Living in Phoenix, there are pools everywhere. Every year we hear horror stories about kids drowning and I think we all believe it will never happen to us. The fact of the matter is, it really can happen to anyone! We all put up our safety fences or nets, we all try and watch our kid’s every move, yet we still hear new heartbreaking stories every single year. One of the safest thing we can do to protect our kiddos is teach them to swim. When we were offered in home swim classes with Sunsational Swim School, we jumped at the chance!
Nikki’s Experience
My little guy is two and half and has been going to a local swim school once a week for a little over a year. The swim school provides a 30 minute class that allows either my husband or me to get in the water with him. It has been really good and has taught my husband and me to be comfortable in the water with him, has taught him to know that he has to wait for mommy and daddy before entering the water, and he’s learned other water safety skills. Yet, we have always felt like the progress has been slow and don’t yet feel comfortable with him actually swimming without a float vest.
We were so excited to be given the opportunity to have three private swim classes for our son in our home with Sunsational Swim School. Gina, our instructor, was impressed with his skills during the first class. She really catered the class to challenge him and help him to learn something new. What was most surprising was that even after the first class we noticed a difference in him during his normal group swim class. He was kicking harder and swimming more independently than he ever had before, and after only one lesson with Gina! Maybe he needed the one-on-one attention, or maybe he just needed a lesson that was tailored specifically to him and not a group full of children at different levels. We were so pleased with how well he did and how he responded to Gina. He really seemed to get a lot out of the lessons. He also was so tired after swimming that he took a 3 hour nap each day = mom win!
Lauren’s Experience
My kids really enjoyed their lessons with Gina. She catered her lessons to each of them based on their skill level. Regardless of their swimming strength or age, she spoke to each of them gently and with clear instructions.
With my younger son, she worked hard to teach him some basics. This is his first summer in the pool without the use of floaties or a life belt. They used the kick board a lot and she was constantly reminding him to straighten out his legs and to breathe. He did well with her and I’d love to see him have a few more lessons with her to fine tune some other skills as well. She used a soothing voice with him, which I think helped him feel comfortable with her during their time together. She also made sure he knew the safest way to get to the side or the stairs, no matter where they were in the pool. He loved the lessons with Sunsational Swim School!
My older son is a stronger swimmer, so Gina worked on some proper swimming strokes and surface diving with him. After watching him swim, she gave him pointers to help conserve his energy and bring some form to his strokes. She kept the same gentle tone she used with my other son, but she adapted her language and instructions to suit his age. On our last day, she taught him to alternate between floating and treading water if he got cramps – we both really liked that part. He was sad when his lessons were over. She helped him realize that there’s a lot more to swimming than just flopping around and keeping your head out of the water!
All the kids had a lot of fun during their lessons with Sunsational Swim School and we really liked Gina’s style of teaching. We would both would definitely recommend her, and this program, to anyone looking for in-home swimming lessons!