This is the third part of our series on how to bring up a concern about your child’s swim lessons.

Last week, we talked about feeling that your new instructor is not as experienced as your previous instructor.

We want to make it easy for you to have these conversations with us, so over the next four weeks, we would like to share with you the top four concerns we hear from parents, and suggestions on how to approach a conversation with us.

Concern #3: You feel your instructor is either pushing your child too hard through the swim progressions OR not offering enough emotional or physical support over the course of the lesson.

Maybe your child has started complaining about not wanting to practice a certain swim skill or they don’t want to return to lessons at all. It’s time to let the instructor know that this is a bit much for them.

[bctt tweet=”As instructors, we need to hear what your expectations are and we love any “insider” knowledge you share with us!” username=”AquaLifeSA”]

Action step: Notice exactly where your child is challenged and talk to them about it. See what insight your child can offer then bring it to the instructor’s attention.

Scenario 1: If your child needs more support, have a conversation with your instructor and offer suggestions on how to better support your child. Be specific.

Scenario 2: If your child is complaining about not wanting to come back to lessons, decide if it is the challenge of the swim skills at hand they are uncomfortable with, in which case you can let the instructor know which skills are causing your child anxiety and offer suggestions or talk your child through coping with their discomfort.

Scenario 3: Look at the length of time your child has been in swim lessons and ask yourself if perhaps a break in lessons would help to build up your their motivation once again. Arrange a break in lessons with Charlene in Client Care if appropriate.

What to say: “My daughter is a little bit stressed with all the front swim practice and we are finding it hard to come back to lessons. Is it possible to inject more fun in the lesson so she can relax a bit more between skills?” OR “Is there a way to back it up until she is a bit more confident with that skill?”

Parents are a library of insight into their child’s behaviour, strengths, and weaknesses! You know your child’s interests, how they act when scared or excited, and you get to hear what your child says about their swim lesson when it’s all done.

While we do get to know your child over the course of weekly lessons, as instructors we need to hear what your expectations are. We love any “insider” knowledge you share with us!

Valuable insight parents can offer include:

– What motivates your child.

– What they love about their swim lesson.

– What they worry about in their swim lesson.

– Fun facts like what trip they are taking soon, or costume they are wearing for Halloween, or where they swam recently and so on.

– Words or actions that help them feel more secure. This gives insight into how to best support your child.

There you have it, our third common parental concern and the action steps you can take to help address the concern.

Please tune in to next week’s blog when we look at our fourth and final concern – Your child seems bored or you feel they are not progressing as quickly as you’d like.