Why repetition is key

Why repetition is key

Why repetition is SO important in swimming 

You bring your little one to their swimming lesson week after week, and it looks like they are repeating the same things over and over again and don’t always seem to be learning anything. You may sometimes feel a little frustrated and think that they aren’t progressing as fast as you imagined.

But what is really happening is that they are learning the building blocks of swimming and increasing their strength, skills and stamina, little by little.

With children, anything they learn in the toddler years tends to be by doing the same things over and over again — especially when they are learning. Take riding a bike, they will start off on a trike, they will then move onto a balance bike then onto a big bike with training wheels and then comes the time to take the training wheels off. It takes years of practice and confidence building to get to this stage

The exact same concept is seen when a child is learning how to swim!

You wouldn’t expect your children to be able to write a novel as soon as they learn to write a few letters would you? It takes a lot of work to master a new skill, whether it is talking, writing, or learning to swim.

Practice makes perfect!

When your child first starts swim lessons, you are excited about how quickly they become comfortable in the water and acquire new skills —  such as when they first put their head under the water, can float without help or kicking their feet. But then it can seem like they hit a pause and they are not making any progress, when in fact, they really are.

Practicing the same skill over and over again is important. Doing the same movements each week, even though they may not display a lot of progress, is like learning to ride a bike – where one day it will click and they’ll be off!

Why repetition is important!

It’s common for children to grow in leaps and bounds in their swim skills, but then appear to slow down. However, that’s not really the case — they’re just being introduced to activities that are more difficult and they’re working harder to attain these motor skills associated with those new activities.

There is something important at play when it comes to repetition in swimming lessons, something that you may not be able to see: Confidence. Your little one is gaining confidence — in their abilities, in their instructor and in knowing what’s coming next.

Year-round swimming is important!

Why? Because you want them to retain that confidence and continually build upon the skills they have been learning every week. The repetition helps it become second nature — plus it’s important for muscle memory and all the physical aspects involved developmentally. So whether it’s in swimming classes or you bringing them to the pool yourself, make it a weekly treat and have some fun.