BK had her first round of swim lessons this summer. I foresee this being an every summer event, until she decides otherwise. But, if the swim lessons in the future go as smoothly as these, I think we’ll be taking them for a while. I couldn’t believe the progress she made in a few short weeks. She went from being unsure when it came to putting her head under the water, to swimming by herself under water. She gained confidence, and her love for the water grew by leaps and bounds.
I wasn’t prepared for the shock I would feel when I watched her tiny body swim without any support. My heart just about stopped, I held by breath, each and every time. I knew she was okay, and if she couldn’t swim or struggled in the least, her instructor was right there to give her support. Even by the last class, I never quite got used to that sight.
She practiced floating on her back and jumping off the side. The learned the basics of stream line and even practiced diving off the side. And while I’m not letting her go swimming by herself anytime soon, she made huge strides. She likes to swim with her head under water, but when she runs out of breath, she panics a bit and starts to sink. She isn’t afraid to jump from the side of the pool or try to swim to us in the pool. I love her confidence in the water, and I hope her love for swimming only grows as her technique improves.
Here’s a video I took at her last lesson.
And apparently, after one set of lessons, she feels confident in teaching others to swim. She was playing Miss Laylee (her swim instructor) at the pool last week. She kept making them do it over and over. She would even say funny things like, Make sure you keep your head under, I’m watching to see if you got it right.
That is so awesome! Where did she take them? We didn’t have very good progress in the lessons Brayden took this summer – they didn’t do anything like that with him. I’d like to take him somewhere else next summer & try again.
I loved swim lessons, but the thing that really made me confident in the water was when my parents finally signed my sisters and me up for the neighborhood summer swim league. I think BK has a few more summers to go (the ones here start at age 4 or 5), but I strongly recommend you keep it in the back of your mind. None of us ever ended up being that fast, but we are all strong swimmers for it. Keep encouraging it! It does wonders for confidence.
The boys took lessons for the second time this summer. They loved them! Like you, I was so pleased with their progress after only a few classes. And, I know that feeling you’re talking about, too, when they’re all on their own!
Good to hear the swimming lessons went smoothly. I found the end part amusing about her giving her own lessons, lol.
That’s fantastic! We did swim lessons this summer too and I am amazed at the progress.