Max's story

“If you asked Max what he wants to today, top of the list is always swimming.  I’ve had to stop giving him the choice” 🤣 

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Max’s mum Sophie has worked in childcare all her life and was adamant that Max would be able to swim before he went to school.  She enrolled him on lessons at her local Places Leisure pool when he turned 2 and has been amazed at the progress he’s made in just a year.  They would have started earlier if it wasn’t for all the disruption around Covid.  

“Max always loved the water but prior to lessons he would cling on to me and there was only so much bobbing around the water with him in my arms that we could both take.  A year on and it’s a different story.  Max loves jumping in, swimming short distances under water and will swim up and down the pool with his noodle all day”. 

“I used to swim a lot as a child on holiday and with friends at the weekends at our local pool.  I wanted Max to have the same opportunities I did, but more than anything I wanted him to be safe and confident in the water should the worst happen.  The lessons have given him so much confidence and it’s great to see him enjoying it so much.  He responds really well to his teacher Claire and is doing things that I wouldn’t have thought possible for his age.  He’s now confident on his front and is working on learning how to float and move on his back.  I was so proud when he got his first badge and certificate, he told everyone he saw that he’d got a swimming badge”.

Max takes part in the adult and child classes that make up part of our pre-schoolers programme.  Children can start from 4 months old and will progress through to the main stages programme when they start school. 

We asked Sophie about how she got on when she first started, here is what she said.  “I was of course nervous the first couple of times, mainly in case he hated it and had a meltdown. I could have picked loads of other activities that I would have enjoyed more, that would have been easier to go to, but I knew it was important.  Once you get into a routine with packing the bags and making sure you have everything it’s actually easier than you think and seeing the enjoyment on his face when he tries something new makes it all worthwhile.  Top tip - make sure you pack a snack for on the way out!”

Our pre-school sessions follow the Swim England pre-school framework and ensure that early experiences are positive, fun and memorable.  It’s designed to give children confidence and teach the core skills needed to learn the four strokes through fun and games.