At Goldfish Swim School, we believe that every child needs to have the skills to be safer around water. Whether your kids are already splashing around the pool, adventurous toddlers jumping in for the first time, or tentative little ones who need extra encouragement, it’s time to think about summer water safety.

The best way to have a safer summer is to start early. Safe Kids just released a new study that notes an estimated 1,000 kids drown annually, and 70 percent of those incidents occur between May and August. The American Red Cross recommends that children be enrolled in weekly swim lessons to ensure that they develop the skills necessary to be water-safe. Goldfish Swim School offers many options for your family to start or continue the learn-to-swim process this summer:

Start early with Mini Classes. Infants as young as 4 months old can start lessons at Goldfish. In these classes, infants learn water safety skills like holding onto the the wall and climbing out safely, as well as how to roll onto their backs (an essential water-safety skill).

Through a series of exercises, they even learn how to go under water! The classes provide benefits outside of learning to swim; they foster independence, motor skill development and parent-baby bonding.

Keep it consistent in weekly lessons! Practice is the key to success, and learning to swim is no different. Consistent, weekly swim lessons are essential for continuing your child’s progress, and programs like Goldfish’s perpetual, year-round lessons will keep your child’s momentum going.

Instead of ending after a 6- or 8-week session, perpetual lessons feature weekly classes with the ability to progress through levels at your child’s pace. In addition, weekly swim lessons have many added benefits! Play-based classes like the ones featured in Goldfish’s curriculum teach kids confidence and introduce goal-setting while they are also having fun.

Jump into a Jump Start Clinic. Learning to swim takes time and practice, and a great way to speed up the process is to enroll in one of Goldfish’s Jump Start Clinics, featuring 4 or 5 consecutive days of 30-minute lessons. Students can experience a month’s worth of learning in one week. The quick succession of classes can help first-time students quickly acclimate to lessons or seasoned swimmers accomplish a goal they were struggling with during weekly lessons.

Have some fun at Family Swim! The Family Swims at Goldfish offer added pool time to your family’s schedule each week. The hour-long open swim times are great for playdates, and they also offer time to practice the skills learned in lessons. Spend the hour — or even 10 minutes — creating fun “mini lessons” to continue the learn-to-swim process with your kids.

Check out our website for Family Swim dates and times. In addition, Goldfish Swim School Malvern is hosting a free Grand Opening Party on June 16, 2018, from 2 — 5 pm. Event highlights include open swim, raffles, a balloon artist, games, refreshments and more. All are welcome!

We look forward to seeing your family in the pool this summer!

Photographs courtesy of Goldfish Swim School. 

Goldfish Swim School provides swim instruction to children ages 4 months to 12 years-old in a unique setting with highly trained instructors, small class sizes (max 4:1 student to teacher ratio), shiver-free 90-degree pools, and a state-of-the-art water purification system.

Goldfish Swim School now has four Philadelphia-area locations: Goldfish Fort Washington, Goldfish Mount Laurel, Goldfish Oaks and Goldfish Malvern. Classes are offered by specially trained instructors in a safe, child-friendly and fun environment using their research-based philosophy called The Science of SwimPlay®.  In addition to swim lessons, Goldfish Swim School  also offers weekly family swims (for both members and non-members) and birthday party packages. For more information or to register for lessons, visit www.goldfishswimschool.com.