Hi. I'm looking for some tips to get my son excited about his upcoming swim class (which starts tomorrow). He is a wonderfully active 3-year-old boy. This past summer, he started "swimming" on his own ... and by end of summer was swimming 6-8 ft under water to me. I think he was spending more time underwater than out! However, this was always with me (no one else)... AND it was in a 90 degree pool. Jump to now. Last week, I took him to the pool (YMCA) where he'll have his lessons. First off, the pool was very cold. He wears a wet suit, but still complained (he is NOT a fan of being cold, ever). It took him a good hour to warm up and be comfortable enough to go under water at all. Even then, he only "swam" for a few minutes. The other issue is that, aside from staying in our home with a sitter, he's never been in a class or activity w/o me. With the exception of Kindermusik, all his activities (dance, tumbling, flag football) will be sans parents this year since he just turned 3.
My issue... I'm looking for advice as to the best way to transition him (gently) from "mom-always-being-there" activities to independent attendance. Another note... he does not attend preschool since we plan to homeschool for the first few years (at least through kindergarten). He does, however, go happily into junior church and/or nursery at church. So, for tomorrow... how do I get him excited to go into a cold pool with a stranger???
Thanks for the reassurance, ladies. As it turned out, I had nothing to worry about. In fact, he tried to run the class! LOL
I took him swimming, myself, the night prior to his first lesson. The first thing I did was put BOTH of his wet suits on. Voilà! No more "too cold" now! Worked like a charm. So, into the pool he went w/o a problem.
As for my not going into the water with him, he was totally fine. Since it was a super small class, the teacher(s) let the three parents stay inside the pool area to the side. I think it was somewhat reassuring to know I was still there. His only problem seemed to be with the speed of the class! He wanted so badly to swim underwater last night. However, all they did was "blow bubbles." Now my fear is that he'll get bored! LOL
Anyway... thanks again!
It sounds like he does do several activities with out you already. I bet that part won't bother him one bit. I'm also betting that once he gets to the class with all the other kids, he'll forget about the pool being cold. His excitement will overtake him! You just need to keep a positive mind and attitude. Make sure YOU'RE excited and he'll get excited too. He'll pick up on it if you're nervous or anxious.
I understand you want him to learn to swim at an early age, but he is really young to be left at that kind of class without a parent. My kids were never afraid of the water, but my youngest was 4 when I took him to swim class and all he did was scream, so after 2 days, I took him out of it. I brought him back the next year and had no problem. Sometimes it is just a matter of maturing.
My five year old daughter gets pretty clingy to me when faced with a new situation that doesn't involve me. What I do is stick around. It might take a few lessons for you to be able to just drop him off and go, but in the mean time I stay where she can see me and when she gets involved I slowly move away. Each time we go my length of stay shortens till I can just drop her off. Best of Luck!
talk about it with him. tell him you'll be leaving because he's SO grown up and he gets to go all by himself. make sure he understands before you even go there that you will 1)leave and 2)come back!! talk about how the teacher will help him if he has any problems. good luck!
I'll bet YOU are more worried about him being without you than he is. Being comfortable in someone else's care is an important thing for kids to learn; it will make both your lives easier.
My son attended a co-op preschool, so parents each took a turn as teacher's helper. There was a girl in the class whose mommy dragged out goodbyes and sometimes never left. Allie would cry, mommy would come back. Allie was settling down, mommy would poke her head in to check on her, Allie would start crying. She was the most insecure little thing! All the other kids were fine with their mommies leaving (after the first week, at least) and had a great preschool experience. Poor Allie had a tough time.
When you drop your son off tomorrow, say, "Bye, sweetie, I'm going to run a couple errands while you're in your swim class. Do what teacher says, I'll see you when you are finished." Give him a hug, and leave. Don't hang around, just be sure to be back a couple minutes before class ends. Tell him how proud you are of him for being such a big boy! I bet you'll be amazed to see how well he is doing!
I taught swimming lessons and coached swim team for 6 years through high school and college. I have two bits of advice. First, have him wear a t-shirt to class. You know that it will not keep him any warmer, but he will think that it does. I never had a kid who this little trick did not work for. Secondly, leave the premises. He will do much better if you are completely gone. If he sees you coming in and out or if he is watching for you as you observe his lesson, that will be counterproductive as well. It is like daycare or the church toddler room. If he knows that you are gone, he will accept it. As long as he thinks he can manipulate you, that is all that will be on his mind.
Good luck with the lessons. Swimming under water at 3 is great.
I know you've gotten some suggestions to stay close to your son when he starts the class. You might also consider that it may be easier for him if he can't see you. Maybe there's a spot you can watch him but he can't really see you. I used to teach swimming lessons and some kids made a much smoother transition if the parents weren't right there. Of course, now that I have 3 and 5 year olds, it's easier to say than do! But it's something to consider. Each child is different! Good luck, I'm sure he'll love the lessons.
