Parents often ask us why we recommend starting swim lessons at 2 months. We could go on and on about the many reasons why earlier is better when it comes to swim lessons, but here’s the “short list”: Reflex: Infants are born with many reflexes. The startle/Moro reflex is one that causes babies to inhale (perfect for breath control underwater!). Blowing gently in the baby’s face allows us to take advantage of this natural reflex when submerging infants. Bonding: There are few activities parents can do with their non-mobile infant. Swim class provides myriad sensory stimuli including eye- and sk ..read more

OUR FOCUS IS ON CHILD DEVELOPMENT La Petite Baleen uses goggles in our swim lessons and we are often asked why. We even have our tiny babies wearing goggles. There are a handful of reasons why we want our swimmers to wear goggles, but before we get into the details, try this little exercise: Stand on one leg with your eyes open. Then, close your eyes and feel the difference. Our eyes give us a lot of balance. When children use goggles they have about 60% MORE balance because they can see better underwater. Balance and breath control are as important to swimming as kicking and paddling. We use ..read more

The student-teacher bond is one of the most powerful relationships in existence. At LPB, we strive to provide consistent teachers for our students. Like most other learning environments, the pool requires a great deal of trust, which is best formed over time with consistent attendance from teachers and students alike. That being said, even the most experienced swim teacher who has had a student for multiple years may invariably run into a plateau of sorts. It might not even be noticeable, or it could be that one thing holding them back from their next ribbon. Enter the substitute. Yes, every t ..read more

When will my swimmer be tested for their ribbon? At LPB, the teachers assess their students on every swim. By watching them, we know if we need to challenge students more or give them more support. This constant assessment of students is the same as “testing” them. Essentially, they are always being tested. When they are capable of performing all of the skills for a ribbon, it is awarded. In addition, students are typically able to do some of the skills needed to earn the ribbon before others. So, our lesson plans include future skills. We begin introducing skills for future ribbons ..read more

It’s not uncommon for parents today to want to know when something starts, how long it will take, and when it will end. With swimming lessons, the answer is different for every child. Some children take to water much more easily than others, just like some children pick up learning a foreign language faster than others. Parent expectations are also a consideration. For example, do you want your child to learn basic safety skills, or do you want your child to learn all four competitive strokes? Balancing progress vs. emotional & physical safety is important too. Pushing students out of thei ..read more

The classroom is the center of most children’s learning journeys, and learning to swim is no different. La Petite Baleen is a pioneer in the creation of the Aquatic Classroom, a safe place where swim skills and life skills are taught concurrently. Since our co-founder Irene Madrid was herself a classroom teacher, it made sense to build LPB’s curriculum on a foundation of what she knew best: child development. She reflects: I decided to use a child-development approach to swimming because during WWII my father’s commanding officer (a pediatrician) allowed my father to read his child developmen ..read more

Wiggle what? Wiggle butt! Engaging kids’ imagination is the easiest way to connect with them. We do it all the time at LPB with the toys we use as tools and with the words and phrases we say. Fun fact: our teacher training manual has a two-page glossary of fun terms we use during lessons to help our young swimmers better understand what we’re asking them to do. Wiggle Butts is just the tip of a silly iceberg. While in this particular case, using the technical term (dolphin kicks or body dolphin) is still imaginative, Wiggle Butts is just plain silly and funny. “I get to wiggle my butt?” Yes! I ..read more

Rhythmic breathing is an important element in the process of swimming. Having good breath control and the ability to exchange air allows swimmers of all ages to swim longer distances more efficiently.  At LPB, new students, regardless of age, learn to hold their breath when their faces are in the water. Instead of blowing bubbles, we want swimmers to inflate their lungs and hold their breath while swimming. This method is superior for a few reasons: The inflated lungs offer extra buoyancy to the swimmer, and buoyancy along with balance and breath control are the three foundation skills t ..read more

Teenagers are an often-overlooked, but no less important, segment of the learning-to-swim population. As parents, we tend to focus on our small children learning to swim as a safety-based activity to participate in as babies, toddlers, and preschoolers. But there is another age group where drowning rates are peaking, and that’s the teenage years. The following data from the CDC is telling: older children are at risk of drowning nearly as much as the younger ones. It’s only the setting that changes. Percentage of unintentional drowning deaths among children aged 0–17, by age group and place of ..read more

The Problem(s) with Puddle Jumpers … (and any other floatation device that keeps kids vertical) Swimming, at its most basic, is a horizontal movement through the water. Puddle jumpers, arm floaties and other similar products train little bodies to remain vertical in the water, which is a drowning position. They also teach kids that minimal effort is required in order to stay afloat, which we all know is not true. Keeping our head above water takes skill, practice, and effort! Building that false sense of safety and security could yield dangerous results for children who find themselves in the ..read more