Re-establish your family's routine
While postponing rebooking after school activities can be tempting, it's proven kids, and you thrive when familiar routines are maintained.
Routines help children feel safe and build healthy habits, while for parents, they help to feel organised and ensure enjoyable activities are part of your family's weekly diary.
If your children were attending swimming lessons on a Tuesday after school or learning piano on Thursday afternoons, recommencing these classes can help your child adjust to the new term faster.
Returning to swimming lessons? Take the pressure off
If your family took a break from swimming classes over the holidays, it's expected you might be concerned your child has forgotten some of their skills; experts recommend taking it slow.
"Remind your child that swimming classes are about having fun!" explains State Swim swimming teacher, Renee Moran.
"Your teacher will be aware if your child has taken a break and will focus on checking in to see where they're at. Reviewing skills is an essential element of learning to swim, and that's why you'll see teachers asking swimmers to practice techniques from their most recent lessons."
Tips for parents to help prepare for returning to swimming lessons
Use these pointers to help you and your children’s swimming lessons go smoothly:
- Create a swimming lesson checklist
Top tip: Being organised will help your family have a positive return to lessons. One way to keep everyone on track is to create and display a Getting Ready for Swimming Lesson Checklist in each of your children’s rooms.
- Try on swimsuits and goggles
Top tip: Growth spurts are frequent in kids. So, before you find your family back on the pool deck, get your child to try on their swimsuit and goggles to make sure they're still a good fit.
Top tip: Help your child look forward to restarting swimming classes; children model your mood after all. A simple way to do this is to each say one thing you're excited about – for example, you could say watching your child having fun with their swimming teacher.
After-school activities help children reconnect
Returning to classroom learning after the holidays is an adjustment for most children. Extracurricular activities can help your child reconnect to the school routine faster by giving them a fun activity to look forward to after school as well as help keep them active.