My boys have been at Farnsworth Swim School ever since they were 2 and 3 years old. This year, they will be 6 and 7 - so this will be our 4th year! Why we love Farnsworth:
1 - They offer 1:1 swimming lessons
2 - The instructors, the owner and the people who run it know what they're doing and are 100% professional.
3 - The instructors are super knowledgable and know how to work with all ages - from babies to adults.
4 - Your child WILL swim! If mine can, yours will too :)
So let me tell you this - it's a process. When my 2 and 3yo's first started swimming, they were CRAZY afraid of water. Whenever I'd take them to a pool, they'd cry, wrap their legs around my hip and never let go. The first summer we took classes at Farnsworth, I'll be honest, they cried alot. The instructors at Farnsworth were so patient and never got frustrated at my boys even though they practically cried the entire time during some of the sessions. It took a week for them to stop crying and even then, they'd whine every time I took them, but after a week, they got better. I started to see progress. They haven't learned how to swim yet, but they were accepting being in the water, and back then, my only goal was for them to just be comfortable being in the pool. So come summer #2, it was rough at first again, it took them a week to overcome their fears since they haven't swam all year round (which brings me to another topic: you might ask, Isn't it better to swim all year round? You can, many parents schedule in swimming only on the weekends and once a week just isn't enough for your kids to learn how to swim. They have to swim every day, consecutively for them to train their muscles - and memory! Trust me on this, I too questioned it and my kids learned how to swim this way, so I'm a firm believer). OK I got sidetracked, back to summer #2, where they finally got comfortable in the water and started to learn how to swim, but still wasn't able to swim from one side to another yet, but, baby steps. Summer #3 (just last year), my oldest who was 6yo at the time FINALLY learned how to swim from one side to the other (HALLELUJAH!). I felt like all the money I've ever spent on swimming was FINALLY worth it. And get this, he also learned how to do the butterfly and breast stroke, in ONE summer. I think once you get over the fear, you just soar! I think alot of it has to do with age too and practice of course. When my son's instructor knew he wasn't afraid of the water anymore, she knew how to encourage and push him to his ability. It was AMAZING to watch my oldest learn how to swim and my youngest son is almost there too. This summer is going to be great, I know it already.
Oh and I need to also add - you don't get ribbons for every little milestone like other swimming classes do. At Farnsworth Swim School, after every 2 weeks, you get a report card, checking off the things you're able to do and if they can't check off all the boxes, you are still at the level you're at until you can move on to the next step. There's ALOT of things you need to complete, which makes completing it THAT much more worthwhile and fulfilling. My boys were so proud every time they got to move up to the next level, they felt a strong sense of accomplishment.
If you are looking for a school that will teach your child(ren) how to swim, look no further. read more