You enrolled your child in swim class, finally having adjusted them to the activity and eased fears about the water. Soon, however, you face a different obstacle, change. How can you gauge your child's developmental readiness to handle changes to something routine as swimming lessons? A change in schedule, teacher, or level of swim class is bound to occur eventually, and can bring with it some pretty negative feelings with your children. The questions is this: how ready are you, as a parent, to deal with those changes?
Comfort your child
Before discussing any details, attending to your child's fears and anxieties is the first step in preparing a child for change. They should learn to approach any deviations in their lives with a balanced disposition. Assure them that change is a natural factor of growing up, and that they will encounter many more similar occurrences in their lives. If your child is accustoming to a new teacher, emphasize exciting new qualities that particular individual may have. It may even help to arrive to class early in order to introduce your child to their instructor and offer a level of comfort and ease.
If your child is moving up levels in swim class, focus on what they love most about swimming, and be sure to let them know they will be learning even more skills and even more ways to have fun in the pool! Accentuating the positive aspects of change will help your child become more flexible to the idea of something different.
Communicate about the change
After getting your child ready for swimming, it is crucial to discuss the meaning of the change, what it entails for everybody involved, and its impact. A large part about fostering developmental readiness in your child is ensuring they have the capability to understand situations and appropriately adapt to change. Having a conversation over possible changes like the start time of the lesson, a different instructor's teaching style, and higher expectations in upper level swim classes prepares your child for change and equips them with the aptitude to handle it.
Change for anyone at any age is a scary factor of life, but it is nonetheless inevitable. Teaching children early how to handle and adapt to changes is crucial for healthy emotional development, so it is important to take opportunities like swim class changes to foster this growth. By attending to the specific needs of your child and opening up a dialogue about the change and its impact, your little swimmer will be accustomed to going with the flow in no time! Contact us to learn about getting ready for swimming lessons and preparing your child for new opportunities in swimming lessons.
