Do you teach adult swimming lessons?
Yes! I’ve worked with countless adults, from beginners to advanced swimmers. Some folks come week after week for stroke work, while others come for “teach yourself to swim” lessons wherein they learn all the basics to practice at home.
Fearful of water? I can still teach you to swim. I have a great track record of helping folks who are nervous to acclimate to swimming. Not only do I understand breath mechanics and the physics of water, but I am also a keen observer of emotions. I have an exceptional ability to provide effective verbal, visual, and practical feedback for beginner adults.
What are toddler swim lessons like? What should I expect?
Toddler swimming lessons are taught via the Red Cross method (described below). If your child is 2.5 or under, you should expect to enter the pool to work directly with them while I lead the lesson. While *some* children under 2.5 do not need parental support in the pool, most do.
Toddler swim lessons consist of basic swimming skills framed as games, songs, and challenges. We sing about kicking and blowing bubbles, find treasures in the water, and race to collect learning toys. In each toddler swimming lesson, your child will participate in a full range of these activities, culminating in learned skills like: breath control, kicking, floating, propelling with arms, submerging, finding the wall/steps, and climbing out independently
Your child will also benefit from increased body awareness (kinesthesia) and socialization with adults and peers. They’ll expand their language skills, make memories, and see a bunch of cool plants at my house!
What is the Red Cross method?
All of my swimming lessons are taught utilizing the Red Cross method. This is a gentle progression of classes, from beginner through stroke technique training. Beginner students learn to enter and exit the pool safely, float, control their breath, and begin to locomote. Intermediate students learn to tread water, transition vertical to horizontal and back without touching the bottom. Intermediate students also learn various strokes on both the front and back, with continued improvements in positioning and breath control. Advanced students learn to maximize stroke efficiency by breathing through strokes and making updates to positioning and technique. All lessons lean into water safety and self-awareness.
When should my child start swimming lessons?
Red Cross recommends beginning swimming classes at 6 months old. At this age, children are simply acclimating to water and building a positive relationship with swim-time. You should not expect your child to “swim” at this age as they do not have the motor skills to do so. Children can really begin to “swim” independently closer to 2.5-4 years old, some students learning as early as 2 or as late as… adults!
Are the private swimming lessons at my home or yours?
Both! I host most of my lessons from my private, heated, salt-system pool in the Acreage. Some folks prefer that their children learn in their own home pool, so I travel as well. Prices listed on my website are for lessons held in my own pool. If you would like me to come to you, just send me a message with your address and I’ll send you a rate quote for swimming lessons at your home.
Can someone who is afraid of water learn to swim?
Absolutely! In my years of teaching, I find that students who are fearful of learning to swim, are actually afraid of not knowing how to feel safe in the water. I cultivate a safe environment to move gradually through overcoming these feelings by providing emotional support, well-placed feedback, and calm demeanor/patience.
How long does it take to learn to swim?
This is my favorite question! LOL!
There is no designated timeline for learning to swim, but the following factors contribute a lot: age, motivations, parental encouragement, motor skills, listening skills. If you ever wish to discuss your child’s individual progress, please ask!