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How Long Will It Take for My Child to Learn to Swim?

learning to swim at bear paddle swim schoolSwimming looks easy, but takes an immense amount of coordination that is sometimes underestimated. Swimming involves mastering every single muscle in the body in order to move smoothly, efficiently, and safely through the water. That’s a lot to ask of a young student who may still be growing!

Every child learns to swim differently. Some respond well to silly, imaginative lessons, and others need more structured classes to help them focus on the skills at hand. Building on your child’s strengths and customizing lessons to their learning styles helps students develop skills while having fun.

Here are a few tips to help your student master swimming quickly:

    • Come to swim lessons consistently. It’s easy for a child to forget swimming skills over the course of one week. Missing additional lessons per month can lead to regression, which is hard to overcome.
    • Review the swimming skills needed to master a level. Bear Paddle Swim School provides Patch Rewards for every swimming skill mastered in a level. Collecting these Patch Rewards can motivate students, but in order to earn a skill, Deck Managers look for several swim lessons of successful completion. Missing a swim lesson can stall progress.
    • Add a second swim lesson per week, or enroll in Seasonal Swim Camps. These extra swim lessons can push a student into the next level by building muscle memory and coordination.
    • Review swim skills at home. Level 1 and 2 require mastery of skills

that can be practiced in a bathtub or kiddie pool. Blowing bubbles, pouring water over the ears, and floating on the back at home can help kids feel more comfortable performing a skill at swim lessons.

  • Talk with the Deck Manager. Deck Managers have detailed, individualized feedback for every student, and can give homework, advice, and follow-up for students who may be having a hard time with certain skills.

Ultimately, your student’s progression depends on their learning style, how frequently they swim, and their coordination. If you have any concerns about your student’s progress, or to schedule additional swims to boost progress, stop by the Front Desk for scheduling help and updates!