As a family we love to go swimming but have really slipped out of our swimming habits in recent years. When the three older kids were younger they were all in swimming lessons and we went to our local pool regularly. Due to family illness we had to cancel the lessons as I no longer had the time to take the kids and once life got back on track I failed to re-book them meaning Isabelle has never had a swimming lesson. Currently we only really swim while on holiday and during our visits to Blue Lagoon at Bluestone which means more floating around the lazy river or sliding down the flumes rather than swimming in lanes. Here are some ways I plan to increase our swimming time this year:
1. Pack our Swim Bags
The girls swim bags are always ready for school swimming lessons but I need to once again pack our family swim bag with our swimming costumes, towel, goggles (we’re always losing these), swim toys (the kids love to play “dive and search” games) and hair and body wash so we’re always ready for a family swim. After our swimming session this will be washed, dried and repacked immediately so we’re always ready to go. I need to buy Danny some new boys swimwear and a couple of pairs of goggles and then we’re all set!
Top tip: If kids prefer to wear their bathers to the pool remember to pack pants for after swimming!
2. Re-Join our local Sports Centre
So, since we’ve stopped attending our local sports centre regularly our membership cards seem to have wandered off … I need to make sure each member of our family has an up to date card and look into buying paid family membership which could save us money in the long run. I also need to re-do my gym induction but that’s another blog post…
3. Family Swimming
Our local pool offers family swims every Saturday. It’s great value- just £1 per adult and free for children. I’d love to start attending these sessions. When Dave comes too we can take it in turns between watching Izzy and swim lengths/race the older kids so it will be good for our fitness too.
4. Swimming Lessons
As we’ll be going to the pool more often I can pop Izzy’s name down on the waiting list for swimming lessons (it took me years to get all the kids in classes last time). I feel bad starting her while she’s older but it’s better late than never and important she has lessons before starting swimming with school. We live close to the sea so it’s very important that all the kids can swim well. Nothing beats the feeling of an invigorating swim either.
5. Independent Swimming
Now the older kids are all over eight years of age, they are allowed to go swimming on their own. As a child, I loved walking to the leisure centre and going for a swim with friends (followed by a less healthy cone of chips I might add!). I hope they’ll go swimming together and also with their own friends.
Do you like swimming? How do you make sure you swim enough as a family?
Collaborative Post
Tis a great all round activity that all the FAMILY can enjoy Not been for years !