Finding the Best Swimming Instructor for Your Child

It pretty much goes without saying that you want your child to have the best possible instruction when it comes to learning how to swim and play safely in or near the water. With that in mind, there are a few things you should consider.

What Are the Instructor’s Qualifications?

Ideally, your instructor should be Red Cross certified in first aid (including CPR), water safety instruction, and lifeguarding. Most pools require background checks as well. If you’re hiring a private instructor, you can have a background check done yourself.

What is the Instructor’s Focus?

Ideally, you’ll want an instructor who has experience with children, so find out what type of people the potential instructor has worked with. If they’re primarily focused on adult instruction, they may not be right for your child. Swim instructors are, obviously, people like everyone else, and not everyone is comfortable with children. Some instructors may take children as students, but if their preference is for adults, it might be best to find someone else.

Does the instructor deal mainly with infants, toddlers, or preschoolers? This isn’t to say that the skills used with one age group aren’t transferable to another, but not all age groups are going to respond to the same activities and ways of communicating. Make sure the instructor is comfortable with kids who are in your child’s age group.

Find out if the instructor deals mainly with groups, or more with private lessons. Will you have to come to them, or will they instruct at your home? If your child has special needs, you’ll also want to know if the instructor is trained in dealing with kids who have disabilities. Don’t be afraid to ask how long they’ve been teaching, and by all means ask for references.

How Does the Instructor Approach the Lessons?

You want an instructor who’s going to create a fun learning environment when teaching your child how to be comfortable in the water. You want your child to be comfortable with the instructor, and you want to be comfortable with them as well. Find out what the rules and guidelines are. If the instructor won’t permit you to watch your child during the lesson, you should find someone else. However, if they want you to be out of your child’s line of sight while watching, that’s actually good practice – you don’t need to be a distraction.

How Do You Feel About the Instructor?

Sometimes, all the answers are the right ones, but just the same, something feels “off.” When you invite a person to interact with your children, you’re placing a great deal of trust in them, and you want to make sure that you’ve chosen someone who is trustworthy. If the background check is good, and the references check out, but you just don’t feel right about a particular person, don’t hire them to instruct your child. You might be overly cautious, but it doesn’t pay to take the chance. Often, if something feels wrong, that’s because it is wrong.

How Can I Be Sure I’ve Got the Right Instructor for My Child?

When you hire a Sunsational Swim School instructor to conduct your child’s private swim lessons, you can do so worry-free. All our instructors have at least two years of experience, and have been thoroughly pre-screened by means of extensive interviewing and a comprehensive background check. Our instructors are insured through us, and all have a passion for working with children. We take the worry out of choosing a swim instructor for your child.