Princess Approved: Swimming Lessons Made Fun with British Swim School

This post is sponsored by BabbleBoxx on behalf of British Swim School.

As a Florida born native, I’ve been around water for as long as I can remember. I have such fond memories of swimming in the pool with my family. I never took formal swimming lessons, my parents taught me. As a mom, I was so excited to teach my own girls how to swim, a right of passage if you will. However, the reality of DIY swim lessons has been far from easy.

My oldest daughter (6 years old) has so much anxiety when playing in the pool. She floats around fine in her puddle jumper, but refuses to put her face in the water or attempt any type of swim skills I’ve tried to teach (floating, getting her face or ears wet, etc). While my 4 year old is more willing to try swimming, there is still a lot of fear when it comes to water survival skills.

After spending this past summer with lots of failed teaching attempts and no real progress made, I began researching swimming lessons available in our area. There are SO many classes and programs out there. Some seem a lot more aggressive than others. Water safety is a huge concern, especially around during the summer months when my kids are around water all the time. Knowing that my girls both have reservations and fears about the pool made me extra picky when searching for a school that would make swimming fun for them.

What to do when your child is scared of swimming?

I was so excited to find British Swim School. They offer a variety of swimming classes for all ages and skill levels. The “no tears, no fear” approach is just what we needed to build my girls’ confidence in the water. I’ll be completely candid, when I told my girls they were starting swim lessons, my 6 year old cried. She did NOT want to go. I spoke to the location owner about my concerns and he assured me that their program is very gentle and designed to fit the needs and skill level of each individual student.

After a few pep talks to get my kids excited, we headed to our very first swim lesson. We all felt a little nervous. My girls started in the Starfish level class. A program designed to introduce water survival exercises, while building confidence and self-esteem in the water. They received their swim caps, took their “First Day” picture and met their instructor Miss Lexi. All of the swim instructors we worked with were amazing. Our classes were held at one of the indoor pools in Jax beach which made it super convenient on days that were a little colder or had inclement weather.

Making Every Swimming Lesson Fun

After 10 minutes in the water they were smiling and giggling, every bit of anxiety disappeared and they were truly having fun. This was a complete change from the multiple times we worked on basic swimming skills at home. I could not be more grateful to the British Swim School family and the way they’ve worked with my girls to build their confidence in the pool. My daughters now look forward to class each week and are so proud when they master a new skill level. At their most recent class, they fully submerged their heads and now keep saying they are “real mermaids” because they can go underwater.

British Swim School offers classes for every age and skill level from 3 months old to adults. I’m already planning to enroll my youngest daughter in the spring to get her ready for summer next year. They also have dozens of locations around Florida and several in Jacksonville if you’re local to Northeast Florida. I highly recommend British Swim School for anyone in need of swimming lessons or water survival skills for little ones.

If you’re not local to North Florida, there are British Swim Schools in the following states: Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Missouri, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Virginia, Washington, Washington DC, and Wisconsin. There are also new location and British Swim School franchising opportunities popping up all over North America so be sure to check if your state isn’t listed.

Need help figuring out which class is right for you or your child? Find detailed information about each type of British Swim School program HERE