During the colder months many swim schools see a drop off in enrolment numbers. It’s important to talk to parents about the benefits of keeping their kids swimming through winter, and to adjust your lesson planning to suit the cooler weather.
Below are some simple tips to keep in mind when teaching in winter:
Keeping warm before the lesson
Remind parents to ensure their child wears plenty of warm clothing when coming to lessons. No one wants to jump in the pool when they’re feeling cold!
Do dry work first
Run through any drills that you can do out of the water, keeping students dry for longer. For example, teaching the leg action for breaststroke can be introduced by asking students to lie on a bench.
Keep students moving
Once the students are in the pool, keep them moving during the lesson as much as possible. Try to include chain or wave swimming techniques in your lesson plan to avoid having students waiting for long periods.
Shower straight afterwards
Talk to parents about making sure students head to the showers straight after their lesson, so they aren’t hanging around or leaving in wet clothes.
The more comfortable students are when attending lessons over winter, the more likely they are to keep coming! You can also talk to parents about the positives of keeping their kids in lessons and the many benefits of winter swimming lessons.