Before You Come Along

Splash into your first Making Waves lesson.

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Kids are more relaxed and ready to learn if they know what’s going to happen at a lesson. Your child will be in the water with their instructor and need to know it’s OK to trust them and do as they ask.

To give your child the best start with us, you can do the 3 Ws with your child:

Watch our videos
Wear goggles in the bath / pool
Wave bye-bye to arm bands / float suits

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It’s natural for children to feel nervous about new things, people and places. We all remember the first time a child went to nursery, or school. Kids can get anxious over something new, even something they grow to enjoy, and even when we know they’ll be safe.

Here are 3 common feelings kids deal with during early lessons that can cause upset:

Water fears
Separation anxiety
Loss of control

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Newness can be scary at first. We turn tears to giggles with fun jokes and games in the water to dissolve upset. If your child knows you’re relaxed and comfortable, it will really help them relax too. Help your child through any fears, and on to fun learning time in the pool with the 3 Ts.

You can do the 3 Ts with your child from poolside:

Turn nerves into giggles
Try again
Thumbs up

Kids learn best when they’re having fun. Our instructors use play and laughter to bring out the best swim each child can manage that day. Teachers have a range of skills and methods to help each child find their comfy place in the water.

Even if it takes a few lessons to feel fully relaxed, your child will soon be enjoying their pool time, and you can get the poolside coordinator’s advice on how to help your child. Just like a wearing a seatbelt, learning to swim can help save your child’s life. It’s time well spent!

If you find that your child is not settling in lessons, please speak with the poolside coordinator who will be very happy to help. We can try lessons at a quieter time or move to individual tuition, and you can focus on rewarding your child for every small achievement.

Being nervous in the water can lead to some children feeling a need to go. We know, from experience, kids often don’t really need to “go” but being nervous can bring that feeling on. This is why we ask parents to take their kids to the toilet before a lesson. If we think a child is simply nervous about trying something new, we may ask them to do one more swim before getting out for the toilet. Often, after swimming and doing well, they forget all about needing to “go”. If your child is clearly desperate, or if you tell us they have an urgency issue, we will get them out and to the toilet as soon as possible. We all agree, pee is best kept out of the pool.

We encourage all children to stay in the pool and try their best. Each instructor will work hard at finding the right way to motivate and reward your child. We ask that you let us try all our methods before a child leaves the pool. If, at the end of a lesson, you are concerned your child is not ready to learn, please speak with us. Please bear in mind that it can take a few lessons for children to settle into class. We estimate that 2/3 of children are upset in the first one or two classes. Many children who have started off feeling fearful rapidly become some of our best swimmers. The parents around you in the cafe will often share their own experiences, which is usually very reassuring. However, if you feel your child is not yet ready, we will, of course return your child to you.

We teach babies from 6 months, children from 2 years 9 months – 16 years, and adults of all ages. We have baby swimming classes, Bubble Babies, from 6 months – 3 years, where we help you understand what your baby is able to do in the water. Our booking team member will match up you, or your child, with a lesson, based on what you tell us. Once you’ve started swimming with us, we might change the lesson level to get the best match for your ability. Your swimming coordinator will let you know of any changes.