When it comes to learning how to swim, repetition and consistency are the ultimate keys to success. When a child (or adult!) practices consistently, their brain has the time it needs to process the actions, resulting in stronger muscle memory and better long-term water safety. My Top Recommendation For the absolute best results, I recommend scheduling lessons Monday through Thursday for two weeks in a row. This intensive repetition helps swimmers lock in their skills rapidly and builds tremendous confidence. Flexible Options for Your Family Because Swim Gym Utah focuses on private lessons, the beauty is that you get to pick a schedule that works best for your family and your budget. If a two-week intensive doesn't fit your routine, these are other fantastic options: Once a week for 12+ weeks (Great for steady, long-term growth) 2 to 3 times a week for a month A one-week intensive A single trial lesson (Perfect for seeing if we are the right fit for your family!) The Secret to Success: Practicing Outside of Lessons Think of our swimming sessions like piano lessons: I will teach you the right techniques, but the real magic happens when you practice outside of class! Practicing at the community pool or in the bathtub during the week will ensure you or your child makes incredible progress. Here is why getting in the water outside of formal lessons yields such massive results: It Builds Muscle Memory: When a swimmer learns a new skill, their brain forms a new neural pathway. Practicing between lessons strengthens those pathways, turning conscious, clunky movements into automatic, natural reflexes so we don't have to "relearn" them at the next lesson. It Replaces Anxiety with Comfort: Spending time in the water for fun outside of lessons helps children build a relationship with the water based on play rather than just "work." A relaxed swimmer is a more buoyant and coachable swimmer! It Maximizes Your Lesson Time: If a student practices floating or blowing bubbles between sessions, we don't have to spend the first 15 minutes of our next lesson reviewing. We can immediately start the next step, meaning you get much more value out of your lesson time. It Builds Unique Stamina: Swimming uses muscle groups and breath-control techniques that kids don't use on the playground. Practicing outside of lessons builds up their lung capacity and swimming endurance so they don't get exhausted halfway through our time together.

How to Prepare Your Child for Swimming Lessons (Ages 1.5 to 10) A successful swimming lesson starts at home. Whether your child is a toddler or in elementary school, there are specific things you can do to physically and mentally prepare them for the water. Here is a breakdown of what parents should be doing, categorized by age group. Ages 1.5 to 3 Years Old: Sensory Acclimation & Water Play At this age, preparation is all about sensory conditioning. The goal is to make the feeling of water on the face and ears a normal, everyday occurrence rather than a shocking event. • Ditch the Washcloth and Pour Water Over Their Head: • How: During bath time, use a cup to gently pour water over their head and face. Cue them first by saying, "1, 2, 3, breathe!" • The "Why": If a parent meticulously keeps a toddler's face dry during baths, the child will panic when water splashes them in a pool. Normalizing water cascading over their eyes and nose eliminates the most common roadblock toddlers face in lessons. • Practice Blowing Bubbles: • How: Have them blow bubbles in the bathtub water using just their mouth, and eventually their nose. • The "Why": This teaches active breath control. Toddlers naturally want to drink pool water or gasp when their face gets wet. Blowing bubbles teaches them to push air out instead of breathing water in. • Lay Them on Their Back in the Tub: • How: Support their head and let them feel the water in their ears while looking up at the ceiling. • The "Why": Back floating is a vital survival skill, but the sensation of water filling the ears is highly uncomfortable for toddlers. Acclimating them to this sensation in the safety of a warm bathtub prevents panic in the pool. Ages 4 to 6 Years Old: Independence & Breath Control Children in this age group are developing better motor skills and independence. Preparation should focus on fundamental swimming mechanics and listening to an instructor. • Practice Opening Eyes Underwater (Without Goggles): • How: Play games in the bathtub or a shallow kiddie pool where they have to open their eyes to identify how many fingers you are holding up underwater. • The "Why": Over-reliance on goggles creates a safety hazard. If they fall in without them, they need to know they can open their eyes to find the wall. • Encourage Horizontal Play (No Puddle Jumpers): • How: When playing at the pool outside of lessons, hold your child horizontally on their belly to let them practice kicking, rather than letting them bob up and down in puddle jumpers. • The "Why": As mentioned in our previous guidelines, vertical flotation devices ruin a child's natural center of gravity. Preparing them for lessons means encouraging a horizontal, flat posture in the water. • Prepare Them for Separation: • How: Talk to them about how swimming lessons work. Explain that they will be listening to a special teacher and that you will be watching proudly from the side. • The "Why": Clinginess and separation anxiety eat up valuable lesson time. Mentally preparing them to take instructions from another adult ensures they can dive right into learning. Ages 7 to 10 Years Old: Stamina & Expectation Setting Older children often feel self-conscious if they are beginners, and they may underestimate the physical exertion required to swim. Preparation here is about mindset and physical readiness. • Have an Honest Conversation About the "Work": • How: Explain that swimming lessons are a physical activity, much like soccer or gymnastics. It will be fun, but it will also require effort, listening, and trying hard things. • The "Why": Older kids often equate the pool purely with playtime. If they come to lessons expecting to just splash around, they may become frustrated when the instructor asks them to perform tiring drills. • Build Cardiovascular Stamina: • How: Encourage them to ride their bike, run, or play active sports outside of the pool. • The "Why": Swimming requires incredible lung capacity and stamina. Older beginners often struggle not because they can't grasp the technique, but because they are physically exhausted after one lap. Better general fitness equals better swimming progress. • Address Fear Logically: • How: If an older child is afraid of the deep end or going underwater, don't dismiss it. Break down the physics of floating and assure them they will learn in a safe, controlled step-by-step process. • The "Why": Older children intellectualize their fears. Validating their anxiety while explaining how the lessons will keep them safe builds the trust they need to participate. Universal Preparation Tips (For ALL Ages) Regardless of your child's age, strictly follow these pre-lesson rules to ensure they have the best possible experience: • Get the Right Gear: Buy a well-fitting swimsuit (baggy trunks create drag) and a pair of high-quality goggles that do not leak. Tie long hair back tightly or use a swim cap. • The "Why": Constant adjustments to slipping straps, leaky goggles, or hair in the face are massive distractions that interrupt the flow of learning. • Don't Feed Them a Heavy Meal Before Class: Provide a light snack (like a banana or crackers) at least 45 minutes before the lesson. Avoid dairy or large, heavy meals. • The "Why": Swimming is a horizontal, core-intensive workout. A full stomach combined with swallowing a little pool water is a guaranteed recipe for vomiting in the pool, which halts the lesson entirely. • Arrive Early and Calm: Get to the facility 10–15 minutes before the lesson starts. Let them use the restroom, get their gear on slowly, and watch the other swimmers. • The "Why": Rushing through the doors right as the lesson begins spikes your child's cortisol (stress hormone). A stressed child is rigid in the water and incapable of retaining new information. Calm transitions lead to calm swimmers.

On my website, you’ll see a blue “Book Session” button. Clicking it will take you directly to my scheduling page where you can book individual lessons. If you’re interested in bulk lessons or scheduling multiple sessions per week for one or more months, please send me an email, text message, or Instagram DM and I’ll be happy to set that up for you.

Learning to swim is a complex physical and mental skill that requires consistency, the right body mechanics, and a healthy relationship with the water. While our instructors work hard during lessons, several outside factors can significantly delay a child's progress. Here is a breakdown of the most common roadblocks and why they hinder your child's success. 1. Using Puddle Jumpers and Arm Floaties Puddle jumpers are one of the biggest deterrents to learning how to swim independently. While they may seem like a convenient tool for water play, they actively teach children the wrong way to swim. • The Vertical Posture Problem: Swimming requires a horizontal, prone position (flat on the belly or back). Puddle jumpers force a child's body into a vertical, upright "seahorse" position. When they get to their swimming lessons, their muscle memory tells them to drop their legs down. A vertical body creates massive drag and causes the child to sink when the flotation device is removed. • Restricted Arm Movement: These devices lock the arms into a rigid, bent position, preventing the child from learning proper reach and pull techniques necessary for actual swimming strokes. • False Sense of Security: Puddle jumpers teach children that the water will naturally catch them and hold them up. If a child falls into a pool without their floaties, they will likely lack the breath control and body awareness to save themselves because they have never experienced natural water buoyancy. 2. Not Practicing Outside of Lessons Relying solely on a 30-minute lesson once a week is not enough to build rapid, lasting progress. • Loss of Muscle Memory: Swimming requires highly specific muscle memory. If a child only practices these movements once a week, they will inevitably regress between sessions. • Lack of Endurance: Swimming is a cardiovascular workout. Children need time in the water outside of lessons to build the physical stamina required to swim longer distances without exhausting themselves. • The "Why": Just like learning an instrument or a new language, repetition is the key to mastery. Practicing blowing bubbles, kicking, and submerging outside of class reinforces what they learned and allows the instructor to teach new skills each week, rather than reviewing old ones. 3. Lack of Basic Water Acclimation at Home A child’s first swimming lesson actually begins in the bathtub at home. If a child is not used to the feeling of water, progress will be drastically slowed. • Wasting Lesson Time on Fear: If a child has never had water poured over their head, or if parents actively protect their face from getting wet during bath time, the child will panic when it happens in the pool. Instructors then have to spend weeks just helping the child overcome basic sensory fears rather than teaching them how to swim. • The "Why": Children need to be comfortable with water in their eyes, ears, and nose. Parents should gently condition their children at home by encouraging them to put their face in the bathwater, blow bubbles, and let water cascade over their heads so they arrive at lessons ready to learn. 4. Inconsistent Attendance and "Seasonal" Swimming Swimming is not a skill that can be mastered in a single two-week summer camp and then forgotten until the next year. • The Forgetting Curve: Taking long breaks during the winter months guarantees regression. Children lose their feel for the water, their technique gets sloppy, and their water confidence drops. • The "Why": Consistency builds confidence. Continuous, year-round lessons ensure that swimming becomes second nature. Sporadic attendance interrupts the learning process and requires the child to constantly relearn basic skills. 5. Projecting Parental Fear onto the Child Children are highly empathetic and will pick up on their parents' anxieties instantly. • Body Language and Tone: If a parent acts nervous, grips the child tightly near the water, or gasps when the child's face gets wet, the child will subconsciously learn that the water is a dangerous place to be feared. • The "Why": To progress, a child must be relaxed. Tension causes the body to sink. Parents must model a calm, positive, and confident attitude toward the water, even if they themselves are not strong swimmers.

Plan on being 5 minutes early to every lesson to ensure a smooth start! For your swim lessons, please bring a swimsuit, towel, and goggles (optional). I also recommend bringing a water bottle to stay hydrated either during or after. For younger children, swim diapers are required. No regular diapers are allowed in the pool. If you have long hair, a swim cap can be helpful but is not required. All other equipment needed for lessons will be provided. There is a restroom available and I ask that you try your best to see if your child will use the restroom prior to beginning the lesson.

Water fear is completely normal, and I specialize in helping swimmers work through it. I use a gentle, patient approach that builds trust at each child’s pace, never forcing participation and always prioritizing safety and comfort. Many of my most confident swimmers began their journey feeling unsure in the water.

I offer both group and private lessons. Group lessons, typically 4–6 swimmers, are great for building confidence and social skills while learning alongside peers. Private lessons provide one-on-one attention for more individualized goals or faster progression, and I also offer semi-private lessons for 2–3 swimmers who want to learn together. I strongly recommend private lessons for hesistant swimmes.

Yes, I do upon request only. Writing swim workouts and individualized training plans is one of my strongest skill sets. I design structured programs for competitive swimmers that focus on technique, efficiency, pacing, breath control, and race specific conditioning. Each plan is tailored to the swimmer’s age, season, goals, and current ability, whether they are working toward time cuts, preparing for meets, or refining stroke mechanics. My programming balances intentional volume, purposeful recovery, and clear coaching cues so swimmers build speed, confidence, and consistency in the water.

I schedule lessons in 20 minute time blocks. You can do a 20 minute lesson, a 40 minute lesson, a 60 minute lesson, an 80 minute lesson, a 100 minute lesson, or a 120 minute lesson. What do I recommend? The younger the studen = the shorter the lesson so their engangement remains strong.

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I teach swimmers at every stage of life, from parent–tot classes starting around 10 months old through children, teens, and adults. I also work with competitive swimmers, triathletes, and Ironman athletes who are looking to improve technique, efficiency, and performance.

Getting in the water with your child is always optional and completely up to you. I follow both the parent’s preference and the child’s comfort level. Some children feel more confident with a parent nearby, while others do best working one on one with me. I adjust as needed throughout the lesson to support safety, confidence, and steady progress.