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I have 2 sons...one is 3, the other 5. They are both hesistant/scared of the water and our attempts to give them swim lessons hasn't been very successful. These classes have been very low key and sporadic so I am looking for advice for effective/intensive swim class/instructors that can have my kids move passed their fears and swimming like fish by the summer's end.
Any recommendations for instructors in the area?
I would think my kids would benefit the most from 1x1 interaction rather then a large class setting.
I would think my kids would benefit the most from 1x1 interaction rather then a large class setting.
most kids would... and not just for swimming.
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Do you swim? Well? Often?
Belong to a Y or neighborhood pool?
(see where I'm going here?)
The largest part of swimming is really instinctual.
This is why so many do that "throw 'em in the deep end" thing... it works.
Well, it mostly works.
Get some water wings and and a kick-board for each.
Show them the separate skills like kicking and arm strokes and blowing bubbles...
and how to "pop up" above the surface to breathe.
That breathing only above the water level thing is the only real trick to it...
they just need to feel safe when their faces are under water.
Once they have some confidence about not drowning...
then work on swimming well.
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I'd focus on having fun with your kids in the water first, especially if they are hesitant and scared of the water. Find a pool with a low angle entry where they can make their way into the water at their own pace (the Meadowmont pool in Chapel Hill is great, for example). You can also try a life jacket that gives a large range of motion...we've used puddle jumpers, which worked great for our kids.
Go to the pool with some friends for your kids. In the end, swimming lessons will likely be useless until they associate the pool with fun. It does not sound like this is the case yet.
The city of Raleigh offers swim classes that are very effective. A small group setting might be more helpful to your children by allowing them to see other children their own age swimming.....something to consider.
The city of Raleigh offers swim classes that are very effective. A small group setting might be more helpful to your children by allowing them to see other children their own age swimming.....something to consider.
I don't know about VERY effective
We've enrolled our son in Raleigh city swim classes before, and will probably do it again this summer. They are taught by kids in high school, which is not necessarily bad, and they generally have small class sizes of 5 or 6 kids, sometimes less. Our son is not afraid of the water. . . . . that's our problem. . . . . . and is rather reckless. We're trying to give him a healthy respect for the water while having fun.
We used both group and private instruction at the Cary Aquatics center. The classes took my son from being a fearful and hesitant swimmer to 100% confidence. IT took both water time and self confidence from the instruction to get where he did. We also played in the shallow end of our pool every day so the combination of lessons and non-pressured pool play got him comfortable in the water.
From what we have seen, swimming lessons in the triangle are sub par. We see classes with too many students, poor teachers and swim schools that allow children in the class who do not match the level. This has been our biggest disappoint in our move here. (I will say that there are some amazing swimmers here so kids must overcome this somehow!)
We have tried multiple classes and I do agree that the private instruction at the Cary Aquatics center is the best we have found. Again in this scenario, you need to find the best instructor. They are not all great.
Some things that may help are the following: taking them swimming or give them lessons everyday for a period of time (one to three weeks). Making sure they swim all year round so they do not lose their confidence.
My 5 1/2 year old is very cautious of the water. He would never put his face in, even in the bath. This is his personality, anything new is very scary for him.
We moved here in Feb and I found the Triangle Swim School. My son has had only three lessons so far, but last week he was dunking completely under water and even tried to "swim" under my legs in the shallow end. This is a kid who would cry if splashed a month ago!!
The classes are tiny. Two kids of similar age and ability and one instructor. I am thrilled with this place! Only catch is that it's difficult to get "in" for your first class. Priority goes to families already enrolled. I also found the website a little difficult to navigate/register. But it was worth the effort, in my opinion. We'll be sticking with this swim school!
I would definitely recommend 1) finding a private 1 on 1 swim teacher if you can--do you have a community pool with a lifeguard? Ask if the lifeguard(s) have experience teaching swim lessons and hire them.
We lived in FL and had a pool in our back yard. Our elder child would freak out about her head in the water from the time she was a baby. She was 6 or so before she was anywhere near ready, and she spent her entire childhood with a pool or at the beach. Her younger sister at age 18mo would tell us to move out of her way, jump in, sink, and kick her way up before she'd let us touch her. Total fish from early on. In my experience, you can't MAKE kids take to water. Some kids take a LOT longer to get there, and patience is the key. You need to remove the urgency from your approach and try to find someone young and fun and experienced/certified who can spend about an hour or so with them per week for a number of weeks to take the fear out of it. That's what eventually helped my elder child.
I have 3 sons who never participated in any swimming lessons. The youngest is 6 years old andhe was a bit afraid of the water in his eyes. I signed them up for Pullen Park Aquatics. There are many instructors there who were not high school age. They also offer one on one. While I was there I saw many children who may have been scared of the water, possible behavioral issues and other special needs. All of the instructors appeared very knowledgeable and sincere wth assisting the children. My children completed the first course of intro to swimming this past 4/11-5/11 for about four weeks. The class sizes were quite small, but maybe your children would do better one on one.
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