Article from SMART KIDS WORLD/SMART PARENTING 2019 Vol.12
Finns BSC: Look mom, I’m swimming!
When it comes to swimming lessons for their little ones, it gets a bit tricky trying to figure out what’s best. Our own pick for this special edition of our guidebook is Finns Boutique Swim Centre. Under the stewardship of its founder (Bryan Yap), there is a great emphasis on creating a sense of voluntary and joyful learning for children between 6 months to 12 years of age, while being guided by their individual abilities and attributes.Being an avid researcher of early childhood development, Bryan deduces that getting a child properly acclimatised to a pool environment is the best first approach and should never be sacrificed for the sake of speedy and intimidating lessons which does little for a child’s self-confidence in the water. Babies and toddlers need to be comfortable enough to trust their own bodies and capabilities before taking on lessons and tasks in the water. It’s important they have fun without realising that they’re learning to swim!
The swimming curriculum at Finns, named according to development stages, are split into age groups: Baby, Toddler. Preschooler and Children. Curious is designed for 6-36 months to get comfortable in the water, where else Courageous, for 3-5 years is for water acclimation, movements as well as movement consistency. Explorer and Passionate are designed for 5-12 year-olds, for introducing movements in the water, building stamina, developing their strokes as well as learning stroke mechanisms. It’s also important to note here that the purposeful and expertly designed pool, as well as the highly conducive environment maximise the learning experience as they build this important life skill. Children will develop their skills at their own pace and their respective milestones will be assessed using the Finns Triadic Assessment: (to assess their cognitive, physical and socialemotional developments). This allows teachers to manage the water play and swimming lessons in ways that are in the best interest of the child.
www.finnsbsc.com.
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