- my iParenting
- quick clicks
- iparenting canada articles
- iparenting canada q&a
- message boards
- research baby names
- prepare a birth plan
- content channels
- ip channel rss feeds
- read birth stories
- read parenting stories
- recommended books
- e-newsletters
- safety recalls
- ip diaries
- ip store
- mom of the month
- dad of the month
- editor's letter
- letters to the editor
From Our Sponsors
 |
- e-newsletters
- Sign up to receive our free weekly e-newsletters
- award-winning products
The iParenting Media Awards program helps parents find the best products for their families.
In the Swim of Things
Getting Your Preschooler to Embrace the Water By Julia Rosien
10 Things to Look for in an Instructor
- Every instructor should be trained in child CPR and first aid, and there should be a separate lifeguard on duty during class. Your child's safety should be priority one in any situation. The children should never be left alone or allowed into the water without an adult.
- Look for an instructor who is enthusiastic and patient. Talk to other parents and see how their children are doing. Make sure the instructor knows how to introduce skills sequentially rather than everything all at once. Enthusiasm is great, but the instructor needs to have patience and allow each child to develop at her own rate.
- Crying is not a prerequisite. Is the instructor using positive reinforcement and tending to the fears and concerns of the children he is teaching? If you see children fussing and crying in the parking lot or changing rooms then something is wrong. Don't be afraid to ask parents why their child is upset. Most parents love to share their concerns, and this can provide insight into the program for you.
- Swimming lessons are a great time for bonding. Are parents required to be in the water with their child during the lessons? Dawn Goldsmith of Illinois taught her son to swim at a young age. She still remembers "his big trusting brown eyes wide open looking at (her) from under the water." Her child's first water experiences were with his parents. Goldsmith didn't put her children into the hands of strangers until they were comfortable in the water. Any program for children younger than 4 should involve the parent and child.
- No child should be forced into a situation until she is ready. Jessie Bishop will never forget her first experience in swimming lessons when she was 4. At 23, she can still remember the terror she felt when her father seized her by the waist and pulled her under the water. She panicked and kicked her father. He let her go and she sank further. By the time she reached the surface, her nose was full of water and she threw up all over her dad's feet. "We never went back, and it was 8 before I taught myself to swim," she says.
