Preparing for swimming lessons, a guide to

Go Swimming - if possible, take your child to a swimming pool as a family and have fun! If you can get to a the same pool as your lessons are at even better.

Model water confidence - encourage splashing and blowing bubbles into the water, make sure that you do these things too, children learn a lot from the modelling of their parents and caregivers. If you can demonstrate confidence in and around the water this is likely to make your child feel at ease too. Not that confident in the water? Have a look at booking your own lesson, it’s never too late to improve water confidence, aquatic skills or to learn to swim. If you can’t get to a pool, then use bath time as a place to practice water confidence.

The happiness of a child enjoying the water

What to wear - Explain the need to wear swimwear and that they may need to wear goggles in their lesson.  Practice putting on and wearing the goggles at home; again, bath time presents a good opportunity to try this out.  If your swim school requires swimmers to wear a swim hat try and practice putting this on and wearing it before attending lessons. Choose the right swimwear for the pool temperature and your child’s needs - you can ask your swim school in advance.

Tell them what to expect - If this is your child’s first time in lessons or if they are feeling anxious find them a story, social story or video that explains what happens during a swimming lesson (some swim schools have their own).  Remind your child that you won’t be in the water with them, but their teacher will look after them. Let your child know whether the teacher will be in the water with them or not, again reassuring them that their swim teacher will keep them safe and will make sure they have lots of fun.

Who is my teacher? - Check your swim school’s website for a picture of their swim teacher, or ask the swim school to email you one so that you can familiarise your child with the person who will be working with them.

Do a dry run - Drive the route to the pool, whether that be direct from your school or from home. Check usual traffic flow so that you can ensure you have a calm arrival on your first day; a flustered and hurried arrival can add layers of stress and worry if your child is already feeling anxious about lessons.

Arrival - Decide if you need to or want to arrive pool ready in advance (local COVID-19 restrictions may affect access to changing facilities). Plan what will be in your swim bag, we recommend always packing spare underwear, a water bottle and a snack for afterwards.

Prepare to have fun!