Teach better Parent Tot, Parent and Infant classes with Julia Johnson.

Julia Johnson grew up in Michigan where she learned to swim during summer swim lessons by going to beaches and pools.

She swam competitively in high school and then completed a few aquatrathons, sprint triathlons and a 5k swim in the years after graduation.

Julia studied mental health and social work in college and realized that her passion was building mental health through swimming and coaching.

Over the last 17 years she has worked for country clubs, community education programs, schools, athletic clubs and finally found her way to the YMCA of Memphis and the Midsouth.

During the last 17 years she’s been coaching and leading staff, program design, launching new programs, teaching swimmers 3month-adults in their 90s, adaptive lessons, coaching middle school, age group swim team, and masters.

Julia is passionate about the physical and mental benefits that evolve from swimming and especially enjoys helping the youngest of our learn to swim participants and their parents. 

Want more information about Julia? Email her here: julia.johnson@ymcamemphis.org

Describe your parent and tot/infant program.

Kids under five have a special place in her heart. Babies really like consistency. Start with the same song. And end with the same song. Similar pattern. Go through.

Think of sesame street. Big on start and end on the same song.

Wheels on the bus.

End with Tick Tok.

End on the class on a positive note.

What is your guiding star for parent and tot/infant classes?

Progressions and cueing. Classroom management is super important in a parent and child class. How do you round them up? Be really clear with communication.

Confidence Communication and Cueing.

“we’re going to meet in the middle and work on x, y, z.”

One foot on opposite knee.

What drives your choices when creating a lesson plan for these classes, or training your staff, or when you’re teaching in the water?

Huge difference in abilities from 0-3. Challenge to explain big picture and teach parents how to swim. The main thing is the physical and emotional growth. We know water comfort leads to future swimming. We know that rolling makes them better at later skills.

Important to establish the framework for it.

Make it fun! Love the water. Quality time with a caregiver. Fun and exciting of fun! Dedicated fun! 30 minutes where phone is somewhere else!

Like teaching back floats to keep them safe later on.

Teach jumping in or a peek-a-boo or wall grab. Natural reflex to grab. Grab the wall. Most drownings are slipping in and next to the wall. Teach how to grab. Teach to turn to the wall and reach or grab and gives a better chance.

Roll by sinking the shoulder instead of bending the belly to turn over.

What toys or props do you swear by? What should every program get to have fun and be effective?

Water baby doll. Little water cups. Buckethead. Water float toys. Dolphins squirts, balls, anything that floats and is interesting and give a ride on belly, hold overhead, older classes. Throw.

How do you train your staff or others to teach parent tot well?

Discerning who teaches them. Personally train them. Take them through sample lesson plans and highlight how to do them. Reinforce the confidence.

Parents are doing this because it is fun. Don’t go into a parent tot class without a lesson plan. Must have a guided plan that the parents know what to do.

Same opening and same closing song. Give them a template and train how to create a progression.

Have them co-teach before doing it alone.

When teaching new staff make sure they know the “why” behind something so that they can teach it with the “why” then the “how can be different” to accomplish.

Make parent tot your own class. Be confident in the songs and activities you pick and teach. There are resources for you to find out.

Discover the “why” behind the class.

Setting the stage with the parents. They know their kids better than we do. You know when the kids are having an off day. Let those days happen and come back. Its okay to not participate.

Make it fun, make it enjoyable. Give them a chance to peel off to the side and give attention.

This class is not to force your child to do x, y, z. Overall goal and we’re going to get there eventually. It is a disservice to push them faster farther. We can better serve our infant swimmers by going slow and establishing habits.

At the end of the day we want a safe child that LOVES swimming!

Thank you Julia! You’re an amazing resource for teaching swimming and have a lot of information to share!

Transcript:

Audio file 

089 Content Julia Johnson Interview.mp3 

Transcript 

Speaker 1 

I have Julia Johnson with me today. She grew up in Michigan where she learned to swim during summer swim lessons by going to the beaches and pools in Michigan. She swam competitively in high school and then completed a few aquate rasons swim triathlons and 5K swims in the years after graduation. 

Speaker 1 

Trulia studied mental health and social work in college. Anne realized that her passion was building mental health through swimming an coaching over the last 17 years she has worked for country clubs, community education programs. Schools have lot of clubs and finally found her way to the YMCA of Memphis and the mid South during the last 17 years. She’s been coaching and leading staff. 

Speaker 1 

Program design, launching new programs teaching swimmers three months old to adults in their 90s. Adaptive lessons, coaching, middle school and age group swim team. Anne Masters Julia is passionate about the physical and mental benefits that evolved from swimming and especially enjoys helping the youngest of our learn to swim participants and. 

Speaker 1 

Their parents welcome to this home ideas podcast. Julia, I’m glad to have you here. 

Speaker 2 

Thank you so much for having me Jeff. 

Speaker 1 

You’re very welcome, so if you could just I know we summed up your life in about 30 seconds here, but can you just tell me a little bit more about yourself and then how you kind of got started into swimming? 

Speaker 2 

Sure, um. I I was very fortunate. I believe that my parents provided me the opportunity being in Michigan. It’s a little bit more than norm to do swim lessons. And so I was provided that opportunity and I had a. 

Speaker 2 

Swim instructor actually, who would continually tell me I have the same same instructor year after year she said when he turned 16 become a lifeguard, I’ll give you a job when he turns 16, become a lifeguard I’ll. 

Speaker 2 

Give you a job. 

Speaker 2 

And eventually I ended up swimming in high school. I was previously doing basketball and soccer, but had some knee problems. 

Speaker 2 

So started swimming instead and then I went ahead and became a lifeguard and a swim instructor and. 

Speaker 2 

The rest really just worked itself itself out, as I realized that. 

Speaker 2 

The physical, the emotional impact that I had with developing staff with participating with kids and swimmers. 

Speaker 2 

And I think it really hit me when I was coaching middle school swim team an at the end of the year. 

Speaker 2 

All of these kids. 

Speaker 2 

Seemed so thankful for what I had done. 

Speaker 2 

And I felt like I haven’t done really anything except for sit and yell at, you know its coach, say and tell them what to do. 

Speaker 2 

And I realized the emotional impact. 

Speaker 2 

That that had on them, and I think that’s when it clicked for me, but my real calling was to mix my two passions. 

Speaker 2 

Uh, which was mental health in swimming? 

Speaker 2 

And just really look at how does swimming? 

Speaker 2 

Help our kids grow and how does that also? 

Speaker 2 

Interact with developing our team and our employees so. 

Speaker 2 

Between between the two. 

Speaker 2 

My path seemed really, really clear and I started down it and I really have not looked back since. 

Speaker 1 

That’s great, I I really like how you talked about, um, you were coaching the middle school. I kill. I coach that age group now like right budding up into it and I have for most of my coaching and I don’t. I don’t remember when it was exactly, but there was a point where I’d. I too was like. Wow you. 

Speaker 1 

You guys really are thankful for all the things that I do and I’m like, but I didn’t really do much. I just told you how you know where to swim and how to swim without really realizing how much. 

Speaker 1 

Compassion goes into teaching someone how to swim better in a way that, like you may be yelling to be heard. But it’s not. But how do you do that in a way that is conveying that you care about their personal development? And then that’s the emotional response that they’re responding to, and they say thank you for everything you’ve done. 

Speaker 1 

It’s. 

Speaker 1 

It’s not the thank you for telling me what to do. It’s thank you for pushing me to be a better person or making Maine do something I didn’t think I could do, or giving me the courage to face the situation in a race or with anxiety and give me the strength. And, you know, it’s all those secondary things that we don’t necessarily think about right away. 

Speaker 1 

That they resonate with and that is one of the I think one of the best parts of our job is being a swim coach or a swim teacher. Aquatic professional. I like to call it. 

Speaker 1 

So I’m sorry. 

Speaker 2 

I said yes. Absolutely, that’s exactly where where I think those of us who are lifers. I think that’s where we we find ourselves is realizing the emotional side to it. 

Speaker 1 

Yeah, and then when we have our staff when we start training people to teach lessons and do what we do, then we see and a lot of those people are 1516 seventeen. A lot for me at least. A lot of ’em. It’s their first job and so we have that same responsibility to almost, you know, guide them through becoming an adult at some point so. 

Speaker 1 

Outside of their parents. 

Speaker 2 

Right, yeah, I say that all the time. Is that really? 

Speaker 2 

With training staff and I know that’s not what this conversation is about, but you do. You take kids that primarily have had X trinsic forms of motivation, or have their parents telling them what to do and you’re teaching them how to find intrinsic motivation, how to want to do a good job for the sake of doing. 

Speaker 2 

A good job how to connect with people? How do you report? 

Speaker 2 

That they need time off, you know, take responsibility for themselves in a different way. An showing them how that really relates to to the real world. 

Speaker 1 

It makes it sound a lot more daunting, you know than it is a little bit, but it it comes pretty naturally. I feel what what about when you’re training staff do. Let’s focus this on like parent tot do you train? Let me just restart Here tell me about the parent top programs that you’ve had in your experience and then I want to kind of. 

Speaker 1 

Talk about how we train our staff to teach those classes, and then ’cause I think one of the things that will tie in here from what we were just talking about, is having that maturity of a 15 or 16 year old. And if this is the case, teaching a parent and infant class like how do we get to that point but? 

Speaker 1 

Tell me a little bit more about your experience with the beginner swimmers, and I think this is kind of where your passion lies. 

Speaker 2 

It it it is, um, I would say I’m truly passionate about all of it. I think kids under the age of five. They always have a special. 

Speaker 2 

Um place I think in my heart. 

Speaker 2 

So my parents hot program has evolved. I think a lot over the years an I was 1516 when I first started teaching it, so I somewhat remember those days as well. Where it was more of just songs and games. 

Speaker 2 

And as my education and experience level grew an I started to understand child development and the more I understood child psychology. 

Speaker 2 

It really helped me to mold my program into something that made sense to me, so it wasn’t just having babies work on reach and pull. 

Speaker 2 

I saw the bigger picture to the gross motor skill is that there was a gross motor school skill that would later be used in swimming. 

Speaker 2 

But it also is helping their physical development to be able to move right, then left and right, then left. Um, that’s really good for developing brain patterns and neuron connections in the brain, which later helps their their development in, say, math, right? So really, understanding and growing my knowledge base of not just. 

Speaker 2 

What was I doing and how is it benefiting them as a future swimmer? But how was it benefiting them as as a child helped as well as starting to see how could I take psychology? 

Speaker 2 

And bring it into the swim lesson world. So babies really like consistency, OK? 

Speaker 2 

So keeping something consistent, um, all of the kids shows, right? They all start with the same song every time. Yeah, most of them end with the same song every single time and they have a similar pattern that the program will go through. Think really popular things like Sesame Street. 

Speaker 2 

Right um Barney so? 

Speaker 2 

If I always start, I’m very big on starting with the same song and ending with the same song. 

Speaker 2 

Um, my go to is I always start with wheels on the bus and I’ll always end with a song called Tick Tock. 

Speaker 1 

Oh what’s the tick tock song? 

Speaker 2 

I have a terrible voice. I always preface that when I teach us, unless into but it it basically goes tick Tock, Tick Tock. I’m a little cuckoo Clock tick tock Tick Tock. Now I’m striking 1:00 o’clock. He raised the child up and down one time and so oh, as you’re going back and forth, you have that side to side pattern. 

Speaker 2 

You can get the kids, um jawbones or their cheek wet, or even their ear wet depending on their level, and then depending on their level and their comfort level, you can either hold the child really close and kind of raise up on your toes to give a little motion. You can just raise them up and down. You of course have the parents in the class that practically throw them up. 

Speaker 2 

Occasionally they’re going underwater at the end of it. At the end of the day, it’s probably one of my most. 

Speaker 2 

Um? 

Speaker 2 

Popular songs the kids love it so it always ends, even if they’ve had bad moments during Class. I’m a big believer Indiana. 

Speaker 2 

And in the class on a positive note, and there’s a way to make that song fun for everybody. Every kid always wants to sing it again. They want to sing it at home. So in my theory. 

Speaker 2 

It ends with them on a positive note. It always ends up with the same positive note and something that they look forward to coming back to. 

Speaker 1 

That’s great, so I really like it. I was smiling while you were singing it is because it is pretty catchy and the rhyme kind of threw me off, but it was really good. I was wondering where it went and it was like oh this is great. 

Speaker 2 

Yeah, so you do you do 1:00 o’clock. 

Speaker 2 

Preface it when I teach parents to, especially the first couple of times. It’s their own little workout ’cause they get, you know, pick their kid up, but we do one o’clock 2:00 o’clock in three o’clock. 2:00 o’clock you go up and down twice, three o’clock 3 times, and then that’s it. So not too. It’s not. You’re not going all the way till. 

Speaker 2 

12 that would take. 

Speaker 2 

Probably the whole class. 

Speaker 1 

Exactly, yeah, we do the hokey Pokey at the end of all of our classes. OK, so it’s like the same thing. I say we’re going to do three of em. We’re not going to do the whole body and different iterations of it. So yeah, it really. It heavily leans on that same thing that you were talking about is ending on a positive note, but more. 

Speaker 1 

Delighting in the movement and the regularity and the expectation of something. And then you can make small changes like your right hand in your left hand or someone is being thrown up only a little bit of the way or more the way in. And it’s based on the parents. 

Speaker 1 

Understanding of their own child’s comfort. 

Speaker 2 

Right? 

Speaker 1 

Right and and then sometimes you have to. There’s that one parent that you’re like. Whoa, your child is screaming like don’t throw him in the air. 

Speaker 2 

Yeah, and so I think setting the stage is really important in all of that. And before you get to a song like that, you’ve set the stage, hopefully. 

Speaker 2 

Pretty well by that point, yeah? 

Speaker 1 

So what tell me about like your first day teaching a parent height, if you can remember that I don’t necessarily remember mine when I first thought, but I was 16. 

Speaker 1 

That’s when I first taught parents hot and I was pretty scared because I’m like Oh my God. These are parents like? Why are they going to listen to me and my manager sent me down and said look they’re coming to swim lessons because they don’t know what you know, and you’ve gone through training. You you’ve looked at this, you know, we’ve shown you what to do, do what we’ve trained you to do. 

Speaker 1 

And I was like Oh OK. And then I, you know, went through my day. But tell me about your experience with that. What did you? How were you thrown into it? 

Speaker 2 

Um, you know, it’s funny that you use the term thrown in, because isn’t that what we do with most of our Aquatics especially, especially back? I think 10 plus years ago the amount of training that we got. 

Speaker 2 

Was not a ton I so my mom set me up. Honestly, I think pretty well for that, uh, she on and off throughout the course of my life ran a daycare. Oh yeah, early preschool, which I guess gave me a little bit of a leg up. I had a lot of experience. 

Speaker 2 

Whether that was being in our church, nursery, or helping out with my mom’s daycare, I had a lot of experience. By the time I was 15 or 16 with small children. 

Speaker 2 

Um, I think my swim instructor that I had when I was personally younger, so probably 1213. 

Speaker 2 

She let me kind of hang out and be an assistant teacher. 

Speaker 2 

In those types of classes, so I felt like I knew what to do, which was good because I don’t think I was given much of a Lesson plan, OK? 

Speaker 2 

But I think I was the only one brave enough to teach that class, and that’s why it was assigned to me. It wasn’t necessary that I wanted to do it, or I felt super comfortable. 

Speaker 2 

But out of the group of 16 year olds that we had, I was the only one who knew songs or was willing to give it a shot. I was like I I can do it yeah. And then I remember afterwards feeling frustrated so I didn’t necessarily feel nervous going in. It was more. Afterwards I was like I felt like I didn’t have. 

Speaker 2 

Good class management, which at the time I didn’t even know that was a word or a term or a technique right? I was like, you know, the parents look at me really weird. I feel like they’re expecting me to say or do something. I don’t. I feel like they’re looking at me like they’re not getting what they want. Yeah, and I I don’t know what’s missing and my. 

Speaker 2 

Director had a very similar talk with me and was like. 

Speaker 2 

They’re coming to you. They’re paying for a reason. They may know how to swim, but for some of them this is just something fun where they can be in a social environment and participate with other kids and others of them. 

Speaker 2 

They don’t know how to teach their own child how to swim at this age like you’re the one who knows how to do this. So even though you’re 16 or your, I can’t remember if I was 15 or 16. I think we were able to workout like 15 and nine months as long as we had a waiver sign. So I feel like I was just barely there. 

Speaker 2 

Um? 

Speaker 2 

But you know, like you’re, you’re the one who has this type of Education. Who’s studied this and. 

Speaker 2 

So that they are they’re looking for you for your expertise, even if you’re not a parent yourself. You have the experience with swimming, and I just got really intentional. I did not like that uncomfortable feeling, so I got really intentional with trying to figure out what I needed to do to feel more confident and have those parents not look at me. 

Speaker 2 

Like they weren’t getting what they wanted. 

Speaker 1 

Did you read books? Did you do stuff on your own? Was there a training material that was at the program that you were teaching with? What did you do? 

Speaker 2 

You know, I’m not 100% percent sure. I know there was not a lot of training material where I was because me and a friend of mine actually went through at 16 years old, went through a WSI class, yeah? 

Speaker 2 

Together, I think it was when they just changed the age from having to be 18 they had just lowered it to 16 OK and we both turned 16. I think during the class and then we rewrote the program that we worked for. We rewrote their curriculum and. 

Speaker 2 

The levels that they had an we were the ones who trained the instructors. 

Speaker 2 

So we were I was I was learning and I think that had something to do with what helped make me successful is I I had to learn not only how to teach it myself, but how to teach somebody else all at the same time. So I think I just did some research. 

Speaker 2 

Um, myself and I took the WSI class through American Red Cross, which was also helpful and started to really just look at my own classes an analyze. 

Speaker 2 

What did parents respond well to? What did they not respond well to what? What would I want and try and put myself in that position? 

Speaker 2 

And, Um, I started coming up with the conclusion that a lot of it was just knowledge and understanding. Um, possibly easiest way to relate it is. 

Speaker 2 

Where say, a group exercise class. If you ever taken a group exercise class and Zumba is one that stands out for me. I’m not personally like a Zumba person, but those dance type of of aerobic classes. 

Speaker 2 

They seem very easy for people to feel frustrated with. If your instructor is not good at queuing. 

OK. 

Speaker 2 

And so if you don’t know what’s gonna happen next, if you say, put your hand up, you don’t say what hand like there’s a delay. 

Speaker 2 

And so really being able to start saying This is what we’re going to do. This is why an then kind of queuing parents in so, for example, when I do wheels on the bus. 

Speaker 2 

I’m demonstrating and I tell them, OK, you know, you’ll watch my hands. I’ll have a pretend baby in my hand often. 

Speaker 2 

Um, an I’ve taught before where I’ve had a real plastic. You know, in the water baby. 

Speaker 2 

Um, but often I just use my pretend imaginary baby and I’ll go round and round. But before we get to the wipers going swish, swish, swish, I’ll stop. 

Speaker 2 

You know half. 

Speaker 2 

Half to a second early an I’ll start doing the swish swish, swish to remind the parents. 

Speaker 2 

Uh, with my hands, that that’s what we’re going into next, and it was, as I started to realize, you know. 

Speaker 2 

Parents want to know what are we doing and why are we doing it. Alright guys, we’re gonna start off with wheels on the bus. Every class we’re gonna start off with it because it’s a great water adjustment song. It helps us all get into the right mood for the day. So what telling them why? Even if it wasn’t every reason why telling them one or two reasons why we were doing that song. 

Speaker 2 

I’m telling them one or two reasons why we were going to keep the child in a prone position to kick and try and get them to kick with straighter legs. 

Speaker 1 

Yeah, I like that. I like that a lot because we know that as as you’re when like if you’re teaching teenagers. If you’re teaching adults, they want to know why they’re doing something they don’t like, the authoritarian were doing this, and then that’s the end of it and no explanation why they want to know. 

Speaker 1 

Well, why are we doing wheels on the bus and why are we doing this motion? An why are we holding our kids in this way? And even like you said, a simple statement an it doesn’t have to be the whole all. The reasons why, but at least you know one or two really good ones. Then they can take that and go with it and they can be like, oh, we’re doing this for this reason and they’ll be able to see the bigger picture. 

Speaker 1 

And then be able to buy into your program because you’re now giving them reasons behind the the, the things that you’re doing and and adults and teenagers too when they’re learning, tend to really like that. And I like how you said that I just wanted to go back to the WSI course. 

Speaker 1 

’cause I took that too. But when I was 18 ’cause I was, I had to be at that point and I really liked it. 

Speaker 1 

Because it gave main that behind the scenes stuff like why do we do it this way? Why are we doing it like this? Like why do we? Why should you even do? 

Speaker 1 

A wave type versus A1 on one type of interaction and what are the benefits of it? Because at my local pool we didn’t get any of that ’cause it was just do this activity. Do this activity that activity and. 

Speaker 1 

Jumping around here, I like how you’re saying. 

Speaker 1 

Parent taught is about giving cueing and the Zumba class was such a. 

Speaker 1 

Ah ha moment for me when I heard you describe that because I, I’m thinking if I went to a Zumba Class, I wouldn’t know what to do. And like you said if the instructor said put your hand up, I’d get frustrated ’cause I’d be watching the instructor the whole time and not doing the activity ’cause I wouldn’t know what to do and I was trying to and then like. 

Speaker 1 

The moment you said that I kind of connected it with parent tot and like you know this is exactly what makes. 

Speaker 1 

A good parent teacher is someone who is confident to say. 

Speaker 1 

This is why we’re doing it. This is the reasoning behind the skill. 

Speaker 1 

Um? 

Speaker 1 

How else do you queue during your parent tot classes? Like if you’re teaching, what else do you throw in? Or maybe what’s the progression like for your skills? You know, kind of what’s? What else do you do? 

Speaker 2 

Sure. 

Speaker 2 

So different skills sometimes do have different progressions, so I like that you you brought that up. 

Speaker 2 

I work on things like conditioning or peekaboo things that have. 

Speaker 2 

The same skill, just like for teaching a preschooler to go underwater, right? You have going underwater to your chin, to your mouth, to your nose, eyes, all the way under an. Then where they’re truly comfortable with it. 

Speaker 2 

So. 

Speaker 2 

Classroom management is really important in a parent child class and I think that can be really challenging to figure out how to round up parents sometimes. And so I find just being really clear with the communication that we’re giving. 

Speaker 2 

Confidence, communication, and queueing seemed to be like that’s your Big Three for wanting to teach a parent child class. So I’ll say, right, we’re all gonna meet here in the middle in the middle. 

Speaker 2 

And do XY and Z. 

Speaker 2 

Uh, so maybe we. 

Speaker 2 

All right, our next progression is that we’re going to go ahead and we’re going to work on our prone kicks. You’re gonna have your child hold on to your shoulders facing you like they’re giving you a hug if I have some kids who are. 

Speaker 2 

Uh, less Cheyenne might come to me, I I frequently will grab or ask, you know, somebody, hey, can I borrow your kid really quick? Do that all the time so trying to figure out how we’re gonna do that as we. 

Speaker 2 

You know social distance and I can’t do that anymore. I’ll probably go to bringing like a baby doll almost into class, which I’ve seen some other places do. Yeah, and demonstrate the position. OK, I want you to go ahead, you’re gonna move around. We’re gonna kick around we’re gonna do this for a few minutes. 

Speaker 2 

And then after the few minutes is over, I’ve walked around potentially helps people, um, with with their kicks, and then I’ll be like, OK, everybody do you know one more kick down an we’re gonna meet in the circle? 

Speaker 2 

And it kind of gets them back together. I’ll say OK, now we’re going to work on this. 

Speaker 2 

And for getting ready to go underwater. 

Speaker 2 

You’re going to make sure that we’re utilizing the same keyword, so before I take a kid underwater, I actually have the water going over their face as it would in the bathtub, so I’ll talk them through. 

Speaker 2 

This is what you’re gonna do based on your kids comfort level, so if they’re only comfortable with the cheek in the back of their head, that’s where you’re gonna spend most of your time. Have a little bit where the water goes down their face. You’re gonna be really excited about their progress and so breaking it down what each level might look like. 

Speaker 2 

To give them what they need to work on almost as we break up and they work individually so it’s a whole bunch of. 

Speaker 2 

These are your options. 

Speaker 2 

Go work where you need to and then I go around and kind of check on everybody to make sure that they’re meeting their kid. Kind of where they’re at and not being too easy or too hard. I’m kind of. 

Speaker 2 

And then we group back up if I’m in a group, back up to sing a song, I’ll say, alright, let’s everybody grab a spot on one of these two walls. I want you to place your back up against the wall 1 foot on your opposite knee creates a platform for your kid to sit on. You’re gonna set them on your leg with their back to your chest facing out towards me. 

Speaker 2 

So very detailed descriptive an I show it so I say it I show it and then I kind of set set myself back up. 

Speaker 1 

I really like that I haven’t done that back against the wall opposite knee on your foot for the platform. That’s a great. That’s a really that’s a really good idea like that. 

Speaker 1 

I like also how you said the confidence that communication and queuing are kind of your your goto for being able to run a good parent tot class. 

Speaker 1 

I I I like how it’s. It’s very concise but very complicated. At each one you know how do you get to that confidence and it’s like experience and trial and error and training communication and we were talking about this earlier. 

Speaker 1 

Being able to affectively queue, say what you’re about to do, um, that’s I guess that’s queuing more but even saying to parents this is what you’re going to be doing in the next 5 minutes. You’re going to do this progression. You’re going to do these skills. Here’s why. And then here the variations based on your ability. I really like that a lot. 

Speaker 1 

Um? 

Speaker 1 

What kind of drives your choices like if you were going to write a Lesson plan for this class or like come up with the progression? What is the like? What’s your main motivating goal like? What do you want to accomplish out of this class? 

Speaker 2 

Sure, so. 

Speaker 2 

That’s complicated in its own right, because children in that zero to three age bracket develop so quickly. There’s such a huge difference even in between a four month old and a 10 month old so. 

Speaker 2 

To me, similar to how each other skill has its own progression inside of the final skill. 

Speaker 2 

You’re teaching the parents how to pinpoint where their child is and take them to the next. 

Speaker 2 

Stage while trying to explain what the big picture is so that they can see what they want. Want them to do. I think the purpose of a parent child class or having swim lessons for kids under the age of three. 

Speaker 2 

Is really the physical and the emotional growth that can happen, and so that is everything from working on those gross motor skills in the body positions. 

Speaker 2 

Right, we know how important having a good prone body position is to being able to do a front line. Yeah, we know how important water acclimation and being truly comfortable with their head being under the water is to being able to do a front glide or to be able to swim freestyle. 

Speaker 2 

We know that then being able to roll or pivot to do a back float is very important to their later development, so teaching them those basic foundations that really comes to them being comfortable in the water. 

Speaker 2 

Is important and driving the skills that I’m going to teach. 

Speaker 2 

Um, I think having the emotional bond in growth and making a fun experience for them to love the water as well as its quality of bottom line. It’s quality time with the caregiver, whether that be mom, dad, aunt uncle, whoever cared to bring them there. 

Speaker 2 

It’s typically 30 minutes where their phone is somewhere else, and they’re giving their attention to this child, so I’m helping to facilitate them having a positive bonding moment, which I think is really important. 

Speaker 2 

Um and and keeping it fun. I think there is a safety aspect, so I like to look at Teaching Backfloat because that does help to keep them safe later on. I also like to teach rather than just teaching jumping in. 

Speaker 2 

I like to teach jumping in. 

Speaker 2 

And then also teach like a peekaboo or a wall grab. 

Speaker 2 

So I’ll put echo. 

Speaker 2 

So I will put a toy on the side of the wall, or sometimes maybe if two parents came in so fast every so often you have mom and dad want to both come in an that’s really fabulous. Put one of them on the wall. The child faces their their back to the parents trust with the parents. 

Speaker 2 

Back to the wall. 

Speaker 2 

And they turn towards the wall to peekaboo at their toy or the other parent and grab ahold of the wall. Got it. 

Speaker 2 

Um, well, what does this teach? US1? All babies have a natural reflex to grab things that are put into their hands or their fingers. So we want to start getting them to grab ahold of the wall. 

Speaker 2 

Most, I mean the bottom line is most drownings happen very close to a wall, very close to land. It’s typically somebody who wasn’t even supposed to be in the water slips and falls in. 

Speaker 2 

These kids that are under the age of 4 hour are hyest. 

Speaker 2 

Age group to be at risk. So if they were to slip and fall into the water. 

Speaker 2 

If they are acclimated and comfortable in the water, they are less likely to panic if they enjoy being in the water. 

Speaker 2 

And then if I can teach them to be able to turn towards the wall, an reach to grab ahold of something. 

Speaker 2 

Uh, it just gives them that. That better chance that they’re going to be able to do that. 

Speaker 2 

In a real life situation. 

Speaker 2 

And so working on jumping in. So we work on jumping in. But then we had jumping in with a turn in Wolgram and so the different progression. So there’s. 

Speaker 2 

In the makeup of a class. 

Speaker 2 

Is actually fairly complicated because you’re working on parent bonding relationships, creating a fun acclimating water experience with gross motor skills that are building a foundation as well as really honing in on what are some safety skills that make sense. 

Speaker 2 

At this age group for the type of risk factors that this age group presents. 

Speaker 1 

What you just described kind of just like. 

Speaker 1 

Encapsulates why I find swimming so interesting is because there are these multiple. 

Speaker 1 

Layers of complexity that if you cared to investigate them like you and I do, then it gets really interesting on the choices we’re going to make. When we’re writing a swim Lesson plan for someone else to teach a class. Or when we’re teaching the class ourselves an we’re talking to the parents and we’re saying. 

Speaker 1 

You know we’re going to do this progression of skills because it has a safety component. There’s this, and we’re probably not going to be saying an this is For Your. 

Speaker 1 

I can’t remember the word you just use, but the the the bonding experience between the parent and the child. I really like how you said without the there’s no phone for 30 minutes ’cause they’re in the water an it’s this dedicated fun experience. But it’s all these layered complexities that make it really interesting too. 

Speaker 1 

Look into and kind of decide where you’re gonna move with your next thing. Um, what was the the last thing you were talking about? How? 

Speaker 1 

You know, being able to that safety component, teaching it to the parent as a part of the progression. 

Speaker 1 

And then that kind of informs your choices on when you’re choosing what skills to do. What does that carry over to games or songs that you play? Do you also consider that? And like how it fits into this? 

Speaker 2 

I’m sure so. 

Speaker 2 

The songs that I typically do that have a little bit more of a safety component would be like your pancake song so that have you heard that one before? 

Speaker 1 

I have the can you do a brief reminder. 

Speaker 2 

Sure, it’s to the tune of I’m a little teapot. An basically goes. I’m a little pancake on my back. 

Speaker 2 

I’m a little pancake nice and flat. I’m little pancake on my back. Flip me over just like that and the key to that is showing an explaining to the parent how to flip the child over. 

Speaker 2 

As well as how to have them lay on their back right? You have more of your cheek to cheek position where the child heads resting on their shoulder. If they’re a little bit more timid, you could have the child more with their head to the parents trust you can have them extend it out. You can have just a couple of fingers underneath their head wherever the child’s at. So I make sure I break all of that down based on what I see in the. 

Speaker 2 

Class in front of me if I have mostly kids who are afraid, I’m gonna stick with the first one or two parts of the progression. If I have more advanced kids. 

Speaker 2 

Then I might stick with more of the advanced options or just offer a couple based on what my individual classes to explaining them how to hold their kid and then explain you know how to roll their kids so they not sit up in roll over to actually try and get them more of that sync the shoulder sync the hit. 

Speaker 2 

Anne roll them without putting their face under the water. 

Speaker 2 

On Expectingly or unwillingly some. 

Speaker 2 

2 year olds might choose to go ahead and do that, but how do you go ahead and hold on to the child so that way you have some type of control you don’t let their face go under the water and make it a bad experience for them. 

Speaker 2 

Then you do. I’m a little pancake on my tummy. I’m a little pancake, nice and yummy. I’m little pancake on my tummy, roll me over and pour some honey and then you’re rolling back to your backfloat. 

Speaker 1 

Those are awesome. 

Speaker 2 

So then you can add kicks an it also. 

Speaker 2 

A lot of these kids, unless they’re really small babies. 

Speaker 2 

Most kids don’t like being on their back as much anymore. I’ve noticed that happens about the time they start to roll over on their own, or crawl really about the time they start crawling. 

Speaker 2 

Doing a back float is not as much fun in class. 

Speaker 2 

So adding games or songs to it, adding um helps to make it a little bit better when you’re rolling from front to back and back to front. 

Speaker 2 

It’s changing it up. You’re adding a fun song with it. Kids are a little bit more likely to tolerate it. 

Speaker 2 

And to think that it’s fun if I’m going to go ahead and put a toy on the child’s belly and tell him they have to kick it from one wall to the other. 

Speaker 2 

It gives him something to do and it makes it. 

Speaker 2 

Fun where they want to be on their back and they have a purpose versus just trying to force a kid who doesn’t want to do a back float to do a back flow. 

Speaker 1 

Absolutely what what’s your like of all time favorite song or game or activity in a parent class? Your? I mean, I think you’ve said Tick Tock was was the crowd favorite? What’s your? 

Speaker 2 

Favorite, you know? 

Speaker 2 

So I have a pretty expressive. 

Speaker 2 

Face and personality. Sometimes when I teach a parent child, actually most of the time I will say parent child class completely that 30 minute lesson can exhaust me the amount of energy that I put into it most. 

Speaker 1 

Days, yeah. 

Speaker 2 

Um, Bumblebee for some reason has always been. 

Speaker 2 

An I have them do the scoop. 

Speaker 2 

And so they’re doing the region pull. I’m bringing home the baby bumblebee, and then the object stung me an I just make it kind of like a big funny deal. 

Speaker 1 

And just grab it a little bit. 

Speaker 2 

Sure, so you have them. I have the parents set. 

Speaker 2 

Kind of against the wall with their back up to the wall. 

Speaker 2 

And their child sitting with their back to the parents stress that helps the child feel more comfortable and puts them in a good position to to learn from. And so I’m actually in front more of classroom teaching at that point, and so we do our region, polearms. And we do. I’m bringing home a baby bumblebee. Won’t my Mommy be so proud of me or? 

Speaker 2 

You know, sometimes I change it up and I make it dads. If it’s more dads in the class or will sing it twice and do moms one time and adds another time and then it goes Ouch. He stung me an I make it like a funny Ouch. Not a scary, so I’ll be like, Oh, she’s stung me. Oh my goodness that Bumblebee and I’m showing my hand and. 

Speaker 2 

This little spot, and I’m like, let’s smash that bumblebee up right and we get really excited about it. And then we all start like smacking the water in front of me. And the other thing that I think is really important in a parent child class is as the instructor. 

Speaker 2 

You need to be demonstrating just as much and the kids need you know getting wet as the kids are an as you want the parents to be right so. 

Speaker 2 

If you want the. 

Speaker 2 

Parents to be OK if the kid pours water on their face or they get splashed. 

Speaker 2 

Then you gotta be OK with it too. Yeah, so I’m sitting there and splashing, you know, smashing up this bumblebee. 

Speaker 2 

And then I go. 

Speaker 2 

Oh my goodness, it made a huge mess. I don’t know bout you like my mom doesn’t like it when I make these messes. Let’s clean it up. 

Speaker 2 

An then we kind of do like us. 

Speaker 2 

Almost like your windshield wiper, you kind of wipe your hands back and forth across the top of the water. 

Speaker 2 

And so we we clean it up. And then we go OK all clean. You know my mom super it’s it’s a fun song. It works on some water acclimation skills. Yeah you get a little bit of gross motor skills with the reach and pull, but it’s a really fun, engaging song. 

Speaker 1 

I love it and what I like about it is that it’s this. 

Speaker 1 

Pretend world that you make real by interacting with it in front of the participants and the kids. If they’re watching. Will love like I can just see them laughing and smiling and loving this game because it’s the shared. Make believe pretend fun thing where you’re doing these goofy silly. I mean, you’re. 

Speaker 1 

You’re flailing around in the water, splashing water, and then you’re cleaning up the water afterwards. Like I I, I think it’s fantastic that this is one of the coolest things I’ve heard of. I haven’t heard of this before, so this is really neat. 

Speaker 1 

What like what are your? Go to toys or any like? Props that you use for parent tot and really this could be for any or lessons as well. But what do you like? Recommend that everyone gets one of these things. 

Speaker 2 

Sure, um. 

Speaker 2 

So you have the option. Like I said, if you it’s either not safe. 

Speaker 2 

Or you’re not comfortable or you have a class of very shy baby’s that might not allow you to borrow a a demo baby. You can always have a prop baby doll. You know one of those water babies that you can show and demonstrate to parents. 

Speaker 2 

As far as actual class toys. 

Speaker 2 

My biggest things is having like those little water cups. 

Speaker 2 

That you can pour. You do like the bucket head with them, right? You’re pouring the water over your head. You’re pouring it over their head to me. Rather than taking a child under the water. Initially I like to have the water going over their head. I tell the parents very specifically. 

Speaker 2 

You don’t like it when water is just dribbling on your face. They don’t particularly care for that on there, so fill the water only up a little bit and pour just a small amount over their face very quickly, and then you can start to increase the amount of water going over their head. I recommend they get those in practice, those at Bath time at home, yeah. 

Speaker 2 

Um, and then I think like the little water float toys and that can be the little dolphin shaped squirts or little plastic balls, really. Any toy that’s engaging that you can play peekaboo with that you can give a ride on your belly too. 

Speaker 2 

Or possibly you know, hold up overhead while a baby is doing or a small child is doing a back float. They’re also really good if you have like older classes will do. The you know will throw ’em in reach and pull to go get. 

Speaker 2 

Like those little toy floats. 

Speaker 1 

If you know what I replay called, throw a toy and get it right. Let me just throw it to him. Then you go get it to enter front or back float, so yeah. 

Speaker 2 

Yeah, and that that’s a super fun, so we’ve even done em where I’ve had them do. 

Speaker 2 

Jump in peekaboo at the wall. 

Speaker 2 

So they they do a complete jump in. 

Speaker 2 

Turn around, grab ahold of the wall, then they get their toy. Then they get to throw their toy. Then they get to swim to the toy. Put the toy on their belly and kick back. Like if you’ve got a really advanced class, you can sequence like all of that together. Oh yeah. 

Speaker 2 

And they they get to do. Kind of a little bit at their own pace as well. Um, so those really the cups and the toy that will float is probably most important to me. If I had to teach a class with nothing, I could. 

Speaker 2 

But those to me are absolutely any good program should invest in those. Noodles are OK for an sorry an let me say that for the cups in the pool toys there should be enough for each kid to have one or two the cups. Really I I say each kid needs to have two, one for them to hold in, one for their parents. 

Speaker 2 

Because if we’re running the parents to put the water on the kids face. 

Speaker 2 

The kids have to have one to hold an. I’ve had occasional kid who has to have one in each of their hands in order for the parents to have one in theirs. 

Speaker 2 

So when I pass those out, I will usually put them on the wall. 

Speaker 2 

Um, scattered around the pool. I’ll have the kids kick to go pick out their cups and I’ll let parents know. Pick one for you. Pick one for them. ’cause I already know if if you’re trying to use it, they want it. 

Speaker 2 

Um? 

Speaker 2 

And then noodles are great. You could have one or two you can do like London Bridges Songs with a pool noodle. 

Speaker 2 

Um, or if you’re at one of those places that has like a pool, mats sometimes for an I’m thinking more older parent child classes. The 1 1/2 to 3 year old age bracket where they can sit and do the backfloat or maybe a little bit more indypendent kicking on their front you can put. 

Speaker 2 

Several. 

Speaker 2 

Um? 

Speaker 2 

Of those 

Speaker 2 

Several kids, sometimes on one mat, and they’re able to go ahead and kick. 

Speaker 1 

We have a couple they’re pretty on. 

Speaker 1 

I don’t know, they’re flimsy, but we do the London Bridge with the mats and it works really well. 

Speaker 2 

Yeah, so those are bonus props. I don’t think you have to have those ones, but there’s. 

Speaker 2 

Deafen it used to them. 

Speaker 1 

Right, so it sounds like you’re saying stick with the little water cups or like buckets, and then the floating toys are pretty probably the most essential ones that you use in every lesson. 

Speaker 2 

Yes, I use those every class. 

Speaker 1 

How do you? What’s the first thing you like, one or two like key things that you train? Or you tell your trainers to to get. Make sure your staff does in the parent class. So like one of the first things I say is like don’t be afraid of the parents like they want to know what to do. 

Speaker 1 

Like they’re looking to you for guidance. So be calm and confident in that. Like, is that something you echo or is there something else you make sure that everyone that’s teaching apparent type class knows before they do? 

Speaker 2 

Sure, so my parents taught classes. I’m probably a little bit more particular about who teaches them and people get a little bit more training. 

Speaker 2 

Uh, from from somebody like me specifically before teaching it, um, I will take them through the sample lesson plans. An highlight at least a few wise, maybe not for every skill. 

Speaker 2 

Um and I I do. I kind of teach them the confidence. 

Speaker 2 

You know to be confident about it, even as So what I haven’t mentioned is I actually have a 5 year old son as well and. 

Speaker 2 

I’ve I’ve done all of this stuff with him and I mean he’s. 

Speaker 2 

He’s a good swimmer, but when he was little. 

Speaker 2 

Um, before he could before he could walk and I may have even started even before he could crawl I. 

Speaker 2 

Did gymnastics class with him. 

Speaker 2 

You know, like I just felt like it was something he would like at however 6 seven months old. I was like he would like gymnastics class. 

Speaker 1 

Tumbling net like. 

Speaker 2 

I like and the kid couldn’t even walk and I’m an it was. I thought swim lessons. 

Speaker 2 

Like work in the area that I was, I thought swim lessons cost a lot of money. 

Speaker 2 

Um, yeah, nothing like what I paid for gymnastics class. 

Speaker 2 

And. 

Speaker 2 

I looked at why was I willing to spend this type of money and what did I want out of the class and. 

Speaker 2 

I took the class because it was fun. It was something different that I didn’t know about and there was wise behind it. So we did this thing called flagpole with the these kids and it helped to work on their their core muscles and they couldn’t even like Walker because you’re like, why would you take a gymnastics class? This kids can’t even walk or crawl, right? Like that makes no sense. 

Speaker 2 

And I think a lot of parents sometimes think that with swim class, well, there’s no way that my 6 month old can swim across the pool. Why would I do that so? 

Speaker 2 

Having that. 

Speaker 2 

Family environment letting people know parents are somewhat doing this for the social environment. They’re doing it because it’s fun, so don’t be afraid of them and make sure you clearly communicate. Have a Lesson plan. Do not go into a parent child class, especially if you have not been doing 1. 

Speaker 2 

Without a Lesson plan, that’s true of all lessons, but particularly, you have to have some type of guidance. 

Speaker 2 

When the parents can be looking at you and you’re feeling kind of scrutinized. 

Speaker 1 

Yeah, I mean I use my lesson plans now because it’s been, you know, six months if I swap in to teach one. 

Speaker 1 

I’m like, Oh Gosh, what should I do so I I use a Lesson plan when I’m teaching parent at right now too. So yeah, I really agree with that. 

Speaker 2 

An I’ll usually I usually have a template an I’ll be like you’re gonna pick your opening song, and if you’re teaching this session, you’re gonna always have the same opening and the same closing song, and I’ll walk them through how to. 

Speaker 2 

To plan their class and. 

Speaker 2 

Making sure that they know their order, their progression. 

Speaker 2 

So how to have confidence? How to build their good plan? And then I usually will have them Co teach. 

Speaker 2 

With me it would have to be like a weird extenuating circumstance for me to not have somebody ecoteach. 

Speaker 2 

With me first, where while we’re teaching, I’ll say OK. Did you notice when I did wheels on the bus that before we went from wipers to the doors opening and closing I stopped doing the wipers and I started doing so. I’ll show the other instructor how I’m queuing. 

Speaker 2 

I will show the other instructor how I give directions and make sure that rather than me just doing it and expecting a new instructor to pick up on it. 

Speaker 2 

That I’m explaining. Did you notice how I did that and then having them? Maybe Co teach with me and saying OK, you’re gonna lead this song, this song and this activity and I’m gonna leave the rest. 

Speaker 1 

I found that when I do that similarly with Maine, and like if I’m training a new assistant coach or training a new swim teacher. 

Speaker 1 

They there’s a lot of anxiety about making a mistake, and I tell them I’m expecting you to make mistakes. This is your chance to go through this, an fail at it, and afterwards we’re going to talk about those mistakes and then how you can get better in the future. And if it’s something really egregious, I might stop you during the lesson, but. 

Speaker 1 

Do you have that, uh, similar conversation with your participants? Or how do you kind of mitigate that? 

Speaker 1 

Defensiveness that teenagers or even post teenagers tend to have. When you’re correcting him about their teaching ability. 

Speaker 2 

Sure, so I think I have that throughout all of the training course, and so by the time to me there teaching parent Tatar, I’m starting to train them on teaching parents thought I’ve taught them several other things to that point, OK? 

Speaker 2 

Um, I typically start off in my new hire training, whether it’s a lifeguard or swim instructor. Hey, you’re getting this amount of time right here. You are not gonna remember all of it. You’re gonna make mistakes. Um, which means you have learning opportunity or right? Yeah, and so rather than it being a mistake like you’re doing a learning opportunity. 

Speaker 2 

I also when I’m being thorough will remember to say my way might not be your way. I can give you my experiences, I can give you things that have worked really well for me. 

Speaker 2 

An at the end of the day. Sometimes when I give you feedback, I’ll say something I may have done was. 

Speaker 2 

XY and Z. That doesn’t mean you did it wrong, that just means hey, in case you ever need to fall back on something or your plan doesn’t work out for you. 

Speaker 2 

This is something else to kind of. Just keep in your toolbox and so sometimes even when I’m giving, I’ll preface and let them know sometimes when I’m gonna give you feedback after evaluating a class or watching you teach. 

Speaker 2 

It’s to just give you more tools in your toolbox. I’ll let you know if there’s anything where it’s like, hey, we really do need to look at changing this. 

Speaker 2 

And This is why and letting them know. Yeah, with with 17 years of age I’ve I’ve made the mistakes like I was. 

Speaker 2 

1516 teaching 

Speaker 2 

And having to figure this out so I I think having that real conversation with people as your training them is really important. I’m really glad that you brought that up because I think that’s something that can easily get missed and sometimes even if I’m going through the higher process really quick, we know we really gotta hurry up and train an instructor. 

Speaker 2 

We will forget that, um, I like to think. Sometimes I notice that they’re getting uncomfortable, and then I backtrack it and make sure that they know. Hey, you don’t have to sing every song I sing your opening song in mind doesn’t have to be the same. 

Speaker 1 

I like I like that opportunity for freedom like I think I talk about this a lot. It’s like you have the framework or the guardrails in place and within that framework is a lot of flexibility. Like it sounds like you give your people that you work with and train a lot of free ground to to do things how they please. 

Speaker 1 

Um, as provided, it falls within, you know, the The Essentials. But like you said, they don’t have to sing the same song that you do. You like this song for your reasons, but maybe they can their style a different song would be better for them. I really like that opportunity for freedom. 

Speaker 2 

But absolutely, I’ve learned. 

Speaker 2 

Some of the cooler things that you know I’ve learned, like I’ve learned, tips an new games and new activities from instructors and them having that creativity. 

Yeah, yeah. 

Speaker 2 

So absolutely, there’s been times where I’m like, hey, like I have never seen that game before. I’ve never seen it. 

Speaker 2 

Played that way and that was really awesome. Yeah, and it’ll become almost like a best practice where. 

Speaker 2 

Will will change that. So I think for. 

Speaker 2 

Instructors teaching instructors. It is really important. 

Speaker 2 

To make sure that they understand the why, if they understand the why behind that skill, or why you would teach it that way, then they can make sure that their style. 

Speaker 2 

Fits the why, even if the How is a little bit different, does that. 

Speaker 1 

Make me really good. Can you say that again? 

Speaker 2 

I hope so. 

Speaker 2 

So when part of the reason why teaching instructors, and I think this is true for anything, right? So if you have lifeguards, when I do my lifeguard new hire Orientation an I’m talking about the rules. 

Speaker 2 

Their copy of the rules that they get has the rule an why it’s the rule. So when I’m teaching instructors how to teach a swim lesson, you’re seeing why that skill is important or what you’re looking for, and when the instructors understand the why. 

Speaker 2 

The How can be different and the how creates the activity of accomplishing the same goal. 

Speaker 1 

Got it, I’m writing this down because it’s really good. This is like gold. 

Speaker 1 

Um, what else do you want to add? I mean, we got one more 2 minutes here. Is there anything else that you want to hit that maybe we missed as talking about kind of your experience and parentid? I mean, we talked about. 

Speaker 1 

The mental and physical benefits of swimming, which I think we could do another conversation entirely about. 

Speaker 2 

My gosh yes, you could do a whole series on physical and mental, I mean. 

Speaker 2 

For all ages, right? 

Speaker 1 

Absolutely Yeah, but is there anything that maybe that today you you kind of wanted to highlight or go back to that we missed? 

Speaker 2 

I think highlighting on the same fact of. 

Speaker 2 

Of what we just did. 

Speaker 2 

That they have to make it their own class. Confidence is really important. 

Speaker 2 

And so being confident in the songs or the activities that you pick and the skills that you teach, and if you’re not sure on anything. 

Speaker 2 

There are resources for you to find out and for you to grow your knowledge, and then I think for empowering and looking at the reasons. Again, the reasons why behind the class. 

Speaker 2 

And the thing we didn’t spend a ton of time talking about is setting the stage. 

Speaker 2 

With the parents. 

Speaker 2 

Said the things I always make sure to start out new classes or to let new parents know is that they do know their kids. 

Speaker 2 

They know when their kid is having a rough day. We all have off days we have off days as adults the kids are going to have off days too. So let those off days happen. 

Speaker 2 

If the activity is not working and you can’t make it a fun environment with their learning something. 

Speaker 2 

While having fun. 

Speaker 2 

Then Peel off to the side. 

Speaker 2 

And just give him some extra attention. 

Speaker 2 

Make the skill fit. 

Speaker 2 

Where they’re comfortable, where that child is comfortable, but also where you’re comfortable. If you’re not comfortable taking your child under the water, your child’s not going to be comfortable going under the water. 

Speaker 1 

Yes. 

Speaker 2 

Right, so you have to work for. 

Speaker 2 

What works for you? What works for your child and know where they’re at and know where they’re at that day, and letting the parents know when you’re in this class. It’s not to force your child to do XY&Z. We have an overall goal that we’re gonna get there. 

Speaker 2 

Each kids gonna get there in their own time and through their own process. 

Speaker 2 

And it would be a disservice to them to push them any further faster than what is going to work for them. ’cause at the end of the day, we want a safe child who loves swimming. 

Speaker 1 

Yes. 

Yeah so. 

Speaker 1 

That’s wonderful, yeah, I I really like how you you really laid that out. Pretty clearly that’s something that. 

Speaker 1 

I think I’d explicitly say to when I’m teaching your class, but I don’t know is always delivered by. 

Speaker 1 

Other people that I’m training to do, ’cause sometimes I think I forget about saying that, or teaching that aspect there. That’s I’m really glad that you said it that way, and especially the way you said it. Make it fun and enjoyable and then give him a chance to peel off to the side and give that child the attention if they need it instead of forcing this activity down your child’s like. 

Speaker 1 

And when they don’t want to do it like that’s, I think that’s a great way to end. 

Speaker 1 

Because it kind of encapsulates everything it’s it’s our over your overarching goal and theme and correct me if I’m wrong here is. 

Speaker 1 

You want to create a fun loving environment for young and infant swimmers with their parents too. 

Speaker 1 

Begin the lifelong journey of swimming an it should be done in a fun, enjoyable way. And yeah, with enough time we’re going to get there. It’s just a matter of you know when are we going to get? There’s not. It’s not a race, it’s a marathon, right? Oh, it’s aquathon. 

Speaker 2 

There you go. 

Speaker 1 

OK, is there anything else you want to add in addition to that? Otherwise this would be it. 

Speaker 2 

No, I think I think that gives us a pretty good foundation to to give to most instructors and instructor trainers. 

Speaker 1 

Absolutely so. Thank you very much Julia. It was a pleasure talking to you. 

Speaker 2 

Thank you so much.