#babyswimclass

Wow! Your child not progressing in swimming after week can be concerning. It seems they’re still struggling with the same skills. What’s going on?

One of the most challenging concepts for both parents and instructors to grasp in the swimming journey is the plateau phenomenon. Simply put, a “plateau” refers to a period when your child not progressing in swimming may appear to remain stagnant in their skill development during the learning process. The answer to your concerns lies in the fact that your child has likely reached a plateau.

What Is a Plateau?

The concept of plateauing is familiar to seasoned swimmers. A “plateau” refers to a period when a swimmer is working hard but not showing measurable improvement. During these times, it’s essential to focus on refining techniques and celebrating small wins.

Plateaus in Swim Lessons

Sometimes, children might try to persuade their swim instructor to focus on skills they already enjoy. If your child is not progressing in swimming, it’s up to the instructor to get creative and introduce new, age-appropriate skills. The activities that are fun for the child can then serve as rewards for trying something new!

It can be tough to remain patient during these slower phases of the swim lesson process, so frequent communication between parents and instructors is essential.

Unique Challenges of Learning to Swim

Unlike skills learned on land, swimming requires your child to adapt to an environment where gravitational forces are either removed or significantly diminished. To succeed, they must learn to:

Adjust to Weightlessness: Navigate an environment that feels completely different from the ground.

Control Their Breathing: Understand how to breathe only when their mouth and nose are above water.

Grip the Water: Master the skill of holding water with their hands and feet.

These skills are quite foreign to children, who are accustomed to their day-to-day activities on solid ground.

The Importance of Confidence in Swimming

Confidence is the most significant factor that influences your child’s progress through the five stages of learning to swim. Initially, they need to feel secure enough to put their face in the water without fear of inhaling water or getting it up their nose. This confidence takes time to develop.

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Make Swimming Fun to Overcome Fear

Being in water can be intimidating, especially for new swimmers. It’s completely normal for children to feel afraid of water when swimming. They often pick up on the anxiety of adults around them, which can amplify their fear.

As a long-time swim instructor at Shapland Swim School, I encourage parents to observe lessons, but it’s important to understand that the skills that scare children (and their parents) are often best introduced through fun games. If nerves are high, it’s okay for parents to watch from a distance while we keep the atmosphere light and engaging!

Celebrate Progress, No Matter How Small

It’s vital to celebrate every little achievement in swim lessons. Acknowledging even small milestones reinforces positive behavior. After years of teaching, I’ve seen firsthand that every child learns at their own pace, and celebrating these achievements can help ease their journey, especially when a child is not progressing in swimming as quickly as expected.

The Learning Process: What to Expect?

When children begin their swimming lessons, the focus is on putting their face in the water and controlling their breathing. Some children might grasp this skill in the very first lesson, while others may need several sessions to feel comfortable. After mastering this skill, the next challenge is learning that the water will always support them (floating). Developing this confidence and skill can take time, leading to another period where it feels like they are at a standstill.

Once your child understands that water will support their body weight, they can move on to learning how to hold the water with their hands and feet. As you can imagine, water is a liquid that’s challenging to grip, and mastering this skill takes time, resulting in yet another plateau in their skill development.

The Cycle of Learning

This cycle of gaining confidence, reaching a plateau, learning a new skill, gaining confidence again, and hitting another plateau is a natural process for learners of all ages, from babies to adults, including competitive swimmers.

Patience and Encouragement

As your child navigates this process, please be patient and offer plenty of encouragement. They are working hard to adapt to an environment without the familiar pull of gravity and developing the fine motor skills necessary to hold the water with their hands and feet.

Practice Makes Perfect

Ideally, your swimmer should have access to a pool where they can practice between lessons. Allowing them to explore the water on their own terms and at their own pace can be less daunting than structured lessons. If family swim time is enjoyable, learning new skills will become an exciting adventure rather than a chore.

Older siblings who have already mastered swimming skills can also be invaluable in helping younger swimmers progress!

A Lifelong Skill: The Importance of Water Safety

Water safety is an important life skill. Regardless of your child’s current level, a combination of courage and fun is the best recipe for continued progress in their swimming journey.

Swim Safe / By Chris Shapland

There are so many benefits of swimming for children. Not only is it just a fun activity, it can also help a child boost their physical and mental attributes in a holistic manner, thereby helping them develop into confident, competent adults. In this article, let’s do a deep dive into why an early swimming education sets the foundation for lifelong skills, both in a survival and recreational framework. While there’s so much we could say, we’ll stick to the 8 we believe are the most beneficial!

Swimming Promotes Water Safety For Children

Swimming, though fun, can also be a little dangerous. After all, compared to when you’re standing and walking on ground, when you’re swimming in a pool, river, or ocean, you’re in a whole different environment which requires another set of skills to navigate due to the removal or partial removal of gravitational forces acting on your body. 

This is why an early swimming education promotes water safety for children. Beyond learning about the various strokes and movements required to swim, students also learn how to remain confident and comfortable in water. Students will be able to recognize potential risks in the water and understand how to handle the aquatic world in a responsible way.

Swimming Increases Cognitive Capacity

Another benefit of swimming is that it has the power to increase cognitive capacity. Physical activities in general are known to sharpen the mind, and swimming is no different. From helping children gain better concentration, honing their problem solving skills, to leaving them much fresher and clearer after every session, swimming’s benefits on the brain cannot be overstated. 

Giving evidence to these claims, research from Griffith University has also found that children who learn to swim younger reach cognitive milestones faster–Some by as much as 10 months!

Swimming Supports Motor Skills Development 

Moving on, did you also realise swimming supports motor skills development? Given that the activity relies so heavily on the whole body working together in one, fluid motion, a lot of stress is placed on core strength and stability. 

Swimming Improves Physical Health

Though we’ve already touched upon a few of the physical benefits of swimming, let’s take a closer look at what really happens. 

Simply put, swimming, and other fun water activities have a way to boost a child’s immune system, cardiovascular health, and improve the quality of their sleep. On top of this, one question people ask alot is, does swimming develop muscles? 

The simple answer is, yes, it does! Given the fact that the water serves as resistance, swimming is one way in which you can strengthen your body and put on some muscle. However, compared to going to the gym, the activity is easy on the joints, making it a great starting exercise for many. 

Get started on your swimming journey with our Baby Swim Classes! 

Swimming Creates A Positive Association With Exercise

Given the benefits already listed, as well as the fact that swimming is a highly rewarding, fun activity for children and adults alike, swimming also has the power to create a positive association with exercise. 

Great swim schools are aware of this, which is why they emphasize student enjoyment as much as they do their safety. Swimming is fun, and should be enjoyed as an activity. By doing so, it creates lifelong swimmers that can reap all its many benefits.

Swimming Boosts Water Confidence

Water can be scary to children who’ve never encountered it. After all, it’s a whole new world that’s vastly different from the solid, rigid one they’re used to. This is why it’s so useful to have children start swimming from an early age. Developing water confidence translates into real-life confidence, and opens up a whole host of opportunities for those children.

With water confidence, there’s so much more you could start enjoying. From learning how to surf, kite-surf, snorkel, scuba dive, wakeboard, jetski, and many more fun water activities, you’ll be able to really build a satisfying relationship with water. Considering our world’s about 70% water, isn’t this something worth doing?

Swimming Builds Personal Character

Taking all the previously mentioned benefits into account, swimming also helps build an individual’s character. This is especially true for children who’ve learned swimming as complete beginners. Sticking with the process through thick and thin, these children now have an understanding of what it takes to accomplish their goals, and can rely on this mentality when faced with future obstacles. 

Besides this, research like the one from BMC Public Health have also showcased how active children turn into active adults. Furthermore, physical activities like swimming teach your children  about discipline, perseverance, hard work, and competitiveness.

Swimming Boosts Your Self Image

Last but not least on this list of benefits of swimming for children, swimming boosts your self image. Again, learning how to swim isn’t easy. By taking the time and putting in the effort to work through the process, children will find they develop skills that initially might’ve seemed impossible to figure out.

Invest In Quality Swimming Programs For Your Child’s Benefit With Shapland Swim Schools!

Parental support is vital if your child is to learn how to swim. Given the fact that the process is so long and challenging, why not opt for a reputable swim school like Shapland Swim Schools? With over 8 decades of experience teaching children how to swim, Shapland is equipped with the right knowledge, facilities, and instructors to make your child’s swim dreams come true. For example, our bespoke pool design accelerates your child’s ability to adjust to the changes in how their body behaves in water.  Find out what you can do for your son or daughter by contacting us now!Post navigation