Types of Swim Lessons
- By Little Seals Swim School
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- 12 Feb, 2018
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There are so many different types of swim programs out there. How do you know which one is right for your child?
When a parent looks for “swim lessons” they will typically find 3 different types of programs. It can be confusing to decide which one is right for your child. Let’s review the different programs.
Mommy and Me classes – Mommy and Me classes are usually “water orientation” or “water fun” classes for children under the age of 3 years old. During these lessons, moms and their babies get in the water together. Moms hold their babies during the class while they sing songs and hop or dance in the water. These classes are great for parents that want to spend some time playing and bonding with their child in an instructor-led environment. Swimming skills are usually not a goal, nor are they achieved, in these classes. Caution: be wary of any class that encourages a parent to blow in their child’s face and then dunk them under water. In addition, child under the age of 6 years old should not be encouraged to blow bubbles under water. Both of these behaviors are detrimental to a child’s safety and ability to attain proper breath control in the water.
Pros
Group or “Traditional” Swim classes – Group classes usually begin when children are over the age of 3 years. These classes typically have at least 4 students in each class (sometimes more depending on skill level). The instructor explains and demonstrates a skill while the children sis on the wall. Then each child takes a turn performing the skill while the other students watch. It can be difficult for the instructor to monitor unskilled children in the class while working with the child performing the skills. Children need to focus on the skills at hand and may take several years before learning to propel through the water unassisted. If they continue with lessons for several years, they will eventually learn the formal strokes, such as free-style, backstroke, breaststroke, and butterfly.
Pros
Survival Classes – Survival classes are one-on-one lessons customized to the individual needs of each student. Children are taught to propel through the water and rollover to float on their back. Formal strokes are not usually taught. Instructors must be highly trained to prevent injury to students. Students attend lessons 4-5 days per week. Children usually take 4-8 weeks to become fully skilled. While these classes are usually the most expensive, they are, also, the most effective.
Pros
Little Seals Swim School - At Little Seals Swim School, we teach survival classes for babies as young as 8 months of age. Our Instructors are highly trained and have had over 10 years of experience. We have the only Florida Department of Health approved indoor pool offering survival lessons in the Mandarin/St. Johns/Julington Creek area. Lessons are offered year round to meet the needs of our Florida families. We, also, offer an Intro to Stroke lessons that combines the safety and individuality of our survival classes with the formal strokes of more traditional swim classes. Click here to sign up for lessons today!
Mommy and Me classes – Mommy and Me classes are usually “water orientation” or “water fun” classes for children under the age of 3 years old. During these lessons, moms and their babies get in the water together. Moms hold their babies during the class while they sing songs and hop or dance in the water. These classes are great for parents that want to spend some time playing and bonding with their child in an instructor-led environment. Swimming skills are usually not a goal, nor are they achieved, in these classes. Caution: be wary of any class that encourages a parent to blow in their child’s face and then dunk them under water. In addition, child under the age of 6 years old should not be encouraged to blow bubbles under water. Both of these behaviors are detrimental to a child’s safety and ability to attain proper breath control in the water.
Pros
- Bonding time with caregiver and baby/toddler
- Fun
- Social opportunity for caregiver and baby/toddler
- Caregiver must be in water
- Children do not usually learn to swim
- Instructors receive little training
Group or “Traditional” Swim classes – Group classes usually begin when children are over the age of 3 years. These classes typically have at least 4 students in each class (sometimes more depending on skill level). The instructor explains and demonstrates a skill while the children sis on the wall. Then each child takes a turn performing the skill while the other students watch. It can be difficult for the instructor to monitor unskilled children in the class while working with the child performing the skills. Children need to focus on the skills at hand and may take several years before learning to propel through the water unassisted. If they continue with lessons for several years, they will eventually learn the formal strokes, such as free-style, backstroke, breaststroke, and butterfly.
Pros
- Social activity for children
- Will eventually learn to swim
- Teaches formal strokes
- Usually requires many years to learn to swim
- Usually 1 instructor for at least 4 unskilled children
- Difficult for instructor to have eyes on all children at all times
- Could take years before child learns to swim
- Not good for children that are easily distracted
Survival Classes – Survival classes are one-on-one lessons customized to the individual needs of each student. Children are taught to propel through the water and rollover to float on their back. Formal strokes are not usually taught. Instructors must be highly trained to prevent injury to students. Students attend lessons 4-5 days per week. Children usually take 4-8 weeks to become fully skilled. While these classes are usually the most expensive, they are, also, the most effective.
Pros
- One-on-one
- Individualized
- Will learn to swim (propel through water) within 1-2 months
- Will learn to float for safety
- Highly-trained Instructors
- Expensive
- Do not learn formal stroke
- Requires daily commitment for 1-2 months
- Inexperienced or untrained Instructors can put your child in danger
Little Seals Swim School - At Little Seals Swim School, we teach survival classes for babies as young as 8 months of age. Our Instructors are highly trained and have had over 10 years of experience. We have the only Florida Department of Health approved indoor pool offering survival lessons in the Mandarin/St. Johns/Julington Creek area. Lessons are offered year round to meet the needs of our Florida families. We, also, offer an Intro to Stroke lessons that combines the safety and individuality of our survival classes with the formal strokes of more traditional swim classes. Click here to sign up for lessons today!
