Aqua Kid!

Dumpling has been swimming since more than 1.5 years ago. This is one skill that the man and I are very insistent on. We started Dumpling when she was young so that she does not develop any fear of water. Having started her at a younger age, I do get questions if it actually makes any difference. To me "yes" but this is dependant on what you truly want as a parent. I do not habour any expectations for swimming, I just need her to be able to swim.

Here's my answers to some of the common questions. :)


- So what's the pros of starting young?
To date, Dumpling has not displayed a fear of water as compared to some older kids who started later. My rationale to start young is that some kids develop fears when they are older and the fear of water is one of them. So I wanted to start when she was still enjoying water.

She did go through a period where she was not as confident in diving into and leaping off the platform to swim to us. So I am really happy to see how she is coming into her own and how her confidence has built up slowly.

Additionally, being a FTWM, I wanted to have activities where there is more bonding between the toddler her and me so this suited us just fine.


- What are the cons?
The parent must be realistic because when they start so young, one is not able to see the "results" so soon in terms of technical skills. But you will be able to see better coordination skills and general confidence. In addition, it also trains the child to take instructions and develop listening skills.

And of course, when you start younger, you will end up paying for the swimming fees earlier too. :)

- What are the things to look out for in choosing a swim school?
There are a lot of personal reasons why I chose the current swimming place. Distance is definitely one because I did not intend for this to be over in just a term or two so venue is an important factor for me.

Additionally, I wanted somewhere with a heated pool. This is the Chinese mum in me talking because on rainy days (classes still continue unless there is lightning) the water can get cold and I did not want Dumpling to catch a cold.


- What are the things then to look out for in an instructor?
There is quite a bit of differerence in a swimming coach for older and younger children. For Dumpling, there was a change of instructor recently. We toughed it out for a while but unfortunately, his style did not really work for Dumpling and the "chemistry" is not there. The coach was very experienced with older kids but I personally felt that he did not engage that well with the younger group of children.

So chemistry, energy and genuine passion for children would be the 3 things I think are important.


- We have never brought our child for swimming before, what prep work can we do?
An early introduction to water is always good. Bring your child to a wading pool or water play area to get them comfortable with it. Get them to kick, splash, etc. in the pool.

If the swimming school specialises in teaching young children, they would have songs, "props" and tools to engage them. Dumpling's school has a "magic" mat and a slide which are 2 of her favorite things when she was loads younger. So do not be overly worried, the school knows what to do. :)

And for me, I "prepped" Dumpling a few days before the lesson by explaining to her what would happen and that there will be someone teaching us. I also assured her that I would be in the water with her. (The classes are accompanied classes since the kids are young).

Lastly, I know that neck floats are very popular with the younger children and I think that is fine. Just to share, one of the most important things for the child when they swim is to be able to float up and look downwards. The children, by instinct and also because the muscles are not developed yet, tend to "walk" instead of float. So, once the child is comfortable with water and are older, I would suggest to do away with the neck float.

- Alright, I am keen to start so what should I do?
Register for a trial and see if your child likes it. Watch how the coach engages your child and see if you are comfortable with his/her style. Dumpling takes a while to warm up to strangers so I took that into consideration too. Some children may cry and that actually is quite common but you will be in the best position to judge if it is because there is no chemistry or that the child needs more time.

Dumpling was on the wait list at her current school for months because the weekend classes are always full. So if you can do weekdays, it is always a better choice (less crowded too). But if you can't, early planning is always good.

Lastly, just enjoy the process. Swimming is a wonderful exercise: great for muscles development, coordination as well as confidence building. I love watching how much Dumpling enjoys her session and how much more confident she has become in the water too! :)

*note: please ensure that you are in the pool at all times with your child for safety reasons unless you are told otherwise by the swim coach (as your child may be older). These are my personal thoughts so if you have other questions, do check with the respective swimming schools / coaches

When is it truly enough?

I am writing this more of a reminder for myself than anything else. In Singapore, there is a very famous singlish term - Kia Su which is loosely translated as "scared to lose out". Hence, there is quite a bit of pressure as a parent to want to expose your child to as many things as possible lest, they "lose out".

When I first started homeschooling, it was because I did not really believe that the child can only get that sort of exposure from school and I firmly stand by that. Because I believe that no one would know the child better than the parent (I hope!) and also, if anything, being a FTWM, being able to homeschool my child at night allows me to bond with her too, no matter how little or how much we do. Ultimately, I want to make learning FUN for her, where we are able to look at clouds on a sunny day and hunt for animal faces, laugh over the re-enactment of classic fairy tales and rhymes etc. I also wanted her to develop the habit of inquring, to observe and to deduce. In short, I wanted her to have a positive experience on learning and to carry that positiveness and enthusiasm with her in her life.

And since we are doing so much during the weekdays, I would limit her weekends to play based activities and a sports related activity - swimming. I started with swimming as I wanted Dumpling to have this "survival" skill. Additionally, I thought to start her on it when she is young so she has no water phobia. So far, it seems like she is doing good and most importantly, is enjoying it as she develops her sense of confidence and coordination.

Along the way, she also showed interest in music just like many other children as well as drawing and dancing (ballet in particular). So I signed up for a trial on Saturday morning (since her swimming was in the PM). We did not start the day off on a good foot as I did not prepare her for it (she takes quite long to warm up to strangers) and mainly because she did not have a good sleep the night before. So, during the entire session, she did not go to the front of the class but rather, participate from where she was seated at times, while at other times, she would complain that she was tired.

Unfortunately for us, the school wanted a commitment on the same day if we intended to sign up. This did not work well for us especially when you have a cranky and overly tired child. I contemplated a lot because I was not sure if one session was enough to see if Dumpling enjoyed herself. I also took a step back and thought if it makes sense to send her for 2 classes in one day - would it not be too much? Though they were spread out (since one was in the morning and the other was in the afternoon) I contemplated over this point a lot.

On the one hand, I wanted her to be exposed to more things and have more fun but on the other, I did not want her to be overly tired and stressed out especially since she is all bout 2.5. So I took a moment to gather my thoughts. In the end, I decided to sit it out. She is still going for her weekly swimming sessions which she seems to enjoy loads (proudly declaring to me "teacher sam said I did an excellent job"). However, I still find myself wondering if I am depriving her of anything especially when I see my mates signing their child up for some many other stuff. This is where I will gather my thoughts to return to the basics of why I wanted to homeschool her - to also teach values such as "perserverance", "patience", etc.

When I first started sending her for swimming sessions, I did not intend for this to be yet another "term" activity where we will stop after a few terms. I spoke to her about it and the hubs and I also discussed with her on what will happen at the session etc. After the session, I also took a whole week to speak to her and gather her feedback and thoughts on the class before signing on. This was because I wanted to cultivate the value of "finishing up" on a task / a project which we started instead of just giving up halfway or developing a habit of switching from classes to classes without really trying to settle. I also reminded myself that her weekends are meant for playdates, play based / sports related activities and not to be piled on with too many "enrichment/language" classes, speech and drama, etc.

A few terms into swimming, I am proud to say that she was strong enough to kick herself out of the water and surfaced to take in a breath of air and her water confidence has increased tremendously. I still find myself wondering at times if I am doing enough for her and if we are doing the right thing by homeschooling. But then there will be moments such as the silly fun we had together playing "Sim Sam" says (similar to Simon) or making a mock school bus out of an old cardbox and getting just about everyone, including the family dogs, involved.

Here, Dumpling is creating windows...

Creating wheels and decorating her bus :) Great way to reinforce shapes and numbers

Peekaboo!

The family dog as one of her passengers. :)