be a new environment for your little swimmers. For this reason, we suggest a visit before lessons so that you and your kids can explore our top-notch facilities and get all that curiosity out of your system before the classes begin. Knowing where to sign in, get changed, and how to make your way out on the pool deck is essential in reducing any nervous jitters and will save you time when you arrive for lessons.
Kids have big, valid, and essential feelings…
For many children, beginning swimming lessons can be overwhelming. After all, they may have concerns about body image, not knowing what to expect from the facility, their instructor, and what the other children will be like. Another common concern of older children is how they measure up to their peers; not being as strong a swimmer as other kids can be frustrating. Perhaps the most challenging concern to overcome is a fear of the water and a fear of drowning. Explaining how the lessons will go and observing a swimming lesson before joining in the fun will reduce many of these concerns. Listen to their concerns and work to minimize those fears.
Learning to learn…
Swimming lessons are a teaching and learning environment. For this reason, each lesson will involve teaching methods that you have likely seen in other activities, preschool, and daycare. For example, when a new skill is introduced to your child, they may be asked to sit quietly on the pool edge so that they can fully observe a detailed demonstration of that skill by their instructor. Next, each child may be guided through that skill by their instructor, one child at a time. Finally, all of the children will practice the skill. This type of learning requires listening ears, watching eyes, and turn-taking.
If your little one is joining swimming lessons for the first time and has never been in a learning setting before, it’s easy to practice the necessary skills beforehand during playtime at home. Children love to play make-believe, and make-believe games are ideal for practicing the educational process. Set up a pretend school and assign a teacher and student. Teach a skill such as drawing a picture or making a craft.
Baking cookies is another excellent method of introducing concepts such as observation, turn-taking, and see, try, do. However, any child-centered activity can be adapted to a mini-learning opportunity during which you can develop the skills they need to be successful students.
Little ones love to practice the fun and quick routine of ‘putting on’ their listening ears and watching eyes. Just pretend to have eyes and ears in a pocket, jar, or some other special place and make a show of putting them on before learning. Developing these valuable skills will improve their ability to learn how to swim!
