“I took my child to the pool but I didn’t know what to teach them?”
As Swim Schools and Swimming Teachers we have, at some point all heard this from a parent or carer. Internally you should be conflicted! You should be feeling two things -
1. You have a parent or carer who is bringing their child to swimming lessons. This is fantastic! They are also doing that extra step of taking them to the pool outside of lessons. You don’t want to discourage this. You (actually) want to cheer them on!
2. You have a parent or carer who is bringing their child to swimming lessons. Why are they trying to teach them outside of lessons? Isn’t that what they are paying you for?
Your parent or carer is doing the right thing. They are taking their child to get that extra “practice” in, however it really should be “Family Time”. A primary school age child is still learning to swim and developing their movement through the water they don’t necessarily need to “practice” in the water.
As adults we see “practice” as swimming up and down the lane but for young children simply getting in the water and having safe fun is practice enough for them. They will want to show their parent or carer what they have learned rather than being given further instruction. Parents and carers should be embracing this.
Educate and provide the tools to your parents and carers about Swimming and Water Safety so they feel confident to take their child to the pool outside of swimming lessons, so they can experience fun family time with their child.
You can utilise your Swim School Newsletter, social media platforms or even regularly hold Swimming and Water Safety talks for Parents and Carers. Make your Parents and Carers feel involved and valued. By doing this you are adding to your community, branding and customer service.
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