In last week’s column I wrote with a heavy heart about the fact that we have recorded the highest number of drowning deaths since records began over the past 12 months.
One of the major ways we can combat these figures is to ensure everyone learns to swim, at all ages, but sometimes fear of the unknown can hold us back. I am often asked what to expect as someone begins swimming lessons?
For the majority of students, regardless of age and lesson plan, lessons focus both on initial swimming skills and basic water acclimatisation and safety, like floating and blowing bubbles, while also building comfort and trust with the instructor and creating positive associations with the water.
Progress will be gradual and individual, depending on a range of factors like possible fear of water, physical coordination and consistency, which is absolutely crucial to learning any new skill.
Lessons will over time progress to teaching specific skills like kicks, strokes, and breathing techniques, with a long-term goal of water safety and improved physical and mental health.
There is no set timeline for learning, as progress depends on individual comfort levels and abilities and students must be allowed to progress at their own pace.
Patience is important, as is the practise and reinforcement of key skills learnt at home, perhaps in the bath for our smallest students (closely supervised of course), or in a public pool for older children and adults (with a lifeguard on duty for safety).
It is important to realise that young children may be upset in the first lesson, and even for several weeks, but this is not a reason to abandon swimming lessons! This is absolutely normal, as swimming lessons are often the first time a child engages in a structured activity outside of the home, and it can take more than one lesson for a child to build trust and comfort with the instructor.
I speak from experience and understand that as a parent it is very difficult to watch the child not enjoying every moment of their lesson from the very beginning, but perseverance is key to the child learning a life skill that could actually save their life.
The level of comfort I know I feel sending my children off to camps and pool parties knowing that they can swim far outweighs any momentary discomfort in those early days!
You can do many things at home to offset any resistance, such as speaking positively at home about swimming lessons, encouraging excitement and enthusiasm, and by modelling calm and confidence yourself around the water. If you don’t know how to swim – please learn and model water safety and confidence to your children.
My children knew from a very young age that learning to swim was a non negotiable priority in their week, and would remain so until they were competent and had reached all recommended safety milestones.
The 2024 RLS National Drowning Report revealed the risk of drowning increases tenfold for youth and young adults aged 10-20 because of a clear decline in swimming, water safety, and lifesaving skills and an increase in risk-taking activities in this age group. Tenfold! That is a statistic I find truly frightening.
Until next week, stay safer!
