Proud Mum Alert
One thing that I am immensely proud of is the fact that Freyja can swim. She learned when she was not quite 4 and half, while we were on an extended 6 week holiday in Dubai.
Now in Dubai most kids can swim at this age. I was certainly swimming at around that age, because I used to go to swimming club in Kuwait and we left there when I was 5. But here, where there isn't a pool in everyone's garden and the kids don't learn at school from the moment they start, it is less usual to be swimming at 4.
When we came home and started taking Freyja swimming here so she wouldn't forget (incidently, it seems that swimming is one of those things that once you get it, you've got it. We've left it quite a few months between swims at times and she always remembers), people would stop us and ask how old she was and look on impressed as she swam a length of the pool (I know it's probably nauseating reading this but I don't usually brag about my kids, at least not without balancing it with something hideous that they've done).
In September we decided to put her in for swimming lessons. You see, although she was perfectly capable of swimming a full length by herself, she swam vertically in the water - just this little face bobbing along the surface with her body flailing around underneath to propell her through the water. So we thought lessons would go someway to improve her technique - or rather, lack of.
Lessons are done on age not ability, and as she is 4, she went in with the 3-5 group. This group seems to be more about gaining confidence in the water and getting the very early basics of how to swim. The teacher was very good and after a few sessions would get Freyja to do things without the floats, and she also gained confidence in putting her face under the water. So even though she was the only child in the class who could actually swim, I was happy to just let it be, because Freyja enjoyed it. I also have a fear of looking like an overbearing, pushy mum and decided that pointing out that my child could already swim would make me look exactly like that.
But then last week the teacher called us after the class and said Freyja could move up to the over 5s, even though she wasn't quite yet 5. Hurrah!
She had her first lesson on Saturday and slotted happily in at around the middle ability of the class. And now having thought we would just do the one term, I'm quite tempted to keep it going as she really enjoys it, and there is a little girl from her class at school who goes as well.
Double Hurrah.
Now in Dubai most kids can swim at this age. I was certainly swimming at around that age, because I used to go to swimming club in Kuwait and we left there when I was 5. But here, where there isn't a pool in everyone's garden and the kids don't learn at school from the moment they start, it is less usual to be swimming at 4.
When we came home and started taking Freyja swimming here so she wouldn't forget (incidently, it seems that swimming is one of those things that once you get it, you've got it. We've left it quite a few months between swims at times and she always remembers), people would stop us and ask how old she was and look on impressed as she swam a length of the pool (I know it's probably nauseating reading this but I don't usually brag about my kids, at least not without balancing it with something hideous that they've done).
In September we decided to put her in for swimming lessons. You see, although she was perfectly capable of swimming a full length by herself, she swam vertically in the water - just this little face bobbing along the surface with her body flailing around underneath to propell her through the water. So we thought lessons would go someway to improve her technique - or rather, lack of.
Lessons are done on age not ability, and as she is 4, she went in with the 3-5 group. This group seems to be more about gaining confidence in the water and getting the very early basics of how to swim. The teacher was very good and after a few sessions would get Freyja to do things without the floats, and she also gained confidence in putting her face under the water. So even though she was the only child in the class who could actually swim, I was happy to just let it be, because Freyja enjoyed it. I also have a fear of looking like an overbearing, pushy mum and decided that pointing out that my child could already swim would make me look exactly like that.
But then last week the teacher called us after the class and said Freyja could move up to the over 5s, even though she wasn't quite yet 5. Hurrah!
She had her first lesson on Saturday and slotted happily in at around the middle ability of the class. And now having thought we would just do the one term, I'm quite tempted to keep it going as she really enjoys it, and there is a little girl from her class at school who goes as well.
Double Hurrah.
posted by solveig at
2:18 pm
3 Comments:
She looks so cute!
I think swimming is really important, we take bear as often as we can, he's two and he's just started pushing off the bottom to float and kick his legs, nothing better than swimming with your children!
She does look cute. We are in the process of trying to teach Baba to swim, he is nervous in the water. But he is only two so hopefully we shall get there! x
@babygenie - pushing off, kicking and floating at 2 is impressive! I think it is great to do, but we've never really got into it here, I'm so spoiled by my family holidays to Dubai! And now Freyja has lessons poor Theo doesn't get to go at all. Must take him more.
@Kerry - I think I might put Theo for lessons when he's a little older. I don't think he will ever have the luxury of an extended 6 week holiday by a swimming pool like his big sister had!
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