Learning to Swim; it’s a lifelong lesson – one that saves lives. Even a competitive swimmer's first job is to avoid death. The good ones just avoid it faster than most.
Where do I go? What are the questions I need to ask? How old should my child be when he/she starts? What do I watch for during my child’s lesson?
First you need to do a self assessment on your own level of comfort with the water. Some are just not okay with the water at all. Others are okay with the water as long as your hair stays dry, but once you have your face in the water are a lot less comfortable. Are you relaxed by yourself in the water, but worry over your child’s safety causes you to tense up? There are also various stages of tense vs. relaxed when it comes to water. The single most important thing when you introduce water to a child is to allow that child to enjoy the experience, by being absolutely comfortable with the water.
For parents with a real love of the water, and can’t wait to get in the pool with their baby I highly recommend a ‘Moms and tots’ or ‘Pops and tots’ class. The child will pick up everything from the parent and basically nothing directly from the instructor – so these classes are primarily about the parents comfort level.
It is never too late to start, but if you can, at 3 or 4 years old – let’s introduce your child to swimming lessons.
Here is what you are looking for
- A ratio of no more than 3 to 1 (kids to instructors).
- An instructor that you can see is engaged and is connecting with your child.
- An instructor that is encouraging, pointing out all the fun to be had – totally in charge of the mood for the whole lesson, every lesson.
- A clear objective with the day. Even if not all of the kids can demonstrate the skill by the end. As long as there is effort being put forth, and fun being had – it is going great.
Helpers are good – and do not need to be on the same level as the primary – but someone leading has to be in control at all times.
Look for lessons that run for several days in a row. These are going to have tremendous advantage over those that meet once or twice a week. Your child’s progression will be remarkably better for going consecutively.
Avoid Red Cross lessons. The Red Cross is amazing for all it does all over the world and right here at home – but they do not excel at swim lessons – move beyond them. You will thank me later. The YMCA is a program I support (NOT due to religious reason, this is purely swimming related, they have a good program progression). Beyond that swim schools are normally very good – with few exceptions. You get what you pay for there; a lot. You may want to seek out your local high school swimmer(s) or team. They either are, or know the best teachers around. There are often clinics and camps that are run in schools near you – these are great chances to explore the local scene. If you take the time to explore locally, you will feel like you are getting a fantastic bang for your buck. Many teams are seeking to impress the community with how great their swimmers are and offer discounted, sometimes free opportunities to explore the pool. There will be a wealth of knowledge on deck.
