Preparing Your Child for Their First Swim Lesson

Preparing Your Child for Their First Swim Lesson

A first swim lesson is a big deal for a young child. They’re embarking on a new journey that will force them to interact with a new swim instructor, potentially other swimmers and work to learn new skills. It’s these facts that make swimming daunting for many kids. Below, are valuable tips to get your kid ready for swim lessons!

Prepare Them Ahead of Time

Take time to communicate with your child that they will be starting swim lessons and explain to them what it will be like. Use books and videos catered to children, to give your child a better sense of what to expect.

Be Excited!

As the parent, your children look to you for guidance and affirmation on scenarios they are unsure of. If you are excited and overjoyed about swim lessons, your child will naturally have a much more positive outlook on the event leading up to it.

You can help promote excitement feel by taking your child to go shopping for their very own swim towel and swimsuit for their swimming lessons. These moments give them positive things to associate with swim lessons and further their excitement.

Be a Cheerleader for Them

Swimming lessons can be a lot of firsts all at once. It can be your child’s first time in a group activity outside of school, their first time having an instructor or even their first time in a swimming pool! This means they will naturally have apprehension and fear initially. Making sure they can see you cheering and encouraging them, helps give them the confidence and motivation to stick with their first lesson.

Don’t Quit

It’s like the saying says, “if at first, you don’t succeed, try try again!” Your child may not take to the water during the first lesson or even the first few lessons, but this is no reason to give up! Even if your little had a meltdown in the water or didn’t make it through the whole lesson, this is no reason to be discouraged. Keep bringing them back and over time they will improve.