If you’re like many of the families at Goldfish, spring break is right around the corner. It’s either a whole week to spend bonding with your child, or a whole week trying to find a babysitter. For your sake, we hope it’s the former!

Like many of our families, winter break means traveling to a warm location and family swimming fills the gaps during winter break or you’re planning on traveling to a warm location and swimming at some point in your lives. (Do you like what we did there?) Whether it’s the ocean, the Gulf, a pool or a lake, it doesn’t matter; what matters is that the whole family is prepared to take on the responsibilities that come with water safety.

Photo of Goldfish Birmingham Swimmer R.J. in MauiIf you’re reading this post right now, you’re already on the right track. Your child is either enrolled at Goldfish, or you’re thinking about enrolling, which is half the battle.

The programs your child participates in at Goldfish every week are helping to develop lifetime swimming skills, a comfort and respect for the water. They are also skills that you can practice on the road, at Family Swim and, in some cases, even in the bathtub!

Practice is so important because, although while at Goldfish, you’re provided with top-notch instruction and a lifeguard on duty at all times, you and your child might find yourselves alone on vacation. It’s important that all of you feel comfortable with your swimming abilities and limits. As a rule of thumb, never let your child swim without supervision.

This is all to say that placing your child in swim lessons at Goldfish is the best planning tip we can give you if you’ve got an upcoming trip. There is no magic bullet when it comes to learning to swim. Each child needs to learn and progress at his or her own rate, and the instructors here at Goldfish are ready to teach and cheer them on.

If you’re curious which swim program is right for your child, you can check out all of our levels here.

Or if you want proof that our Goldfishers are taking their swim skills with them all around the world, check out our “Goldfishers” photo album on Facebook.