How Fast Will My Child Learn?
I get this question ALL THE TIME…and I absolutely refuse to answer it. I don’t know your child! I haven’t even met them yet much less seen them swim! Even once I get to know them progress is never steady. There will be some skills that are harder to learn than others and will take more lessons than other skills. Every single student’s progress is unique.
There are several factors that determine how much or how little a student will learn in swimming class.
Watch this Ted Talk to learn what is the MOST important factor. I 100% agree with this. I see it all the time in the hundreds of students I’ve taught. I reinforce it in all my classes and hope that the parents of my students will also reinforce this trait in their children for a lifetime of success.
The more my students swim in between lessons the faster they learn. Those who swim more (practice) in between lessons learn faster. You wouldn’t expect your child to learn how to play the piano by ONLY going to lessons would you? No. You know that practicing any new skill is an important step in the learning process. Don’t be surprised at your child’s slow progress if they never get pool time in between lessons.
Consistent attendance for lessons. Those students who miss a lot of lessons are simply not going to be able to progress in their lessons because they will need to keep repeating the same lessons and will use lesson time for practice time. I have a ZERO CANCELLATION POLICY as a result of too many parents putting swimming lessons at the bottom of their priority list and skipping lessons whenever some little thing comes up in their lives. Parents who miss a lot of lessons are ultimately disappointed in their child’s slow progress. Those who never miss a class are super happy with the amazing progress their child makes week after week. So I’ve learned I have to have this policy for the benefit of my students. If swimming lessons are not a high priority for you then I’m probably not the best instructor for you.
How often do you sign your child up for lessons? Parents who only sign their child up for one month of lessons per year are going to have children that take significantly longer to learn how to swim than parents who register for multiple months of lessons every year. Learning to swim is very hard and time consuming regardless of one’s age. I have countless parents disappointed that their kids are not master swimmers after 8-10 classes. Those are unrealistic expectations. There is more to swimming than being able to get one’s head above water. There are several dozen skills to learn and MASTER to become a strong swimmer. This is a life long skill. Put the time in now and it will pay off for the rest of your child’s life. If you want to see the PAGES of skills that I teach my students email me and I’ll send it to you.
How does your child feel about the water? Those who are scared and nervous are going to make slower progress than those who LOVE the water and/or are fearless. It is a natural, normal reaction to the water that we can’t force a child through. Each child needs to work through it at their speed or else they can become even more traumatized than when they started.
How does your child deal with failure? I am constantly telling my students it's ok when they try and fail. Let's try again and hopefully succeed next time. I hope that all my students parents reinforce this lesson after lessons and throughout their children's lives. Our support and encouragement will help them be successful in swimming lessons and life. When students have a negative perspective they take longer to learn. The minute they have a positive perspective on their failures their learning curve goes through the roof! I celebrate my students’ successes no matter how small to keep that positive perspective burning bright in them.
What is your child’s learning style and age? I’m used to working with students of all ages, personalities, learning styles and various limitations or challenges. Younger students usually take longer to learn than older students. Students who have a hard time focusing will take longer than others. Anyone can learn how to swim. There are no set minimum number of classes where anyone can guarantee any student will be proficient. Beware of anyone or any school that guarantees your child will be able to swim in a set amount of classes or time. I’ve had many severely traumatized students from those places that I’ve had to “fix” by teaching them how to swim in a slower, nurturing environment. Those “guaranteed to swim” places push students harder than they can handle and result in severely traumatizing them.
How much do you want your child to learn? If you only want them to be able to keep their heads above water they won’t need as many lessons as a child who becomes a strong swimmer. If a child wants to become advanced and try out for the swim team they will need even more lessons to learn those advanced skills.
How important is having your child become a strong swimmer to you and your family? Those parents who reinforce to their children that becoming strong swimmers is a critical life skill, their children work extra hard in lessons. They know their parents will not be happy if they goof off in lessons and will reprimand them for not giving lessons their 100% effort. These parents also swim with their children in between lessons and show them how much fun swimming is. They want their children to be safe in and around water, have a life long skill, have fun in the water and have the ability to use swimming as a healthy, fun exercise option throughout their lives. Quite a number of my students learn faster when they have older brothers/sisters, cousins, neighbors, and/or friends who are really good swimmers. Regardless of their ages having an important person in their lives who are good swimmers and have fun swimming is one of the BEST motivators for even my most scared students.
