Crankiness. Tempter tantrums. Fits of stubbornness. All kids have their moments. And they can happen before swimming lessons just as easily as they can at the mall, church, school, or at home.
When those moments come at the most inopportune times, don’t fret about it. You can’t necessarily prevent these moments but you can do some things that will perhaps help to avoid them.
Here are some tips for getting through swimming lessons without your kid’s “special” moments.
Never Negotiate
Bribery is one of the worst things you can do to get your kid to behave during swimming lessons. It sets a bad precedence and will escalate as the season progresses. Swimming is necessary for your kid to learn so that they have the safety skills they need throughout their lives so it is non-negotiable from day one.
Stay Out of Sight
After your child has begun to trust the swimming instructor, it’s best that you stay out of your kid’s sight. Find a place where you can see your kid but your kid can’t see you and stay there. Often kids perform better and focus on the instructor better when a parent isn’t there for the kid to run to.
Keep Swim Lessons Going
Attending swimming lessons when your child is being stubborn and uncooperative may be one of the worst things you can imagine, but it’s the best way to handle the situation. Canceling the lesson is actually the worst way to respond to the kid’s behavior. Attitudes should improve after 2 or 3 lessons, and enduring behavioral outbursts is a small price to pay for making sure your kid learns this necessary life skill.
Eliminate Your Anxiousness
Don’t transfer your fears or frustrations to you kid. Even if you’re afraid of the water or had your own frustrations with learning to swim, don’t show that anxiety to your kid. After all, kids are mimics so they will likely reflect your anxiety in their behavior.
Encourage Your Kid
Continuously reinforce how much fun swimming is. Once they’ve figured this out and adjusted to the new experiences of swimming, they will be excited to learn more about swimming. Your encouragement boosts your kid’s positive attitude and their desire to excel at learning the new skills.
Make Sure They Practice
Practice is important no matter what, but it can be critical when your kid is frustrated. And frustration is often the real reason for meltdowns. Practicing can help them to finally have the breakthrough they need to accomplish skills. Once this happens, meltdowns are practically eliminated. Don’t think you have to have a backyard pool to do this. Often early skills that are the root of frustrations can be practiced in the tub!
Give Them Recognition
When your kid accomplishes skills, improves on lesson activities, and exhibits good behavior and a positive attitude, be sure to congratulate them. Every kid wants recognition of accomplishments from parents and when they receive it they will want to continue learning.
Little Otter Swim Schools offers a fun and supportive learning environment that starts your kid’s swimming experience off with positivity that will encourage them to maintain it for a lifetime! Contact us to learn more.
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