Swimming Lessons - Kenmore, WA

S.,

Starting tomorrow, the 18th the Northshore YMCA will begin registration for summer swim lessons for program members. A program member is someone that is only doing swim lessons or gymnastics or basketball, they aren't actually YMCA members. Your kids would be in the school age programs (polliwog/guppy/etc) but you will have options. Monday classes, Wednesday classes, you can combine them and have Mon/Wed classes. Then there are the four day a week, two week classes that are offered only in the summer. There are three of these in case you decide to go on vacation, you don't miss classes. The Monday/Wednesday classes are 6 weeks long.

If you have more questions you can send me an email or a message here.

Hope this helps,
Melissa ____@____.com

By the way, the instructors are great I've worked with some of them.

I have 2 girls ages 3 and 5 1/2. I have done lessons at MLT pool and my kids didn't learn a thing...way too many classes at the same time and too many kids per class. My girls are both taking lessons from Ms. Jan at www.swimtimeinc.com ###-###-####
She has her own pool and has 4 kids to 2 teachers per class. My kids have learned a ton, drive off the diving board, back float, etc.. and we have only had 6 lessons! She isn't exactly cheap but well worth it! She has a firm but friendly attitude and really encourages the kids to try new skills. Good luck!

A.

Golds Gym in woodinville has great swimming lessons. Their pool is graduated starting with around 3.5/4 to 6 feet. Their instructors seem to work well with the kids and the less experiance the shallower the lesson area.

The insturctors are young adults and my kids seem to bond better with this age group as teachers.

My son who is 6 can tippy toe where his classes are, but it is not so shallow that he can cheat on the lessons. Their group lessons have usualy have anywhere from 6 to 8 kids.

You do not need to be a member to attend swim lessions.

I hope this helps.

I am a SAHM with 10 year old girl and a 6 year old boy. Married 14 years.

I have a 3 year old and 5 year and they are both really good swimmers. They started at MLT which was great then moved to Yost pool in Edmonds. It is an outdoor pool open only in the summer. The instructors are fantastic. I suggest setting them up for lessons then head to the upper deck of the pool where you can see them but they can't see you. That way they can't complain to you that they want out. That is assuming they will get in the pool. 6 and 9 is really old to not be swimming in the deep end of the pool. The instructors will motivate and challenge your kids. They will really learn how to swim because the lessons are Mon-Thurs for 2 week segments. The consistency of the lessons will really help them learn. Good luck!

Hi S.,

I coach and teach out of Bellevue Aquatic Center, although I will be away most of the summer. It may be too far south for you, but the pool is shallow at both ends, moving to deeper in the middle of the lanes (about 5 feet) and then it has a separate deep tank for diving and a great water slide, which can be an incentive to go into the deeper water. I train with a Master's swim team there and my son did some senior lessons. The instructors are pretty good and the classes aren't too big (4-6 in a class depending on age and level). They also offer private lessons.

I probably wouldn't have encouraged your kids to take some time off, but would have spent some one-on-one time with them getting into progressively deeper water. I used to teach in 16' of water and it was amazing how quickly the kids realized that they could do the same things with their bodies in the deep end as in the shallow end, and that they knew enough that they could swim to the edge to hang on when they needed to. I used to do this with 2 and 3 year olds!

Good luck and I think the best thing you can do for them is to keep them swimming!
C.

Connie Chapin owns and runs Angelfish swimming in Kirkland, right out of her backyard. She specializes in problem cases and is beyond fantastic. No other swimming school can touch her empathy and superior technique. She works regularly with autistic kids, adults who fear the water, and more, in addition to her regular classes. Worth every penny. My kids went to her after trying other places and the difference was amazing.
(Just as an aside, she is also the person who was chosen last Fall for an extreme makeover home edition, and she was on TV locally quite a bit at the time. I have no doubt that she was chosen because her swimming school has touched so many lives in a positive way.)