If your child is nervous about learning how to swim...
Learning how to swim is NOT any thing like learning how to play the piano or learning how to play soccer. Swimming is dangerous and drowning kills people. Water is scary. Aquaphobia is a real fear. We adults need to remember that kids recognize the life and death nature of water and are SCARED!
We need to acknowledge their fears and build up their confidence.
Take them with you to pick out their bathing suit, towel/bathrobe and goggles. This will get them excited. They come to class proud to show me their new swimming accessories. I love it.
Have them wear the goggles around the house to get used to them. I'd rather teach students how to swim than teach them to get used to wearing goggles.
Have them practice blowing bubbles in the sink and bathtub. If they are super nervous about getting their face near the water use a straw to start. As they have fun and get more comfortable move the straw closer to the surface of the water so that their face gets closer to the water..
Have them watch me teach my other students days before their classes begin or come early and watch the class before theirs. This reduces the scary unknown of who I am and what swimming lessons are like. They will see how much fun we are having and get motivate to learn what other kids their age are doing successfully in the pool.
Show them pictures of my other students on my Instagram "VegasSwimming". They'll see lots of pictures of kids their age swimming. Read to them the posts to show them how other kids have worked hard to overcome their fears so that now they have a lot of fun swimming.
Help them practice their homework at home. It’s easier to practice with a family member and shows how important this scary, hard new thing is to you.
Talk about the power of POSITIVE THINKING. Get the book "The Little Engine That Could". “I THINK I CAN!” Instead of “I CAN’T!” Of course they can't do that skill, I just taught them the skill and they haven't tried to do it yet. Or they only tried once. They are NOT PERFECT! I do not expect my students to be able to do a new skill perfectly on the first try. I am surprised at the number of perfectionist students I have! In response I encourage them to TRY. It’s ok to try and fail. That’s how we learn. If you child runs into this road block in class, reading this book to them in between classes helps.
Have you heard about Starbuck’s Cake Pops? I have! It feels like that was the reward of 2022! So many students told me class after class after class that if they did well or achieved a certain goal in class they were going to Starbucks afterwards to get a Cake Pop! Those things must be FABULOUS! Rewards work to motivate kids to push through their nerves and fear. Once they get to the other side they don’t need Cake Pops. Swimming IS the reward!
