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Vlad Atlantis • December 6, 2018
Swim Lessons ARE Possible
Finding swim lessons for a child with special needs can be a daunting task. You may be worried that they can't do swim lessons, that you can't find a patient teacher or that they may be too expensive. We're here to set the record straight for what you should expect during this process and how your child can benefit from swim lessons.
Step 1: Know that Your Child CAN Do Swim Lessons
You might be wondering if your child is even able to attend swim lessons at a private swim school. Further, you may be wondering if it is even worth finding out.Experience has shown that for children with special needs, one-on-one swimming instruction is a far more effective approach than group lessons. Atlantis Swim Academy draws on a team of qualified swim instructors trained to address the concerns and teaching requirements for these at risk children. The lessons become a fun and empowering experience in addition to increasing the child’s safety.
Step 2: Set Realistic Expectations
Parents of ANY child are always wondering how long it may take their child to learn to swim. We must always remember that learning a skill is a process, not an event. Learning to swim is a complicated process for any child as it includes numerous different skills that require extensive practice before it is mastered. Children with special needs will need as much or more time depending on their medical condition and ability to understand. Learning to swim is an investment in your child's health & happiness and like all investments take time to grow and develop.
Step 3: Secure Your Funding
The first step is knowing how you are going to pay for your lessons. There are countless County, State & Charity agencies throughout Minnesota that will help children with physical or developmental disabilities get into swim lessons. You can try looking online or contacting your county Health & Human Services agency for help in securing funding. The next step is to have a firm idea of how many lessons you would like t commit to. The longer you can continuously attend lessons, the better and more enjoyable the water will be for your child. Our one-on-one private lessons are $60 per 30 minute lesson but you can save $5 each lesson when you commit to at least 8 lessons. Using the private lesson rates to determine how many lessons you will want will help you narrow down a grant/approval amount.
Who is that out in the water with your normal swim teacher? That's Coach Natasha and she has been undergoing ASA's swim instructor training program since July! Our instructors normally train for 1-2 months (that's up to 72 hours!) before taking their own classes. Why does Atlantis have such a strict training regimen? Because we believe in high quality lessons and high quality swim teachers that are properly equipped to teach them! Coach Natasha loves teaching swim lessons & has a natural love for the water. Patience, encouragement & enthusiasm define her teaching style and she is able to instantly connect with students of every age by making every encounter warm, inviting and stress-free. She will start hosting her own classes beginning September 2019 and we are SO happy to welcome her into the Atlantis family. Keep up the good work Natasha!
It can be incredibly exciting getting your child into a new sport or activity like swimming lessons. A question we often get asked is "How long will it take my child to swim?". Learning to swim requires a large time commitment just like learning to count, read or use math skills. These skills take a huge amount of repetition to master and swimming is no different. Each child learns at their own pace and through different mediums: some kids are very visual while others need to DO the skill and require more hands on experience in order to master it. Also remember that while your preschooler or elementary aged child gets to practice those skills almost every day at school or daycare most parents opt to attend swim lessons just once per week. For a younger child, attending a 30 minute class one time per week is like asking you to practice Spanish for 5 minutes every Saturday and asking you on Friday what you remembered. Patience really does pay off when it comes to swim lessons and there will be a day when all of your child's skills flow together into a beautiful moment of perfection!
Theres a reason they say, "Practice Makes Perfect". Looking to maximize the benefits of your childs lesson? Enrolling your student in classes twice-a-week doubles the amount of time they get to work on skills and practice them in the water! Our instructors recommend taking twice-a-week lessons for every student when possible. Why? For our youngest swimmers, 30 minutes of swim classes just one (1) time a week aren't enough. Do you attend just one day of preschool during the week for your 3 or 4 year old? The answer of course is "no". The reason is that you want your child to be stimulated multiple days per week and for prolonged periods of time to cover many subjects. Learning swim skills is no different than learning to read or write, the more they are able to be taught, the more they will learn. Main benefits of swimming Twice a Week: Double the Health Benefits: Swimming has been linked to increased brain development, learning potential, social skills, heart health & more! Makes Swimming Natural: Repetition, repetition, repetition! Repeating the small moves makes learning the big moves easier! The more often you do something, the more natural it becomes for the student. Additionally, children that take lessons throughout infancy and into their toddler years will find it much more comfortable to start swimming on their own vs. their older peers with no experience. Muscle Memory & Increased Retention: When you repeat swim strokes it builds muscle memory, which results from a physical movement being repeated until it can be performed without conscious effor, just like riding a bike! Double the FUN: Our classes make learning to swim fun for our students and more social contact with kids of similar ages helps children develop important social skills. Develop Skills & Progress FASTER! Normally it takes many months to move between levels. By taking lessons twice a week, you can reduce this timeframe. To learn more about Atlantis Swim Academy and our programs follow us on Facebook.
Just like with any sport, when parents enroll children for swim lessons they naturally have questions. One of the most common questions we get is "how long will it be until my child can swim?". Giving a simple answer would be preferred but just like asking "when will my child be a black belt", we can't give an accurate answer. Just like skills learned in school like reading, math & writing, swimming is a skill that takes time to develop. Children learn new skills at their own pace and there are many factors that lead to longer learning periods such as overcoming anxiety or fears or being distracted in class. It is essential that parents set reasonable & stress free goals and encourage their children through communication & positive reinforcement to help foster a fun learning environment and process. Continue below to for the general factors that impact a childs pace of learning.
To many children, there is nothing more fun than jumping in the pool or running headfirst into the water at the beach. For other children the mere mention of going into any body of water may fill them with anxiety or fear to the point of hysterics. If your child falls into this latter category don't fret! There IS hope and we believe with the right foundation every child can develop a love of the water. Read on for some useful tips that will help your child on their aquatic journey!
It's that time of year again. Children are back in class and refocusing on their school-year studies. New schools, new grades and new schedules. During this time of year many parents are forced to make the decision about whether their kids will remain in their swim classes or opt for other extra-curricular activities. Atlantis Swim Academy, we support every parent in their decision because we know that nobody knows your child better than you, but wee wanted to take a moment to remind you of the top 3 reasons year -round lessons are worth the investment.
Read about the main questions we are asked about our process.
We've all been there. You're at the supermarket, on an airplane or stuck in a car with a crying baby. Science shows us that Parents are put on heightened alert when they hear the sound of a crying baby, yes, ANY baby! This is because we are naturally primed to be concerned for the most vulnerable members of our families and communities and a crying baby alerts us to what our brains tell is could be a dangerous situation. The problem is, we don't live around fires in caves or the open wilderness anymore. Babies and children don't just cry when they are hurt or scared but for a host of other reasons we'll touch on below. Before you stress about your baby or child crying in class, rest assured that we have ALL been there. Nobody in your class will resent or hate you for a crying baby or child because we can all relate, especially members of the swim community that have been through the same thing! Lets get on with it then! 1.) One of the first reasons your baby may be crying is the "stranger danger" instinct. Some children are more than happy to meet strangers but the vast majority of babies and children are very timid during first introductions. We all know that one niece or nephew that STILL won't acknowledge your existence! In fact, our children have this hardwired into their brains to protect them from people they don't know and to communicate with parents that something doesn't seem right to them. During the first or second baby class, it is perfectly normal for your baby to cry when meeting or interacting with the teacher, other parents & their babies. 2.) Another HUGE reason your baby could be crying is due to SO MUCH stimulation. Swimming pools are filled with unfamiliar noises, textures, lighting and visual cues. The most prominent sensory stimulant is being placed in water for the first time outside of a bath. The feeling of weightlessness is a brand new experience and water being placed on their head and face triggers a number of natural responses. All these factors culminate in an essential but sometimes overwhelming experience for your baby but hang in there, we've all had to go through the same process to get a happy & comfortable water baby! 3.) They just might not be in a good mood! Sometimes baby falls asleep on the way to class, only to be jolted awake and placed in an unfamiliar setting (talk about wondering how they go there). Other times they may be hungry or they are irritated you won't let them jump out of your hands into oblivion. Babies can be unpredictable and they communicate with their emotions. If they are cranky, hungry, sad or want attention, babies use crying to communicate that they want SOMETHING, what that something means is for YOU to decipher. Understanding why your baby is crying goes a long way into helping find ways to reduce or eliminate it. Every parent must be patient and understanding while their baby is on this exciting new voyage. Remember to put yourself in their shoes before deciding to remove them from the pool and SMILE to show them that the water is nothing to be afraid of!