Chelmsford, MA 
Swim lessons are available year-round, but most parents in New England swim only in summer. By having your child swim year-round, you will notice a substantial boost in confidence and skills. By the beginning of the summer your child will be so excited to show off their skills and won’t be able to wait to swim more because swimming is so fun! Don’t miss out on continually expanding their swim skills all year long! Now is a perfect time to start lessons! Just keep in mind, learning to swim is a process, NOT an activity.
Getting into swim lessons at this time of the year can seem like a steep new challenge for parents, but it is an excellent time to swim. Swimming can be done indoors no matter the weather, it offers plenty of exercise when kids might otherwise be stuck inside, and is an important life skill. We know that you are concerned about the weather as well as managing a clothing change away from home. Here are some tips to get you started:
- Find an indoor heated pool that you and your child can be comfortable in. Do some research about swim schools and visit their pools to make sure that it is a convenient location for you and that your child is interested in participating. Determine if you like the parent viewing area so that you can watch the classes in action.
- Learn about the program, methodology, and the focus of the school. Each swim school has a different focus and methodology. Finding a school that has experience and proven methodologies that work is important. A student to teacher ratio that is comfortable for you and your student is also crucial to a positive learning environment. At British Swim School, we focus on water safety. We offer survival skills first, before swim skills. With over 35 years of experience, we teach all of our students from 3 months to adult to be safe in the water first by learning to float on their backs and call for help in case of an accidental fall-in. Our students to teacher ratio is 4:1 in most classes.
- Discuss your expectations with the staff. Have a conversation with the staff to ask about the structure of the class, the skills they will work on and what you can expect for your child and yourself. In addition, discuss the staff’s expectations for the student. Finding a balance of student and instructor demands is important to the growth of a student’s abilities. At British Swim School, some of our classes include parents and that means you’ll be getting into the pool to join the fun!
- Sign up at a good time! When you are picking out a lesson time be sure to ask yourself if the time of day works for your child. Is it during a normally scheduled nap or fussy time? Skip the drama and opt for a time of day when your child is active and most open to experiencing new things. Offer snack and water before the lesson or bring some for right after the lesson. British Swim School offers flexibility to transfer classes. If the chosen class time is not the best for your child, we can transfer you to another one.
- Keep everything you need in a bag by the door. This includes the bathing suit, swimmy diapers, goggles, flip flops and towels. Also, a comb/brush and a combined body soap/shampoo will be convenient during the after-lesson shower. An extra bag that is plastic-lined, just for wet clothes, is also helpful. Some bags come with a plastic-lined compartment. Don’t forget those hats and mittens for when you leave the pool in the colder months.
- Enjoy the Lesson. If you are taking a lesson with your child, verbally express to them how you enjoy it. Describe what it feels like to be in the pool. Smiling and laughing signals to them that this is a fun activity. If you are watching from the deck, encourage your child when they are feeling unsure, and cheer them when they do well!
Now you have a few tips to get you started. Once you find the right class and instructor you will have access to a whole new group of swim friends and teachers who will be happy to teach you more; and, you will have a more confident, young swimmer to enjoy the water with you.
