At Sea Otter, we believe that kids learn best while having fun. In fact, we think the same is also true for adults!
That is why we incorporate music, games, and fun into each lesson—all while teaching your swimmer valuable water safety skills.
Benefits of fun
When your child is having fun, their brain is more responsive and more likely to retain information. Fun activities become more interesting to kids, and are therefore more memorable.
A report from the American Academy of Pediatrics says, “Play allows children to use their creativity while developing their imagination, dexterity, and physical, cognitive, and emotional strength.”
Having fun incorporated into our lessons allows your swimmer to learn faster, reduces anxiety, and helps build trust with their instructor.
Using music and songs in swim lessons
There are multiple studies that show how music can inspire higher brain functioning. A recent Huffington Post article discusses how music can do more than make you feel good.
We add music and songs to our lessons to keep them fun, but also to ease fear and help your swimmer remember water safety skills.
For example, many swimmers have difficulty back floating. To help with this, our instructors sing with your swimmer while they back float. This helps your swimmer focus on the song and not the fear of back floating.
Another musical activity we do early on in lessons is the Humpty Dumpty song. In this activity, your swimmer sits on the edge of the pool while instructors sing the Humpty Dumpty song. After your swimmer falls in the water, we teach them to immediately return to the wall. Associating the activity with the song makes it more memorable.
Water games and water toys
We incorporate games into our lessons to help your child feel safe while they discover the foundations of swimming. Having fun and games helps your swimmer build trust and develop a connection with their instructor.
For swimmers who are high energy, sometimes our instructors begin the lesson by “shaking the sillies out.” This helps children get out some energy and allows them to focus during the rest of the lesson.
For kids who have a competitive spirit, our instructors often use games to motivate them. One example of this is counting while your child swims to the end of the pool. Then, instructing your swimmer to take fewer breaths, swim again, and see if they can beat their previous time.
We end each swim lesson with one minute of designated fun time. This can include letting your swimmer go down the slide, taking a fun jump off the diving board, or grabbing water toys or rings. We want to end each lesson on a positive note and this fun time rewards your swimmer for a job well done!
At Sea Otter we care about the development of the whole child. We want to teach your swimmer valuable water safety skills, build a connection with our instructors, and have fun throughout the process!