Summer is in full swing and the sounds of kids splashing and playing in the pool remind me how stressful it can be to have your kids at the pool! Last summer we had to hold our girls every time we were in the water and they were scared to try anything on their own, even though we were right there. They wouldn’t let go of us! I told myself there was no way I was going through another summer without them knowing how to swim.
In the spring I enrolled them in the entry level swimming class at our local community center. They loved it! They played in the water and practiced blowing bubbles. They crawled on their bellies and became familiar with the water. But that was it. We were in the class for weeks, and they were having a lot of fun, but they weren’t really learning how to swim. I was frustrated because I wasn’t looking for a class that taught them how to splash in the shallow end. I wanted them to be confident and safe around water. I wanted them to be ready for summer at the pool!
Luckily I met the folks of the British Swim School at the Baby Bonanza. They seemed to be exactly what I was looking for and they invited us to try their classes. At the very first lesson my kids were in the water (without me!) practicing their “blast offs” and rolling over onto their backs and they were floating with the help of their instructors. By the third class my 3 year old was floating on her back while singing the ABCs all by herself! My (almost) 5 year old was more timid during those first classes. I was so impressed by how patient the instructors were with her. They pushed her to try things outside of her comfort zone, like jumping in and putting her ears underwater, and now she’s so different around the water. She’s not timid anymore and she loves going to her classes.
We just finished our eighth week of classes and both girls are jumping off the side and rolling over to their backs so they can float. The British Swim School has helped them so much. They’ve come so far! Now when we go to the pool they’re comfortable in the water and they’re so proud of themselves as they practice their new skills.
The British Swim School has classes for babies as young as 3 months and for all age groups all the way up to adult classes. We were in a Minnow class. My favorite thing about this class was that there is a maximum of four children to an instructor. The instructors were incredibly efficient, so they had a lot of one on one time with each child. I was required to be there but I sat on the pool deck to watch the class. Every week the instructors talked to me about my girls’ progress, as they girls listened in, beaming with pride. I’d recommend the British Swim School to anyone looking for swim lessons in Columbus.
We were provided complimentary swim lessons at the British Swim School. However, these opinions are my own.
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