Top Christmas Gifts For Swim Teachers
There seems to be a growing trend for gifting something small to swim teachers before Christmas in much the same way as there as been a growing trend in buying gifts for your child’s class teacher at school. Does that mean that you are now obliged and under pressure to buy your swim teacher something? Absolutely not; I promise that once the January term starts your swim teacher is not going to be suspiciously eyeing up parents who didn’t bring a gift before the Christmas holidays. If however you love your swim teacher and do want to gift them something this Christmas read on.
The best gifts are free!
The best gifts that I have ever received from my swimmers have been ones that have cost the parents nothing (aside from the grey hairs and stress of cleaning glitter that your child has doused over a lovingly made card). The best gifts that I have received as a swim teacher have always been the homemade cards, the pictures children have drawn or the little trinkets they have made. I once had a swimmer who recreated their swimming lesson in Lego and their parents emailed a picture of it, it was epic and one that I will never forget. Some of us are a sentimental bunch and will keep the things your children have made (despite our own children’s crafts perhaps having a shorter shelf life).
Here are a couple that I’ve been holding on to:
If your child isn’t into crafts or drawing (or perhaps they’re a reluctant writer), you can give the gift of feedback. Who doesn’t love hearing that they’re doing a great job? If you haven’t already, let your swim teacher, and their bosses know! Leave a review on social media, or google, not only will you put a smile on your swim teacher’s face, but you’ll be letting other parents looking for lessons know that they are in good hands.
Chlorine hates our hair and skin.
Perhaps surprisingly, being in the water for hours on end can have a very drying effect on hair and skin. If you’d like to buy a small gift for your swimming teacher, most would be very grateful to receive a hair mask or some moisturiser (the boring unscented kind) to bring some life and moisture back. Moisture boosting, intense repair or bond strengthening hair masks are a great treat for us, and there are plenty of options for a range of budgets (and honestly, we’ll be grateful whether you’ve spent £1 or £10)
Water, water everywhere, but we need a bit to drink.
If you’ve spent much time poolside you’ll know how ridiculously hot it can feel sometimes. Teaching is thirsty work, not just because of the environment but because of all the talking we do. Another welcome gift for a swim teacher is a re-useable water bottle. If you really love your swim teacher and want to treat them, then a water bottle that can keep drinks hot or cold is the ultimate. If your swim teacher already has a collection of re-useable water bottles, then why not get them a personalised band for their water bottle with their name, or simply swim teacher on it?
We like a hot drink to warm up with.
Despite those roasting temperatures poolside, sometimes it’s like walking into the arctic when you step into the changing rooms soaking wet at the end of lessons, and with some showers out of action due to local covid restrictions it can leave us feeling chilly as we head home. This means that many of us (especially those with a slight coffee addiction like me) will be heading to the nearest hot drinks vending machine or drive-thru coffee shop. You will never, ever go wrong with a gift card for your nearest coffee shop – even if your swim teacher doesn’t like coffee, most of us do enjoy a hot beverage of some sort.