Here at Cindy’s Swim School, holiday swimming crash courses are a very popular and vital part of our swimming programme and indeed a child’s swimming journey.
Packing 4 or 5 weeks’ worth of lessons into 4 or 5 intensive swimming course days, can make all the difference to a scared toddler, a nervous 3 year old, or a 7 year old struggling to progress through to strokes.
Crash course swimming lessons just have so many positives, not only will it give the kids something fun to do every day, but it will also work deeply on a psychological level, allowing the swimmer to quickly build a foundation and strengthen it before things such as anxiety and overthinking creep in and complicate matters. Below we will explore 5 surprising things about holiday swimming crash courses for kids. Let’s dive right in!
1. From water safety to lifeguarding!
Did you know that holiday swimming crash courses provide an excellent opportunity for kids to become much safer swimmers? Daily swimming lessons boost their confidence and enhance their safety in the water by focusing on building essential skills, such as water confidence, proper breathing with face in the water, floating, and basic strokes. Water safety underpins everything we teach, so swimmers will also be taught the relevant water safety skills for their age and ability. By the end of the course, children will feel more comfortable and secure in the water, making them safer swimmers.
And, if you have an older, or stronger swimmer, you can book a squad focused intensive swimming course, which runs for an hour. In these sessions they focus on proper technique for all strokes, starts, turns and finishes (can anyone say diving pro?!), and the last 15 minutes of every session focus on Rookie Lifeguarding and lifesaving skills. These sessions are also particularly good if you have varying ability children, as we run lessons from Stage 1-10 in our bigger pools, as well as adult lessons – which makes it a one stop shop for all your holiday swimming fun!
2. The amazing leaps and bounds of accelerated learning
One astonishing benefit of a holiday crash course is the way it can accelerate the learning process. Unlike traditional swimming lessons that span over several months, these intensive courses condense the curriculum into a shorter timeframe. This concentrated approach allows children to progress rapidly, mastering new techniques and strokes in a shorter period, helping them progress much further in no time at all. This can be particularly helpful in those circumstances where a swimmer is struggling to progress through a new stroke or make the leap from no face in the water to proper submerged breathing.
3. There is no one-size-fits-all!
Contrary to popular belief, our summer swimming courses are designed to cater to each child’s individual needs, whilst still learning within a group setting. We keep our group sizes small, to ensure that each child gets the attention and help they need. Our passionate and experienced swimming teachers assess the abilities of each swimmer on the first day, to ensure everyone is in the correct class and then tailor the lessons according to their group’s needs. Whether your child is a beginner or an intermediate swimmer, they will receive personalised attention and guidance to ensure optimal progress.
4. Fitness and fun with new friends
Intensive swimming crash courses are not just about rigorous training. These courses are designed to provide a fun-filled learning experience for kids whilst building their fitness.
Our swimming teachers and coaches incorporate games, challenges, and interactive activities to keep swimmers engaged and motivated throughout the lessons. By combining learning with enjoyment, in the short-term children will get fitter and have fun with new-found friends. And in the long term, children are more likely to develop a lifelong love for swimming!
The summer swimming lessons are particularly popular because they give children a healthy and fun activity to do, whilst also keeping everything they have learned fresh in their minds and keeping them swimming fit, so that they don’t have such a massive adjustment back to swimming lessons when the term starts.
5. Better sleep and better mental health
Dear parents, who have a loooong 6-8 weeks with children to fill over the summer, did you know that swimming is proven to be one of the best forms of exercise to help a child’s physical and mental wellbeing? We often hear parents report that their children don’t sleep as well as normal over the school holidays, because they are not as tired from school or other weekly activities. The boost in blood flow from swimming can help improve sleep, and more surprisingly, it also improve memory, mood, clarity, and focus, which all helps with daily stress and behaviour. Parents, you’re welcome 😊.
Lastly, a bonus surprise, did you know that crash courses are not just for children? We also run holiday swimming crash courses for babies, advanced swimmers and adults. Get in touch to find out more.
From boosting confidence and safety, to providing accelerated learning and tailored instruction, to keeping fit, or if you really want to keep your little one’s skills alive during a busy period – these courses are an excellent choice for babies, children and adults alike. So, if you’re searching for positive summer activities for your kids, consider enrolling your child in a holiday swimming crash course for an unforgettable and rewarding experience.
