Imagine your little one, once hesitant at the water’s edge, transforming into a confident explorer in the pool! Swimming lessons with toddlers open them up to a world of fun, help build their confidence, and equip them with essential water safety skills.

This guide offers our top tips for starting swimming lessons with toddlers and helping them gain confidence in the water.

Before Swimming Class

Choosing the Perfect Swim School: The Environment, People & Lesson Approach

The environment for swimming lessons with toddlers plays a vital role in their comfort level and overall success.

Warm and Comforting Waters: A pool that is gentle and warm against your child skin, helps them feel safe in what is a new environment. It helps them feel secure and relaxed, fostering a more enjoyable learning experience right from the start. At Shapland, our unique advantage is the Magna Mineral pool. This naturally warm water creates a gentle and comfortable environment for your child skin and eyes. This is just one way we help create an environment that is inviting for your toddler.
Small Class Sizes: Large group settings can be overwhelming for your little one and they often learn better in a calm environment and small groups. Large class sizes can hinder your toddlers learning and the ability to form a relationship with their teacher. To help your little one feel safe and learn well, Shapland offers semi-private lessons with a maximum of three in a class at a time. This ensures your child receives the personalised attention they deserve. Smaller class allow your child to focus on the instructor and absorb new skills.
Quiet Learning Environment: Just like adults, toddlers learn best in a calm, distraction-free environment. Some swim schools have many classes happening at one time in the same pool and that can be distracting. At Shapland, we prioritise a quiet atmosphere to allow your child to focus on the instructor and absorb new skills fully.
Personalised Approach: There’s no “one size fits all” approach to learning to swim, especially for toddlers. But we do know that little ones thrive on their learning style being catered for. Shapland’s instructors understand this, and due to small class size can provide lessons that best work with each child’s unique development and learning style. This approach ensures your child progresses comfortably and safely at a pace that suits them.
Stable Teaching Staff: Little ones can take a while to warm up to new people which is why building a sense of trust and rapport is essential for toddlers. Consistent instruction from the same teacher allows your child to feel comfortable and confident, maximising their learning potential. With our dedicated team of passionate professionals and generations of experience, your little one will develop a love for water and feel safe with their instruction.
Shapland’s Legacy of Teaching Expertise: It is a must for kids to be taught by teachers that love what they do and have a depth of experience in what they are teaching. This is essential because they can better assess how your child is developing through the lessons and evaluate their skill and confidence levels. At Shapland, passion and expertise is at our core, our experienced teachers show their love of water at toddlers swimming lessons. This helps add to a safe and nurturing environment and instill fun within the session. We also use age-appropriate techniques and positive reinforcement to help your little one gain confidence and a love for water.
Bespoke Designed Pool: To help your child ease into swimming lessons, gradual progression helps with their learning and confidence. This is aided by Shapland’s unique pool design which fosters a supportive environment for young learners to develop confidence and skills in the water. With a variety of depths, 8-11 of them, the pool allows for a personalised learning experience that caters to each child’s individual pace and comfort level. This gradual progression helps children feel secure and reduces them feeling overwhelmed, making it more enjoyable to learn and grow as a swimmer.
Ideal Class Length: Toddlers have short attention spans which means shorter lessons are more effective and allows them to learn better. We understand this and build our classes to perfectly meet the needs of our students. That’s why our classes are 20-minute lessons. This perfect balance keeps your child engaged and learning, without causing overexertion. Swimming lessons with toddlers at Shapland is a positive experience because they are engaged without tiring quickly from long classes.

Preparing Your Toddler at Home – Building Confidence for
Aquatic Fun

Even before the first lesson, you can help your child feel comfortable with water at home. Here are some tips for a fun and positive introduction:

Bathing suit Time: Let your child pick a pair of brightly coloured bathers they’ll love wearing. Getting them excited about their new gear can spark enthusiasm for lessons.
Bath Time Fun: Transform bath time into an aquatic adventure! Splash with them, sing songs about water, and use bath toys to create a positive association with water play.
Confidence-Building Activities: Look for simple activities outside the bath to increase your child’s comfort with water manipulation. Pouring water from cups, or playing with water toys in the sink can all be confidence builders.

After Class: Keeping the Momentum Going

Learning to swim is a journey, and our instructors are here to support you and your child every step of the way. They’ll provide fun and engaging activities you can do at home to help your child practice and reinforce the skills learned in class.

Bath Time Practice: Revisit bath time with a new perspective! Use bath toys to simulate kicking and arm movements learned in class.
Story Time with a Splash: Cosy up with your little one and explore a world of swimming adventures together! Reading picture books about having lessons together reinforces new skills and helps get them excited about being in the water.
Water Games in the Backyard: Invest in a kiddie pool or sprinkler for some backyard fun. Splashing around and playing games in a familiar environment reinforces skills learned in class and creates positive memories associated with water.

Embrace the Journey: Celebrating Every Milestone

Teaching toddlers to swim requires time and patience. Celebrate every step of the way, no matter how small! Here are some tips:

Positive Reinforcement: Acknowledge your child’s efforts with enthusiastic praise and encouragement. Focus on their progress, not perfection.
Make it Fun: Swimming should be enjoyable! Keep the focus on fun and play, and your child will naturally develop a love for the water.

Ready to Dive Into Swimming Lessons with Toddlers?

Imagine the joy on your child’s face as they master new skills and gain confidence in the water. Our swimming lessons can be the first step on a lifelong aquatic exploration and enjoyment journey. Contact us today and unlock a world of possibilities for your little one!