Swim Lessons

Starting in February the girls started taking swim lessons.  For Matisyn it was her third year, and for Emilyn it was her first time.  The lessons are ten minutes of intense one on one, four days a week.  Her system really works.  I started Matisyn one year later (she was almost three), and she was swimming by the end of the three weeks.  Emilyn made a lot of progress, and seems to have some of the natural water abilities of her sister, but not the complete void of caution and fear like Matisyn!

Matisyn took two weeks of lessons this time.  She has no problem with the save yourself, get to the other side, flip over to your safe spot on your back, hold onto the wall part, so her teacher thought it was time to start learning some strokes.  Matisyn was so excited to be learning STROKES, real swimming with arms!  Her teacher said it was advanced for a four year old, but that she thought she was ready.  I can see why they wait to add the arms, they can get crazy for little kids.  She did great though, and spent most of the time learning freestyle arms, and a little at the end of backstroke.  I am so proud watching her jump right in and swim across the pool without a problem or hesitation.  She is an amazing swimmer already.

Here is a movie of some Matisyn swimming:

I was spoiled with Matisyn, because she never cried, and loved the water from the beginning.  Emilyn likes the water, but she wasn't too happy about having to go repeatedly under water and float on her back.  Those were not places she felt comfortable.  I can see why the teacher requires three weeks for the first set of lessons because the first week was rough.  Emilyn would walk right to the pool, but cry almost the whole lesson.   The second week I had to carry her to the pool, but she wouldn't do more than whimper after the first minute of the lesson.  The third week she didn't cry at all.  It was so fun to watch her progress, and see her going from crying and fighting it, to flipping herself over and floating by herself on her back. 

Here is a movie of Emilyn.  If you can make it past the first few parts with the crying, you can see her flip onto her back all by herself!