What Can Parents Do While Little Ones are in Swim Lessons?

Posted in Parenting Ideas

You’ve arrived! You’re at swim school with your little ones for their swim lessons. If you have little ones that are under 2 years old, you already know that you get to spend some fun time in the water too. A nice break for you to get to spend some splish-splashing time in the water learning the basics. If your kids are older and are on their own in swim lessons, you may not quite know now what to do with this free time you find on your hands. Once your little ones are no longer in need of your guiding hand during their swim lessons, you might find that you don't really know what to do with those much-needed minutes of alone time, besides catching up on email or Internet browsing. Use these 9 tips to get inspired!

If your little one is between the ages of 2 and 3, you still have the option to swim with your kids, or not. Consider taking advantage of the time - they really do grow up so fast!
Take note of their progress. This may seem obvious, but in the go-go busy world we find that the big things in life are really the little things. Instead of checking your social media accounts, have some fun watching your little one interact with their peers, instructors and see their skills and confidence blossom.
Read a book. There’s nothing wrong with some ‘you’ time! As little as 30 minutes gives you just enough time to pick out a good book, get acquainted with the characters, and decide if this is a novel that you really want to get into next week.
Make a plan. Bring up that calendar that you never use on your phone and organize your week. You might find that it becomes a mind-clearing habit to plan something out, even if that only means writing up a menu for the week.
Meet someone new. There are probably other parents with kids swimming as well. Strike up a conversation with them. It never hurts to meet new people and you already have something in common!
Revive a hobby. Whether it's knitting or sketching, collecting or collaging, your love for an old hobby is likely still in there somewhere, and it'll do you good to let it out. Take a few pictures for a future project!
Be old fashioned. Call up a friend. With the ease of communicating via Facebook, sometimes we forget how good it is just to hear the sound of someone's voice. Call up a friend you haven't seen in awhile, or re-connect with a sibling you haven't spoken to since the holidays.
Learn something new. What random topic has been on your mind lately? Ask your device about it, and go where Google takes you.
Meditate. Seriously. Whether you’re a stay at home dad, entrepreneurial mom, or just taking life day to busy day, practice meditation. The benefit to your mind, body, and overall wellbeing by turning your brain off for a few minutes is huge! If you can accept the thoughts that come into your mind and let them go without prejudice, you'll feel so much better.

With the kids swimming on their own, there is no shame in taking some or all of those minutes for yourself. Parenting is busy business and you can take any of these tips and switch them out week to week. Use their time in swim lessons to your advantage, and enjoy just a little bit of time doing what you want to do.