No matter what aspect of swimming you’re teaching your kids, there’s one thing that you have to include in every lesson if you want to keep them motivated and moving forward. What is this secret ingredient?

The Secret Ingredient You Must Include in Every Swimming Lesson

It’s play. I’ve already talked about how important and underrated play is in teaching and learning. There’s more than that to consider about play.

After you’ve spent some time teaching, take a two- or three-minute break to play a game. This small break will signal that you’ve accomplished something and it will give your child a chance to relax and stretch, preventing him from overtiring one part of his body. It will also prime his mind and his mood for learning something new.

Present your kids with several suggestions of games that use the skill they’ve been practicing, and let them choose their favorite. They’ll feel like they’re taking a break and getting a treat, but really playing with the skill they’ve been practicing deepens their knowledge and understanding of the skill in ways that drills won’t.

If things get out of hand and you end up playing so long that you don’t have time to finish teaching what you’d planned for the rest of the swimming lesson, that’s cause for celebration. Your kids have been having fun, strengthening their bodies and their skills, and bonding with you. What could be better than that?