Learning to swim: Day Two

An article by Claire    1 Comment

Monday we started our Seriously Fun Swim School holiday course with our 3 year old daughter. It didn’t go exactly to plan with her but it wasn’t a completely negative experience, as I found out with her second session on day two.

After Monday’s lesson, I got a call from Friedel, the swim teacher at Brighton Seriously Fun. It was to reassure me that Little L’s reaction to the class, the pool and joining in was totally normal. She had seen it before and she believed her confidence would grow as the week progresses. I was feeling so needy before she called, I put a shout out on Twitter, to see if any other parents had tips. I felt better knowing I wasn’t alone and parents shared practical things I could do to coax her into the water and enjoying herself.

We decided not to make a big deal about Tuesday’s lesson but talked about trying armbands on and getting into the water with the other boys & girls. When we were in the changing rooms, getting ready and waiting to go in to our lesson, the other parents chatted to me reassuringly, letting me know they empathised with yesterday’s reluctance to join in. While I talked with the parents, Little L got to know her class mates, laughing and playing. I’m sure this pre-class socialising helped relax both myself and my daughter.

Usually, on the second day, parents don’t come to the poolside. This is so the children focus on the teacher for their 30 minutes lesson and make the most of the time in the pool. However, Friedel knew it would be better for me to at least start the lesson by being with Little L. My nerves were building as I put her swim cap on and although she refused to sit with the other children for registration, she eventually let me put her armbands on and lower her into the water. She started the lesson by sitting on the side of the pool, splashing her legs in the water. She then agreed to get in the pool. I was trying not to sound so excited. Would she do some swimming today?

At first, she insisted on being in her own space, holding the side rail and kicking her legs in the water. Suddenly, while splashing her legs, she looked up at me, smiled and said in a matter-of-fact tone, ‘this is fun Mummy’. As if she knew all along it would be. Friedel continued with the lesson, checking back with Little L, very gently, to see if she wanted to do an exercise and asking for the odd high five. This soft approach worked a treat, Little L came out of her shell and did three different exercises with Friedel. I was close to embarrassing myself from the spectator bench with a barrage of thumbs up and vigorously clapping. I slowly moved myself away from the pool, still in view but seeing how much I could back off.

Today, I can’t be at the lesson but Daddy is going. We are going to approach with similar tactics but see if he can slope off to the changing room for the lesson and let her get on with it. I can’t wait for the full report.