What Your Child Will Experience During Their First Lesson?

With the rushing to get to class on time, there most likely will be a lot of noise from other children and splashing in the water once in the pool area and instructors yelling instructions – there’s a lot happening during a swimming lesson!  Then there are the physical sensations that your child will experience while they’re in the water – many for the first time! Water temperature, water pressure irritating their ears, head, face, or taking water into the throat or up the nose can all create discomfort for them.

If your child is on the more sensitive side, this might affect them more than others, which can delay them from picking up a skill.  It doesn’t mean they won’t or can’t learn it, it might just take them a bit longer because they need to get used to the physical symptoms they’re experiencing before they can concentrate on the technique of a skill.

The key to this is patience. All children experience this on different levels. So it’s best to treat each child on a case-by-case basis rather than comparing them to the others in the group.  Almost all kids will eventually love the water and swimming even if they initially have a challenging time.  Remain upbeat, stick with it, and tell your child what they’re doing well. Not only will they pick up a life-saving skill, they will have a blast doing it!

Congratulations, you and your child finished your first lesson!!

Important tips to keep in mind as you move through your lessons week to week:

• Do not make a conclusion about your child’s individual skills based on their first, second or even third lesson…you get the idea! Everything they learn is on a continuum.  It may take a lesson or two for your child to trust in their instructor.
• Similarly, do not compare your child’s ability to perform a particular skill based on how quickly their classmates or their siblings are picking it up. It’s so important to remember that they’re an individual and has to be based more on where they started and how they’re progressing rather than how quickly another child picks it up. Each child learns at a different pace and there is no right or wrong for what that looks like.
• The best approach to take when it comes to their swim ability is a “work in progress” approach.
• Always ask any questions to our Deck Ambassador and/or Aquatics Director as to where your child’s progress is or why we do certain drills.  Also, let them know of any concerns that you may have.  They are there for you and they are very well trained and have a wealth of knowledge.

Happy Swimming!