Knowing how to swim is an important skill that every child should have. Each child learns differently, so the question of whether to enroll your son or daughter in private or group swim lessons may be difficult. The YMCA of Greater Cincinnati offers both types of swim instruction, so learn the benefits of each one to decide which is the best method for your child.
Private Swim Lessons
Private swim lessons are often with just your child and a swim instructor, but there are also semi-private swim lessons available with a 2:1 swimmer to instructor ratio to help lessen the cost of private lessons. Here are some of the benefits and indicators that private lessons may be the best option for your child.
- One-on-one attention – For kids who are apprehensive about the water, individually working with an instructor may be the best way to build trust and confidence in the water. It can help them feel safer and work to become more comfortable quicker. One-on-one attention can also be beneficial for students who may have a harder time focusing on the task-at-hand and needs someone to constantly interact with them.
- Customized learning – In private lessons, the swim instructor can completely tailor the class to the student. If your child is great at breaststroke but needs some extra work with the butterfly, a private lesson is perfect to focus on that! Group lessons often have a set schedule of things to learn during a class, so your child may have to move on from something they’re struggling with in order to keep up with the class. Private lessons give your child all the time they need to work on anything that they personally need help with.
- Class Length – With just one student, instructors can get a lot done in a shorter amount of time. Private lessons are often only 30-45 minutes while group lessons are usually an hour. This can be a great option for people with busy schedules or children with short attention spans.
- Complete an interest form
Group Lessons
Group swim lessons consist of 5-10 swimmers with an instructor, all learning skills in a progressive order. The YMCA offers six different levels of swim lessons, grouped by ages. Group lessons can be a great option for children who are comfortable in the water and ready to learn more skills. Here are some benefits of group swimming lessons.
- Lower Cost – Since there are more swimmers for one instructor, group swim lessons are often a lot less expensive than private lessons. This is a great option for parents who want their children to learn to swim and just need basic introductory lessons.
- Social Skills – With a group of 5-10 kids, your child will be able to socialize with the other swimmers during group swim lessons. They will also learn valuable social skills such as waiting their turn and following instructions.
- Peer Learning – Since there’s only one instructor for the group, your child will have a little more downtime in between each activity. This is great if your child is a visual learner because they can use the time waiting their turn to watch the other swimmers performing drills to really drive home the skills they’re learning. This is also a good time to give your child a few minutes of rest before doing the next drill.
Private and group swim lessons have different benefits that appeal to different learning styles and personalities. Both types of lessons are available at the YMCA of Greater Cincinnati, so register today! If you still don’t know which would be best for your child, come in for a swim evaluation and speak with our dedicated instructors to determine the best swim lesson type.