Today was the first day of the boys' very first summer swimming lessons!! Ashtyn was signed up for the Otter class, which is for kids who are confident in the water and can put their faces underwater but don't yet know how to float or swim, and Maddox was signed up for the preschool class, which is for kids who are comfortable swimming without mom and can put their faces in the water but still need confidence in deep water and to learn the basics. When we arrived at the pool all the swimming instructors called for their students and both the boys were off and busy! Ash went right into the pool eager to learn and even knew one of the boys in his class...
Before I knew it, I looked over and Ashtyn was pushing off the pool wall and learning to swim on his back!! He's such a little fishy!!
They also tried to help Ash learn how to float! His trouble with floating is that he won't totally relax in the water...but he'll get it! He was doing SO great even on day one!!
Maddox, on the other hand, was a bit nervous today. When we are swimming in our own backyard he is very confident. He wears his goggles and goes underwater and swims all by himself but today when they corralled all the preschoolers into the kiddie pool he started to get scared. The swim instructors needed to see which group each preschooler needed to be in so they just put them all in the kiddie pool and started asking them to put their faces underwater. As each child would go underwater they would pull the child from the kiddie pool and place them in a smaller class to learn swim basics in the big kid pool. Maddox wouldn't do it, though. I know he can but he was just nervous in a new situation. Finally, I got him to show his teacher that he could put his face underwater and they began to take him from the kiddie pool and place him with another teacher when suddenly...Maddox started CRYING!!!! He was leaning over the side of the pool SOBBING and saying "I wanna get out of here!" It broke my heart. I rubbed his back and tried to talk him through it until finally his swim teacher said that maybe for today it was best that he stay in the kiddie class and hopefully tomorrow he would be confidant to move up to the next level! Fingers crossed!
Maddox's instructor WAS able to get him to play some water games in the kiddie pool. She would have him and the other little girl hold hands in a circle and sing ring-around-the-rosie and at the end they would say "Ashes, Ashes, We all put our arms in the water" slowly but surely getting the little ones all the way into the water. They finally ended the song with "Ashes, Ashes, We all blow bubbles in the water"!! So, in the end, Maddox had his face underwater and really is ready for the next class. Hopefully tomorrow he'll move up and be confident. His teacher today did suggest that I bring Maddox back during public swim hours and let Maddox get used to the pool area. Good idea! We may have to try that tomorrow!
They also tried to help Ash learn how to float! His trouble with floating is that he won't totally relax in the water...but he'll get it! He was doing SO great even on day one!!
Maddox, on the other hand, was a bit nervous today. When we are swimming in our own backyard he is very confident. He wears his goggles and goes underwater and swims all by himself but today when they corralled all the preschoolers into the kiddie pool he started to get scared. The swim instructors needed to see which group each preschooler needed to be in so they just put them all in the kiddie pool and started asking them to put their faces underwater. As each child would go underwater they would pull the child from the kiddie pool and place them in a smaller class to learn swim basics in the big kid pool. Maddox wouldn't do it, though. I know he can but he was just nervous in a new situation. Finally, I got him to show his teacher that he could put his face underwater and they began to take him from the kiddie pool and place him with another teacher when suddenly...Maddox started CRYING!!!! He was leaning over the side of the pool SOBBING and saying "I wanna get out of here!" It broke my heart. I rubbed his back and tried to talk him through it until finally his swim teacher said that maybe for today it was best that he stay in the kiddie class and hopefully tomorrow he would be confidant to move up to the next level! Fingers crossed!
Maddox's instructor WAS able to get him to play some water games in the kiddie pool. She would have him and the other little girl hold hands in a circle and sing ring-around-the-rosie and at the end they would say "Ashes, Ashes, We all put our arms in the water" slowly but surely getting the little ones all the way into the water. They finally ended the song with "Ashes, Ashes, We all blow bubbles in the water"!! So, in the end, Maddox had his face underwater and really is ready for the next class. Hopefully tomorrow he'll move up and be confident. His teacher today did suggest that I bring Maddox back during public swim hours and let Maddox get used to the pool area. Good idea! We may have to try that tomorrow!
So far so good with swim lessons! I really think Ash may be swimming by the end of the next two weeks! And if nothing else hopefully Maddox will be more comfortable with people he doesn't know and just have fun! We shall see!
1 comment:
keep swimming ... keep swimming ... keep swimming ...
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