In summer kids have ample time in the water to practice. And in winter kids aren’t going to be in the water as much. So we find that some parents think there’s no need to continue with swimming lessons, right? Wrong!
During summer, there’s a big difference between splashing around with friends and focusing on mastering specific skills. Plus, it’s easy to pick up bad habits or slack off on improving a particular technique, when the teacher isn’t watching. So, playtime should never be a complete sub for lessons.
And during the cooler months, your child will still be around water, even if not IN it. Cycling by the river, fishing or watching the ducks at the pond maybe. And don’t forget, they’ll be rugged up wearing more clothes, which will become heavy very quickly if they accidentally fall into the water.
Importantly, taking a break from lessons will hinder your child’s progress.
You feel proud when your child improves. Thrilled when they move up to the next level. Such success is based on commitment and consistency. Any kind of learning suffers when you take a break. Swimming is no different.
Repetition is a key factor in how children (and adults) learn to swim.
As an adult, you can do a lot of things instinctively and easily, like throwing a ball. However, for young children to master such a skill, they must practice it repeatedly.
Breaking their pattern of repetition could result in your water babe re-doing levels or losing water skills and confidence.
When the weather warms up it means more fun in the sun, but it also means your “mini-me” is likely to be around water more often. So don’t become complacent. Nor when the weather cools, because drownings don’t differentiate by season.
Repetition develops their muscle memory
The more your child practices a swim skill, the easier they’ll learn and remember it. Until it becomes automatic, instinctive so that if they fall in the water, they’ll know what to do and will be less likely to panic.
Furthermore, keeping a routine is a great discipline to instil in young children.
Apart from weekly lessons, for our pre-school and school-aged students, we also have School Holiday Intensive Programs, where our back-to-back days of lessons, over a 2 week period during school holidays, will help fast track and boost your child’s swim skills.
You can choose to do one of the weeks or all/both of them! Each week is discounted, offering one FREE lesson each week.
To book into a School Holiday Intensive Program, click here for more information, or contact our friendly Customer Care Team today.