Survey Results

We recently sent out a survey to our parents asking them what they wanted from swim lessons. We gave them 5 choices and told them to rank them from the most important to the least important. Also included was the age and level of their child.

The overwhelming majority of the parents across all levels and ages said they wanted their kids to be comfortable and confident in the water -- to overcome their nervousness.

This week our teachers have been striving to fulfill this need. From our hot tub meeting, these are our ideas we came up with:

• ASK the swimmer why they are nervous and assure and encourage them
• Make every accomplishment -- big or small -- a big deal!
• Gradually increase the swimmer's independence and praise them for it -- it's a good thing to not hang on to your teacher
• Distract a nervous child with a toy or fun game to help them feel comfortable
• Ask the kids to bring a toy to class from home for show and tell. Use these toys in the lesson. A toy from home that is a comfort to them promotes positive feelings and experiences in the pool.
• Be imaginative! Cater to the age group. Play pretend! Make swimming lessons playtime. Playtime is never scary - it's fun!

What ideas have you used or implemented in your swimming lessons?