One great new theme that my young swim lesson students  have really enjoyed is an “Invisible Buddy Day.”  While adults may find it a little bizarre, young children love hanging out with “invisible buddies!”  I can’t tell you how much fun this can make a strokes class for a four or five year old.  In fact, our Swim Lessons University Swimming Instructors are loving it too!

According to Dr. Bergan, who interviewed with Parenting Magazine, these pals can actually be healthy for kids. “Playing with a make-believe sidekick can help children develop the social skills such as getting along with other children, sharing, cooperation, and taking turns.”

I like to have my young students teach their invisible friend the stroke cues, tell them to praise their “invisible buddy” for a good job, and even tell their invisible buddy how to perform the skill better–but reminding my students to make sure they are telling their invisible buddies what they did well too so they don’t feel bad.

According to Dr. Bergen, “Invisible pals can also provide moral support, just as a real friend would.”

Give it a try in your Swim Strokes 201 class (ages 3-5) class.  Your young learn-to-swim students will love it!