You’ve heard us talk about the importance of consistency. Taking year-round lessons is the most effective way to ensure success in your swim journey. What we haven’t specified is the importance of consistency in instruction. Participating in swimming lessons year-round is amazing but if the type of instruction, program and approach are changing with each season, it’s difficult for your child to master skills and make real progress.
Did you know that there are several different types of swim programs?
The Red Cross, Lifesaving Society and many private facilities have their own swim program which assigns levels to various skills. The problem? The skills that are assigned to each level are not the same across the board. Some programs even teach different types of skills.
Even if they are teaching the same skills, many swim schools have different standards for a skill in order for the student to move on to the next level.
At Russell Aquatics, we believe that it’s important that every student that passes a level has a strong grasp of every skill to set them up for success in the levels to come. When moving from swim school to swim school, different standards for passing a level can make it difficult for the student to progress as they have to be reassessed each time they move to a different school. In this case, they may fluctuate between levels in order to match the standards of that facility. For example, a student may be considered a Swimmer 3 at Swim School A but a Swimmer 4 at Swim School B, causing confusion and frustration for the student and their family. The last thing that we want is for the student to feel discouraged and unmotivated.
Beyond that, once you find a teaching approach that works for the student, it’s important to stick with that. If your child was doing well in math, it wouldn’t make sense to switch up their learning strategy. If your child is progressing well, if possible, it’s a good idea to keep them where they are. Even though we can’t always guarantee the same instructor, each of our instructors are trained to take a similar approach to teaching.
We know that family schedules get busy and you can’t always get the ideal class time that you’d like.
At Russell Aquatics, we believe that swimming lessons are the one non-negotiable extra-curricular activity for our kids. Tennis, soccer, hockey and music lessons are fantastic but aren’t a matter of safety. Knowing how to swim can save you or your child’s life so it’s important to prioritize taking lessons.
We know that it’s not always realistic to stay with the same swim school for you or your child’s entire swim journey but if it’s not, it’s a good idea to look for swim schools that offer the same program as the one that your child’s been making progress in.
For instance, if your child is swimming at a school that teaches the Lifesaving Society’s program, try and find a swim school that offers that program as well. Alternatively, ask the swim school for a recommendation. If you’re moving, chances are we know some great schools in your new area that may offer the same program or take a similar approach.
While it’s best for your child’s progress to continue with the same swim school…
the most important thing is that they’re participating in swimming lessons and understand the importance of water safety. Always try to stick with the same swim school and stay consistent but at the very least, make sure that they’re taking swimming lessons – it’s the best way to prevent drowning!