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Train
up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not turn from it. Proverbs 22:6
Helpful Hints
The
following advice will help your child to enjoy their lessons, develop
self-confidence and learn more quickly, thus costing you the least amount of
money. We love swimming with your children and would love to have them
swim with us forever, but we do not believe in dragging out learning at the
expense of the parents. In each 3 week session, the instructor has
specific goals to accomplish with the child. If these goals are
accomplished early, we move forward to the goals of the following session.
Our desire is to reach your goals for your children as efficiently as possible
while instilling in the children a strong love for the water.
-
Get
your child, yourself and as many others as possible excited about your
child’s swim lessons. Tell, or better, have your child tell each day as
often as possible of his/her progress.
- Fill
your child’s heart with excitement for swimming and pride in his/her hard
work and courage. Give as much specific praise as possible, throughout
periods in between lessons. As well as encouraging your child, this will
help them remember what they learned. Examples: “I am so proud of the
way you listened to Miss Sarah and put your head under the water even though
you were scared. That was very courageous of you!”, “I can’t wait to
tell daddy how hard you worked in swimming today to hold your breath and
kick with straight legs. He will be so proud of you.” “I am so glad you
are learning to rest on your back in the water and frog jump to the side and
climb out yourself. After you finish lessons, I won’t have to worry about
you in the water and we can go swimming a lot."
- If
your child is scared of sinking or falling, tell them "the water pushes
you up".
- Tell
your child how much you and your family/friends enjoy swimming. Tell them
stories of when you learned to swim and fun places you have gone and things
you have done in the water that perhaps they will be able to do someday.
- Practice
at home the “homework” assigned. Between lessons, have children lie on
their tummies on the bed with their legs off the edge and kick with straight
legs. Have children practice floating, RELAXED, on their backs in the tub.
Before adding soap, have them practice blowing bubbles, humming, dipping their face
in the water, or going under and grabbing things, depending on where they
are in their lessons. We advise against kicking in the tub. Children
rarely understand how to kick “softly".
- Most
Important!
Emphasize to your child that until he/she knows how to roll over and breathe
comfortably, they are not able to swim safely by themselves. We want
them confident, but not overconfident.
- To
help prepare your children for swimming, we strongly recommend
pouring
water over their heads, gently splashing in their faces and rocking
them
on their backs in the water so that they get used to water in their
faces,
eyes and ears.
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