3, 2, 1 Blast Off

CRYING is COMMUNICATING!

Know that your child will probably cry! Having taught swim lessons for more than a combined 50+ years we have found a pattern of crying which most children of all ages will go through when they start lessons! The Bonds do understand how much your heart is hurting watching your child cry!  Hang in there, we WILL teach them to swim and enjoy the water! We know: All children have the ability to learn to swim.  Don’t be embarrassed about crying!  Other parents are empathizing with you or they are watching their own swimmer. No one is judging you about “why you are allowing your child to cry!”  The First Class: We encourage you to watch the class, smile & cheer for your child. They watch you! They see your response; if you are concerned or nervous, your child will pick up on this and cry harder! If you are not running to take them in your arms but waving & smiling they will begin to think "hum, mommy is not to upset with this stranger holding me maybe it’s OK."  We really understand how your heart hurts when your child is crying! Keep smiling, usually about 15-20 minutes into the third class the tears stop and your child will begin to laugh and play with the others and interact with the teacher! 

Yes! Your Parental response to classes are important! Your job is to be your child's cheer person! Clap, give thumbs up, blow kisses and be excited for your child to learn this life skill! We want you to watch the lessons, so you can reiterate what they are learning when you go to the pool.

~ If you are doing Baby & Me: Do all you can to relax and enjoy being in the water. Your enjoyment will be transmitted to your child. This should be a fun experience for you and your child. ~Slow movements, a quiet voice, happy facial expressions, a gentle touch, eye contact and a secure parent-child position in the water will aid in your child enjoying the water. 

~ In All Lessons: By voice tone, or facial expression never show you are afraid or upset. Fear is catching and your child will catch it from you. The more excited you are about lessons the quicker your child will enjoy the lessons!

Getting a child’s face wet is usually not a problem, but getting their head, hair & ears wet can be. The parent should start this at home in the bathtub before coming to class. Start by dripping water over the head and continue to a light shower. The more splashing at home the easier a child learns to swim.

Never practice “blowing bubbles” Bonds Swimming want their lungs full of air to aid in buoyancy! Blowing bubbles empties the lungs and child sinks they then have to learn to swim up for air. If they hold their breath they can pop-up or roll to breath staying on top of the water! 

One of the more important adjustments in the water is getting a child to accept a prone rather than upright position. This can be worked on in the bathtub by laying down on tummy & back this will also be practiced as well during the lesson. For Baby & Me: To work on the prone position during the lesson, hold the child under the armpits and tilt them till their feet come up. We are working on this when kicking on noodles and on back floats. For Parent: start w/ child’s head on your shoulder - slowly lower your self into the water while gently lifting the lower back until child is in back float position.

Yes,  Almost everyone’s eyes are sensitive to chlorinated water. It is therefore recommended that if the water is irritating (if they are rubbing their eyes), please get a pair of goggles for your child. (children have 20/300 without goggles, and 20/20 with goggles)