swim lesson instructor help!!!!?

Question

i am a newly trained swim lesson instructor and my lessons start tomorrow! my supervisor chose me to teach the parent/infant classes and i am seriously freaking out about it! i am a really soft spoken person and i really dont like "performing/presenting" in front of ppl. i could have handled the kids just not the parents. i want know what "songs" i could sing and the drills that i could teach along with them. any advice at all would be greatly appreciated! thanx!

Answer 1

I LOVE teaching parent/child classes!!! Just relax, you'll be fine. EVeryone is there for the same reason, to get their kid used to the water. And remember, not all kids will be happy and not all of them will want to be in the water, it's normal. Just smile a lot, act really happy and get involved. Here are a few of the things I do in my classes for ideas!

- Getting In Safely
Show the parents the proper way to get in the pool with a child. You may want to borrow one of the kid for this, pick one who seems friendly and their parents seem excited. You can also borrow a parent/child team and instruct them how to do it to show everyone else. We always start with everyone sitting on the side with baby next to them or in their lap. We sing "This is the way we wash our (insert body part here)" while the parents and children splash/rub water on the specific body part. This helps them get used ot the water temperature. Then, everyone gets in at the same time. Have everyone make a circle as soon as they get in so as not to lose momentum.

- Circle Games/Song
* Motorboat - The song goes "Motorboat, motorboat go so slow" anbd the parents, holding their children, move in a clockwise circle slowly. After a rotation of that, say, "Motorboat, motorboat go so FAST!" and speed up the movement of the circle. Then, "motorboat motorboat go go blow!" and they go the fastest they can go in the circle and put their faces in the make bubbles (the parents, and some of the children who want to).

*Popcorn
Parents stand in a circle facing the center with the kids in front of them. The rhyme goes, "I'm a little piece of popcorn. I am getting hotter, and hotter and hotter and hotter until I POP!" The motion is that every time everyone says "hotter" they take a step inward. When you say POP! they kids the toss upward or lifted up and caught (whether they go under or not before being caught is the parent's discretion). This is one exercise that gets the kids excited and submerging. All my babies always love popcorn and so do the parents! You can do as many "hotter"s as it takes but make sure they don't get too tightly together or they won't be able to toss the tots!

*Pop Goes the Weasel
You know the song. Move in a circle while singing. One the "POP! Goes the weasel", the kids get tossed into the air. They love this because they wait for it. This is another good exercise for submersion and can be very exciting.

*Ring Around the Rosies
For the mor eadvanced classes, as your last few classes, add this in. When "we all fall down!" everyone dunks under water. This can be awesome if you can get all of your kids and parents to do it!

*The Hokey Poey
The traditional hokey poeky done in the water with the kids and parents. Parents manipulate the kids left arm in, etc. When you put your whole self in, the kids all get put in the center of the circle together, they love this part!

*Tiny Tim the Turtle
"I had a little turtle,
his name was tiny Tim,
we put him in the bathtub,
to see if he could swim!
He drank up all the water,
He ate up all the soap!
And no my little turtle,
has bubble in his throat!"
*All parents blow bubbles, try to get the kids to try*

After you do a few cicrcle songs/games, let them have some free time. Have floating toys like duckies available. Encourage the kids to reach out for these things and lean forward into the water. Explain to the parents that if you blow directly into an infants face, they take a breath in and that give you the perfect opportunity to dip thier head under without them getting water in their nose. Some parents will try this right away and some will not. Usually once one parents tries something, the others are more willing to try. Mill around among them, don't be stationary. Learn their names, ask their ages, become friends with the babies. Some parents will have their child "jump"off the side of the pool, that's awesome and should be encouraged. Lots of happiness and clapping are the key to maintaining a posiitve atmosphere. Don't freak if a kid cries, just smile and let the parent deal with it. Usually they get better in a few minutes. All the kids will have their own pace.

With about 5-10 minutes left in the class we always clean up everything by having the kids grab the toys and put them in the bin that the instructor carries around the water. They love helping! Have everyone regroup in a circle. Now comes the last part of class: Twinkle Twinkle. Parents lower themselves to their shoulders in the water. The back of thier child's head rests on their shoudler so the kids are staring upward and laying on their backs (the first step to floating!) Sing "Twinkle Twinlks Little Star" while laying on their backs. Soon enough some of the kids will be floats above mommy's shoudler and won't even know it! Alot of parents practice this in their free time too. Provide noodles and bubbles to parents who ask. Make sure everyone feels comfortable. The class will reflect your attitude so keep it upbeat! Smile even when you are not sure about something and be confident, you know what you are doing!!!

Good luck!

Answer 2

Songs For Swimming Lessons

Answer 3

I taught swimming lessons for about 7 years and parent/child classes were always the worst. The whole point of them is to get the kids used to the water. Start with simple things like blowing bubbles, having the kids kick while parents hold them, getting their hair wet. Sometimes it helps to talk to the parents at the first class and tell them you want them to get something out of the class and see if there is anything in particular they were hoping to learn. After a class or two, you will have a better idea of what the kids and parents can do and want to learn.

Answer 4

There are all sorts of other floats, such as star and mushroom floats, then there are all the different types of sculling and propelling, forwards, backwards and the 'torpedo' -- these skills are really good for water confidence. They also need to learn how to recover from floats and glides on their fronts or backs. Then there are handstands and somersaults for those who are happier putting their heads underwater. There used to be a book that showed all the different strokes (tens of them) and all sorts of drills, manoeuvres and exercises. Have a look in the sports section of a large bookstore -- I'm afraid I can't recall the title or the author.

Answer 5

just be confident dont worry about anything once you start itll be over before you know it trust me theyll be working more than you talking