As a family, we love the water. Going to the beach, the lake, the pool, the river, is one of our favorite activities. Since they were infants, my 4 (almost 5!) year-old twins have taken swim lessons so they are comfortable playing in the water. However, while they have had basic skills to enjoy playing in the water, they were not able to really “swim.” I recently had the opportunity to enroll them in lessons at British Swim School Raleigh. I couldn’t be more pleased with this program and my children’s swimming progress thus far!
From my first conversation with Amy Joyner, the owner of British Swim School in Raleigh, I could see her passion for British Swim School’s commitment to water safety and their philosophy of individualized instruction for each swimmer. She explained how each swim level has specific age-appropriate skills, steps and goals to achieve before swimmers can move up to the next level. I realized that the process of learning to swim had never been explained to me in logical, child-center manner before. I was excited to see how the instruction would be personalized for my children’s needs.
British Swim School utilizes a mix of play and learning in every lesson, as well as a steady routine so children know what to expect each week. This combination, in addition to the small class sizes (no more than 4 students to one instructor), has really worked for both my son and my daughter to keep them fully engaged. Each class starts off with a bit of fun by singing a children’s song as the instructors play and splash with them in the water. This is followed by the first of many safety lessons that are woven into each session: safe entry and safe exit. Every time my children get in and out of the water, this is the way they now know to do it: chanting “Elbow, elbow, belly, knee, knee.” Even this basic safety skill was introduced in a fun, kid-focused way so that without realizing it, children are learning critical water safety skills! After the introductory song and safe entry/exit practice comes swimming skills, which are repeated and expanded upon each week. My kids have come to know that if they work hard during the lesson, they get to swim and play at “Rainbow Island” after each lesson. While “Rainbow Island” appears to simply be free play time, Amy explained to me that they are learning to swim independently in a safe environment. They wear a child-sized inflatable inner tube to freely explore all the water toys on the floating island while an instructor closely supervises nearby. What has really stood out to me is that every part of the lessons at British Swim School has a specific purpose.
For their first lesson, my children were placed in the Starfish class. This class is geared for ages 3+ and designed to build confidence and awareness in the water. Amy gave me a specific list of swimming and survival skills that my kids would need to master to move up to the next swimming level:
- Water acclimation
- No fear, no tears
- Supported back float
- Full submersion
- Independence in the swim ring
Some of the Starfish skills were more challenging for my kids than others. When they began, my daughter didn’t like to put her face in the water. I watched as she gradually learned to keep her face in the water while gliding back to the wall with her extended ‘shark arms.’ After 3 weeks of practice, she could do it every time and proved she mastered this Starfish skill! There was also a point when my energetic kiddos wanted to stop practicing “floating like a starfish” because they wanted to do something else. However, their teachers constantly encouraged them with gentle but matter-of-fact explanations on the importance of learning to float. With this friendly but firm approach, my kids continued to practice assisted floating several times. We were even provided practical tips to practice out of water at home that helped them with this skill. Sometimes they were better at it than other times but they realized that practicing was helping them improve. By the end of the fourth week, both of my children could float independently for 20 seconds! They were both amazed and so proud of themselves that they wanted to do it again right away!
I love the growth that I have seen in my kids swimming ability in a short amount of time and all the while they are having a great time. That first week, both of my children were already comfortable with some skills but needed help to master others. Specific step-by-step instructions were given to help them learn and strengthen these skills and I saw them improving every week. My littles recently completed the 5 Goals for Starfish! They received special ribbons and certificates to commemorate their graduation into the next level. Witnessing this progression has made me feel very lucky to have found the British Swim School for my children. We are all excited for next part of our swimming journey as Minnows!
British Swim School offers programs in the Raleigh area. It is their mission to ensure that every person, regardless of age or ability, has the opportunity to become a safe and happy swimmer. For locations, classes and more information please visit https://britishswimschool.com/raleigh.
