Don’t Fret Parents. It’ll be okay.
Know your child is in good hands.
Learning to swim for little swimmers can be overwhelming at times. The water is a new environment. Very different from what they have experienced so far in their young lives.
For infants and toddlers, there are great benefits to being in the water. The development of their motor skills, sensory awareness, cognition… the list is long. But it doesn’t mean they are going to be eager for this new experience.
Expressing Themselves-
Verbalizing their discomfort and apprehension of trying something new is very difficult for young children. Many times, it is expressed by crying. But try not to let this upset you as well. Take comfort in the fact that your child is in good hands. Swim instructors experience this reaction from swimmers regularly. Your little one is safe. Find a comfortable seat away from the poolside; possible out of your swimmer’s line-of-sight, and let the instructor do what they do best. Calling to your child to get their attention or trying to sit with them is counterproductive in this situation and could cause more of a challenge and potential safety concern for the swim class.
Positive Reinforcement –
Even if during the class your swimmer did not complete all the skills as maybe some of the other children did, remember to focus on what they did try. After class as you are driving home you could possibly say, “I saw how you were holding on to the wall so strong; I was so proud of you.”
Another suggestion, get in the water with your little swimmer between lessons. Fun interaction in the pool setting will help them becoming more comfortable in the water. Family Swim Nights and Open Swim opportunities at the swim school will have a positive effect on children.
Don’t get discouraged, it might take a few classes for a child to get into the routine of the class but keep coming to class and continue using positive reinforcement for the skills they tried. Before you know it, they will be little swimmers.
For more information about swimming lessons for your new swimmers check us out at https://sunshineswimcenter.com
Article by: Kim Amali, Sunshine Swim Center