Thank you to Goldfish Swim School for their partnership. I received complimentary swim lessons to facilitate this post; all opinions are 100% my own.
It has been nearly a year since we began attending swim lessons at Goldfish Swim School. What?! A year!? My little fish has made a lot of progress in the pool during this time. She is so comfortable in the water. She will jump in, go underwater and kick and pull her little feet and arms all the way across the pool with just a hand on her belly to keep her up.
She began swim lessons at 16 months in Goldfish Swim School’s Mini 2 class. This is a wonderful class to get kids ages 4 months – 35 months comfortable in the water while learning basic skills and water safety. A parent is in the pool with them during this class which also makes it a great bonding experience.
This class has a similar structure each week, so the same skills are reinforced each time. Since we are coming up on a year, E is very comfortable in this class and knows just what to expect. This was my first sign that she might be ready for more of a challenge. She could do all of the skills with ease and was becoming distracted in class, wanting to climb out of the pool or only do her favorite exercises.
With the help of the Goldfish staff, we decided that the next level up, Mini 3, would be a perfect step for her. This class is for kids 24-35 months who are generally comfortable in the water, have been in Mini 2 lessons for a while, or just need a bigger push. The biggest difference is that there is no parent participation in this level. This was a huge change for E, and she was not so sure about this!
We had a rough start, but the Goldfish staff were so supportive and encouraging. She was screaming and crying rather loudly and I didn’t know if I should stay with her or just leave and let her get used to it. It is always hard to walk away from them when you can see they are actually really scared. She wasn’t scared of the water, she was scared of the change. I knew I was only making it worse by staying there but I also felt bad leaving my screaming kid with that poor instructor who had 2 other kids to handle!
The staff ensured me that this was normal and said “you have two choices and we are fine with either: You can stay or you can leave her here and ‘rip the band-aid off’”. It made me feel much better about leaving and before you knew it I got a thumbs up from the instructor through the window just a few minutes later. She was loving it and was completely fine.
I talked with some of the staff after the lesson and they said it is usually about a month before they get used to being dropped off in the pool without mom or dad. As hard as it is to hear her cry, I know through it all she is gaining independence and confidence. All of the staff are amazing and I know she is in good hands! Plus, I am honestly pretty thrilled I don’t have to swim anymore and I know she is ready for this!
At Goldfish, they learn a lot more than just basic swimming skills. Part of their main focus while teaching kids swim and water safety skills, is to build character. The encouraging instructors and supportive staff do just that. They want to see the kids succeed and will do what they can give them that little extra push when they need it. And sometimes even a little extra push for mom or dad 😉
If you are interested in getting your kids started at Goldfish Swim School, visit here to find a location near you!