There are key moments in life, starting big school, high school, moving out of home. Okay moving from Waterbabies to Tadpole isn’t quite as emotional (for you) as your teenager moving into their first shared flat. But it can be for your child.
Don’t worry, we’ve been helping small children make this transition for years and years, and we know how to help.
So if you are anticipating moving your little one to the Learn to Swim program soon, there is so much to look forward to. Plus you get to stay dry whilst your child swims!
The team at Carlile will ease into stages of the transition. This may look different for each child/parent. You may have seen the spares doing some work with kids, or even teachers and supervisors. If you have questions, please reach out to supervisors on shift at the time of your lesson.
For some children, Mum or Dad might paddle at the side of the pool, other children can’t wait to be swimming on their own. Whatever the situation we take a gentle and encouraging approach. We never force a child into the water or force them to do something they are not comfortable with.
Don’t be nervous!
All teachers are trained with an understanding of the Waterbabies program and the Preschool program. They can recognise skills your child has learnt in Waterbabies and begin to use and evolve them in their preschool classes. In Tadpole, they also get the chance to learn new skills. They learn to adjust from ‘Motorboats’ to now using the board to push and glide independently and paddles and kicks which leads to pop ups and ultimately grasping a further understanding and practice of breath control and submersions.
Is your child struggling to transition?
This can be very common so don’t be discouraged if this is the case. Going from the comfort of having Mum or Dad with them in the pool to seeing lots of new faces can be an overwhelming feeling. Even slow progress is progress! You can always speak with the supervisor/s on shift for your lesson time about a plan to make the transition smoother. You can try and see if your child would benefit from watching other kids in their swimming lessons beforehand or afterwards to prepare them for their own. Point out skills in the class they have already done before so it doesn’t seem so scary.
Struggling with Goggles?
Goggles are an amazing asset when learning to swim. Allowing students to have spatial awareness and a clearer view of the water when swimming, it can encourage kids to swim better. Sometimes it can be good to associate swimming and water with goggles. If you have the chance whilst still in the Waterbabies class you can try testing goggles on your child and seeing how they go before going into the Preschool program, if you have questions, feel free to ask your teacher about starting to wear/bring goggles to class. Once you are in the new program you may see the other kids in the class wearing goggles, it is not mandatory for your child to be wearing them. If they are still adjusting to their preschool class and not wearing goggles, allow them to play with them and still bring a pair to class. Another way to encourage your child to use goggles is using and playing with them in the bath/shower time, it is a great opportunity for your child to become comfortable with the use of goggles. Maybe even mum and dad can join in on the fun and wear some too!
Some of the core skills in Waterbabies cross over with the Tadpole level, such as Showering, Humpty Dumpty’s and Backfloating. You will remember these from your classes in Waterbabies, here’s a rundown on what they are and why we do them.
Showering
Showering is one of the first skills done in the class to ease students into breath control and submersions. Showering is a basic form of submersion where your child can practice their breath control on cue to prepare them for further skills in the format. It is a fun group activity which holds importance when preparing for the skill of ‘pop ups’ in their paddles and kicks.
Humpty Dumpty’s
Humpty Dumpty’s are a core skill in the Carlile program as they provide kids an opportunity to independently fall in and return to the wall safely. Singing a song to prompt your child to fall into the water makes for a fun experience. Associating falling in and returning to the wall in a fun manner avoids going into panic mode for your child. Since they have the prior knowledge of Humpty Dumpty’s in Waterbabies, they will continue to develop further understanding of this life saving skill in a new group learning environment.
Backfloats
Backfloats are a vital survival skill. As a recovery position, their purpose is to maintain a comfortable and energy saving position, along with being fun and relaxing once we know how to do it! Similarly to Waterbabies, teachers count to 10, or sing a song when the student is doing a backfloat. This is to create a comforting environment, they are not only continuing to learn backfloats, but learning to trust their teacher and participate in a group environment.
Whether your child may be nervous or confident when starting the Preschool Program, seeing some familiar skills from Waterbabies can be a reassuring feeling. All the seeds sown in Waterbabies are going to assist them in their progression to the Preschool program. Remember, at the end of the day this is a very rewarding and good use of their time learning a life saving skill, whilst having fun!
