Learning to swim with the British Swim School

My children were given free swimming lessons in exchange for this review of the British Swim School. No other compensation was given. All opinions are my own.

When I was young, my mom sent us down to the local swimming pool to learn how to swim. My sisters and I would walk to the pool and take lessons until we learned how to swim and not be afraid. I have always wanted that for my children, however, we haven’t had too much exposure to large swimming pools. When I heard about the British Swim School, I was really interested in learning more about the company. And of course, the owners here in Columbus, OH specifically.

The British Swim School is designed to first introduce children to water, no matter what the age. The children learn basic water survival techniques before advancing to actually learning how to swim. This part was super exciting to me. I never thought about making sure the children would be able to get themselves to float in deep water (in case they fell in) before actually learning how to swim. It is very important and I could tell the change in all 3 of my children in the 6 weeks of lessons we had. Want to know how my children did?

Olivia

Olivia was considered a tadpole. This is the “starting program for all infants and helps us introduce them to the water for the first time, reducing their fear and the potential of tears”. These lessons are done with a parent (to help with the fear aspect) so both you and your baby can learn survival techniques. I did most of her lessons but as you can see above, Olivia got the chance to work with her dad as well.

All the teachers were well versed in what to do with a baby. I would assume working with a baby and a parent would be hardest for any teacher and everyone that worked with me were really confident in what they were teaching. These skills can be continued outside of the lessons as well. Olivia went from a baby who didn’t like getting most of her head wet to a baby who will float on her back with support! I’m excited to continue with her. Special thanks to Lillian who worked with us! Olivia was very comfortable with her and didn’t mind being used as an example.

Noah

Noah did some minor swim lessons when he was in preschool last year so he had some basic skills. We still started him in the Minnow class. In this class, the children participate in this small group concentrating on fun, safety and independence in the water. The children are broken up into classes no larger than 4 children per instructor and taught the basics.

Noah went from the child who was scared to be in the water without a floaty.. to the boy who was trying to find the bottom of his uncle’s pool! He got really close to moving up a level but we just have to be more confident floating in the deep end. He bonded with his teachers and enjoyed it.

Hayden

Hayden gets the certificate for most improved. Technically, Noah had more experience “swimming” than Hayden but Hayden took right to it and moved up from the minnow class to Turtle 1 after 2 lessons. In this group, the “children focus on preparing for swim stroke classes by learning the basics of “face-in” breathing and being able to demonstrate propulsion techniques.”

Now that Hayden knew he could float, he took to the water like a fish. In his first turtle 1 class, he ended up being the only student so he got lots of personal instructor time. They work on their breathing and strokes which Hayden loves. He hasn’t quite figured out how to breathe by turning his head to the side but I’m sure he’ll be getting that soon.

The Whole staff at the British Swim School here in Columbus were awesome. They answered any questions I had and make sure to keep every single parent updated on their child’s progress after every lesson. This way, you know what to work on during the off days. I especially loved when Lillian was teaching. They also have 2 locations in Dublin (both with plenty of space for the lessons scheduled) and are hopefully opening a location on the East side soon.

Don’t be nervous, find a British Swim school for your child today. I’m so excited that my children don’t fear the water as much. Click the link above to find a location near you. All classes run for 30 minutes and you can choose how often your children have lessons. If you sign up, let me know! I’d love to know how your children are doing.