Little kids are often energetic about trying a new activity but are also known to become a little fickle once the novelty wears off. If you have your child enrolled in swimming lessons to become proficient and learn about water safety, you might have noticed something along these lines. Maybe your child drags their feet when it’s time to go or says that they want to learn to swim but aren’t seeming to understand that consistency helps get them there. The good news is, if you work to help your child create a habit of swimming, they’ll know what to expect – as well as what’s expected of them – and begin to enjoy the weekly commitments even more. Here are some ideas for making it a habit:
Encourage Goal Setting
It’s easy to tell your child you’ve enrolled them into two swim classes per week, but this doesn’t do anything to motivate them. Instead, talk with them about goal setting and help them come up with a goal they’ll be excited about. For example, if your child is three or four years old, they might want to be able to go underwater long enough to get the rings at the bottom of the pool during class. If your child is older, maybe their eyes light up when they talk about being able to do a new stroke or to swim a faster lap so they can race their best friend in the pool outside of lessons. The goal should be something that can actually be measured (at least loosely) and something that gets them excited.
Help your child to write down their goal, and then set a time period in which they want to achieve it. Make a calendar together and decorate it, then hang it by the front door so they can see it every time they leave the house to go swim. Goal setting can help to motivate your child in swimming and in any other physical activity for kids. And one of the best parts is that, when they’ve actually achieved their goal (or come close), you can make a big deal out of celebrating it. This can go a long way in boosting their self-esteem, reinforcing the benefits of a swimming habit and improving their overall mental well-being. Just remember – once one goal is checked off, encourage your child to set another!
Tie in Association
Something else that can be helpful in creating a swimming habit with your little one is making some positive associations. For example, the night before swimming lessons, you could let them choose their swimsuit and towel for the next day and put it all in a bag by the front door. This helps remind them that swim class is coming, and allows them to feel prepared for it. You could also plan your schedule to include something else that your child enjoys right after swim lessons, like playing a game together when you get home or stopping by a friend’s house for lunch. This type of routine, when paired consistently with swimming lessons, can give your child a sense of security, excitement and something to look forward to. It also helps to reinforce the habit of swimming, and the commitment to classes.
When you talk with your child and help them create goals, work toward them, and celebrate them, you establish a powerful framework they can come back to their entire lives, and improve their mental well-being. And when you consistently associate other positive activities or rituals with swim class, your child will unknowingly become more and more used to – and eager about – the habit of swimming and learning about water safety. Contact us if you’d like to learn more about setting habits with your child, or about our programs.
Conversations