How to prepare your child for swimming lessons!

As September approaches each year we have lots of new swimmers joining us with no experience of swimming before and we know getting your children to start anything new can always be an anxious time for both you and your child. Our years of expertise in swimming lessons means that we can offer you tips to help make this process easier even before you get to the pool this September.

Here are a few of our top tips from teachers to get you and your little ones ready to swim at Wessex:

1. Any time spent around water will impact the way that your child views water. An important time in this developmental stage is bath time, by making it fun through using toys and playing games you can create a positive memory of water in your child’s mind reducing the chances that they get scared by swimming.
2. Make sure that your child is happy with their costume, both in how it looks and how it fits. By taking them with you and allowing them to help in picking it out and then trying it on before the first lesson in the bath or at a local pool you can help your child feel at home in their costume.
3. Some children are more natural swimmers than others and everyone learns at a different pace. This okay and perfectly normal, and as a result we will put your child in a class with children at the same stage as them working on the same things.
4. Adding extra stress and pressure is not always the best strategy to help your child learn faster and make progress, keep encouraging them and let them know how proud you are of them for trying instead of criticising.
5. For most of us, we don’t have a swimming pool at home that we can use for practice but for children a bath is often big enough to fully submerge themselves in and practice their technique. During bath times think about encouraging your child to put their head underwater if that is something they are nervous about or struggling with in lessons.
6. Your child knows and trusts you more than they do anyone else, therefore going to the swimming pool together before starting lessons and swimming with you would give them extra confidence in the water as they will have the belief in their parents/carers that if you can get in the water so can they.
7. Book a free trial at Wessex Swim School today! Our trials will give your child an opportunity to get to know what a lesson is like at Wessex before you commit to signing up for a term of lessons.

If you have any more questions or concerns about starting swimming lessons, don’t hesitate to get in touch with our friendly team on 023 821 46473.