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prep child for swimming lessons?
Any on how to help the first attempt at swimming lessons go well? My
daughter is 3.5 (4 in June) and I have her signed up to start on Monday. She is a very outgoing kid socially, but fairly cautious and she worries a lot. She adores some classes she has been in (eg music) and participates a ton, but a soccer class we started recently hasn't gone as well. She loves kicking the ball around at home, but doesn't like the soccer class because the coach smells sweaty. (!). Anyway, she likes going swimming and jumping into the pool, but we do it rarely (not that warm around here). The last opportunity to go swimming was a couple weeks ago. Her grandma took her (she is very comfortable with grandma) but she refused to go in, which surprised me. My plan for Monday is to not do a big deal about it, just say we are going to swimming class today. I am planning to go 35-45 minutes early and hang out around the pool and/or go in depending on what she wants. It is not a parent participation class, and I will have my 1-year-old with me as well. Any tips so as make this a positive experience? Thanks, Jan |
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prep child for swimming lessons?
Hi - Make sure the water isn't too cold, the instructors are nice, and no one forces her to do anything she finds scary. Baby steps are FINE. If she starts to cry, take her away at once and try again in a few months. If you force her to take lessons when she's unhappy you could keep her scared of the water for years. --Beth Kevles http://web.mit.edu/kevles/www/nomilk.html -- a page for the milk-allergic Disclaimer: Nothing in this message should be construed as medical advice. Please consult with your own medical practicioner. NOTE: No email is read at my MIT address. Use the AOL one if you would like me to reply. |
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prep child for swimming lessons?
"Jan" wrote in message My plan for Monday is to not do a big deal about it, just say we are going to swimming class today. I am planning to go 35-45 minutes early and hang out around the pool and/or go in depending on what she wants. I always take the low key approach and it works well with my ds (who is your dd's age). I think if you overhype something then they tend to get anxious about it (IME, anyway). I wouldn't even go too early. Maybe a few minutes early just to get her used to the locker room/pool area. I certainly wouldn't go in the pool before, you might have a heck of a time getting out. Also, if it were my son, I know he'd expect me to sit in that pool with him for that 45 minutes every week after and with a 1 year old in tow you might not want to set that precedent, lol. Certainly, if she's having a hard time *during* class, then that's a different story. But I'd start out pretty low key. -- JennP. mom to Matthew 10/11/00 EDD #2 10/24/04 remove "no........spam" to reply |
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prep child for swimming lessons?
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prep child for swimming lessons?
Jan wrote in :
Any on how to help the first attempt at swimming lessons go well? My daughter is 3.5 (4 in June) and I have her signed up to start on Monday. [snip] My plan for Monday is to not do a big deal about it, just say we are going to swimming class today. I am planning to go 35-45 minutes early and hang out around the pool and/or go in depending on what she wants. It is not a parent participation class, and I will have my 1-year-old with me as well. Any tips so as make this a positive experience? Personally, I wouldn't go too early. Take lots of things for the 1yo to do, or maybe even find a friend to look after him for the first lesson. -- Penny Gaines UK mum to three |
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prep child for swimming lessons?
"Jan" wrote in message
m... Any on how to help the first attempt at swimming lessons go well? My daughter is 3.5 (4 in June) and I have her signed up to start on Monday. She is a very outgoing kid socially, but fairly cautious and she worries a lot. She adores some classes she has been in (eg music) and participates a ton, but a soccer class we started recently hasn't gone as well. She loves kicking the ball around at home, but doesn't like the soccer class because the coach smells sweaty. (!). Anyway, she likes going swimming and jumping into the pool, but we do it rarely (not that warm around here). The last opportunity to go swimming was a couple weeks ago. Her grandma took her (she is very comfortable with grandma) but she refused to go in, which surprised me. My plan for Monday is to not do a big deal about it, just say we are going to swimming class today. I am planning to go 35-45 minutes early and hang out around the pool and/or go in depending on what she wants. It is not a parent participation class, and I will have my 1-year-old with me as well. Any tips so as make this a positive experience? Thanks, Jan My eldest DD (will be 3 in August) started swimming lessons in February, for the first term/semester it was parent participation, but she has just been moved up into the class where I don't have to swim with her... She doesn't have a problem with the water being too cold, but she is very skinny and so by the end of the lesson is shivering and has blue lips etc and wants to get out.. The lesson is only 30 mins long.. To help with this, she now wears her swimmers (which are an all-in-one - with long sleeves to protect from sun) with another rash shirt in the same swimming material over the top.. This has helped her want to be interested in the lesson longer... I also found that if she swims too long before the lesson that adds to her being cold, even with a warm shower just before the lesson is due to start... I have found that the teachers are very understanding of each childs ability and needs... Emily doesn't like her head to go under the water and so they just do it to her once during the lesson, where the other kids may do it 5 times... She is also nervous and becomes anxious when the teacher lets go of her, so they do it for her closer to the edge, so she doesn't start crying and just sink... She is getting better... I also bought goggles for her to help with putting her head under the water and she is getting better.... Kelly in Oz Mummy to Emily 32mths and Isabella 17mths |
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prep child for swimming lessons?
On Fri, 07 May 2004 19:57:24 GMT, Rosalie B.
wrote: Make sure the water isn't too cold, the instructors are nice, and no one forces her to do anything she finds scary. Baby steps are FINE. If she starts to cry, take her away at once and try again in a few months. If you force her to take lessons when she's unhappy you could keep her scared of the water for years. The water too cold is a big thing with some kids and some don't care. I've had children who really could swim pretty well fail the beginning swim test because the water was cold and they didn't want to immerse in it enough to swim. If the water is too cold, there's not much that can be done, except try later in the summer. It's unlikely that they will heat the water just for you. You might try to find a pool where they do hydrotherapy - cold water is bad for arthritis etc. too so they have to have the water warm for the old folks. The YMCAs heat the water for the beginning swimming classes for toddlers and preschoolers in many cases. It does depend on the particular program. -- Dorothy There is no sound, no cry in all the world that can be heard unless someone listens .. The Outer Limits |
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prep child for swimming lessons?
"Dave {Reply Address in.sig}" wrote:
In message , Jan wrote: It is not a parent participation class, and I will have my 1-year-old with me as well. Any tips so as make this a positive experience? Not for your older child, but one tip is to put the younger one in a swimming class now. Kit ha been going to swimming lessons snice he was six weeks old and although he has off days, generally enjoys swimming. Fortunately or unfortunately, swim classes for very young ones are not always available. And good ones are IMHO even rarer. grandma Rosalie |
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followup: prep child for swimming lessons?
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followup: prep child for swimming lessons?
My son has been doing the same thing for the last few weeks. I recently
bought him a cap gun & he loves it. I've kept the caps & doled them out sparingly until last night's swim lesson. I told him that every time he did something the teacher asked him to do, I'd give him another cap. This boy was amazing! Before, he whined, complained, and refused to participate in all the previous lessons. Last night, he did everything asked, did it with a smile and begged to get to go first (like all the little girls in the class always do!). I was so pleased I almost burst. He earned 15 caps & he was pleased, too. Find something she loves and USE it "Jan" wrote in message ... (Jan) wrote in message om... My plan for Monday is to not do a big deal about it, just say we are going to swimming class today. I am planning to go 35-45 minutes early and hang out around the pool and/or go in depending on what she wants. It is not a parent participation class, and I will have my 1-year-old with me as well. Any tips so as make this a positive experience? Thanks for the ideas. I wanted to go early because she has a tendancy to watch for a while and *then* want to start just as the thing is ending. She worried all day about going. She was worried the other kids would already know how to swim. I reassured about this, but still. I told her shd did not have to to anything she didn't want, but she did have to go, and she did have to wear her swim suit (the latter because again, she changes her mind at the last minute and then we aren't ready to go in). We left my younger daughter with grandma. We got there 30 minutes early, and there is no one in the pool. It's not open for general swim then and there was nothing else scheduled I guess. We met the teacher and watched her swim around. We sat and looked at the pool. We went to the bathroom twice. The other kids showed up right on time, and my daughter eagerly went in with them. Participated fully in everything except putting her face in. Got out, said boy was that fun. Said she can't wait until Wednesday (that's today -- the next lesson). Told her dad and grandma how much fun she had, how she did everything, and how she gets to go back on Wednesday. Same thing Tues night. Fast forward to Wed morning, has a knock-down drag out temper tantrum about going to school. Screaming crying, etc. Then starts in crying about how she does not want to go to swimming lessons after school today. I reminded her about how she was nervous before, but said she had fun after. Reiterated how she does not have to do anything she doesn't want. She doesn't even have to go in. Sigh. -Jan |
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