FAQs
1
How old does my child have to be to start swimming?
At Molly's Little Minnows we believe it is best to start your child swimming as soon as you can, and of course when you and your little one feels ready.
We start our lessons from 9 weeks old in our Minnie Minnow at The Loyne in our lovely hydrotherapy pool. We then run them up to any age in our group or private lessons at Bay Leadership Academy.
We also run 90% of half terms with our intense week courses, Monday - Friday, 1 hour lessons every day. This is a fantastic way to introduce your little ones into the swimming lessons environment...
as it can be quite scary! (3 yrs + recommended)
2
Do I need to be in the water with my child?
For our Minnie Minnows, yes, you will be in the water with your Minnow and a qualified teacher.
It is 1 parent/guardian per child in the water (usually 9 weeks till 3 yrs)
For our group and private lesson, no. We recommend that you do not get in the water, but a teacher will be in the water with them. (usually age 3 yrs and upwards)
We recommend children go into lessons around age 3 yrs independently. This is the best way to build water confidence and progress.
However, we understand every Minnow has their own swimming journey and we are here to help and guide your little one onto the right classes.
3
How will I know how well my child is doing?
We understand how important it is to track your child’s progress.
Therefore, at Molly’s Little Minnows we have an Online Portal, this allows you to message me for feedback if you wish.
User name is your email (all current swimmers will already have an portal)
Throughout the weeks your teacher is always assessing them towards their next skills badge, we are able to mark them 'fair' 'good' 'passed' on each element of the skills badge, which you can see.
This way you can see what they need to work on when you go on your family swims!
We are also here to chat to if you have any questions, speak with your teacher directly or email Molly with any questions (please always email anything you have on your mind!)
4
Will my child do badges?
Oh... our favourite part of the term.. absolutely YES!
Molly's Little Minnows we absolutely love badge week! Badges are done after every term on the last lesson (their normal class time).
We generally do distance badges the week before and skills badge at the end. As we now have some Minnows doing long distances now we hire out the pool for an extra free session so they have time and space to complete their distance.
All our amazing teachers at Molly's Little Minnows are always assessing your little ones skills badges and updating the online portal for you to see how they are doing at each stage.
5
What experience and qualifications do the teachers have?
Our teachers at Molly's Little Minnows are all either ASA or STA qualified in swimming teaching (or equivalent) and are DBS checked.
All of our instructors are fully trained and are always being continually assessed as we believe it is important to have the best of the best!
Here at Molly's Little Minnows we currently have 70 years experience (2023)
6
How long will it take for my child to learn to swim?
We cannot put a time scale on this as every child is different.
However, we aim to cater for your child’s individual needs by adapting to support them as best as we can in their swimming journey.
We have a 100% success rate and a 99.4% return rate.
Every Minnow has their own swimming journey and we have lots of experience of different swimming paths we have been on with our Minnows!
We are always here to answer questions and guide you as best as we can.
7
What happens if we miss a session or I change my mind?
Unfortunately, if you miss a session, as you commit to a block, all classes missed will still be charged for as it is a set course.
The course is a Non-Refundable payment (clarified when booking on your invoice)
If you feel the group is not right for you, we will do our very best to ensure we make a change as soon as possible to suit your little ones swimming path.
The 'Water Wobbles'
We understand that not everyone feels entirely confident and comfortable in the water — including both adults and little ones.
This may help you to understand what’s going on with the ‘water wobbles’ and how we can help
1
When the wobbles hit
If your little one goes through this natural development phase, the important thing is not to worry—you’ll only pass your stress on to your baby or toddler. Don’t be embarrassed if they won’t get in the pool or if they’re upset in the lesson: follow the advice of our teachers — who’ve seen it all before! Indeed, many will have gone through it with their own children, and will know exactly how you’re feeling.
Just keep smiling, keep calm, and remind yourself it’s just a temporary phase.
2
If parent/guardian feel a bit wobbly
Quite a few of our swimmers come to us because their parent/guardian can’t swim or are frightened of water. They may want to ensure that their child never develops the same fear, or to give them opportunities they never had.
We respect and admire this attitude, and work closely with these parents to help promote confidence in water for them and their baby. We'll make absolutely sure we don't ask you to do anything you're not comfortable with. Many of our parents/guardians gain so much confidence bringing their little ones. Some learn to swim themselves!
3
If your baby or toddler doesn't like water
It’s very unusual for small children to dislike water from the start. After all, there’s very little about water for them to be afraid of. We introduce swimming very gently and slowly; and we incorporate lots of fun, smiling and activities into our classes. It’s far more common for them to develop the ‘water wobbles’ once they’ve already been having lessons for a while.
All in all, the younger your child starts to swim, the more at home they’ll feel in the water.
4
If your child suddenly dislikes water
Parents/guardians are often surprised and upset when their baby or toddler suddenly stops enjoying the water. It can be terribly frustrating to see your Minnows seemingly unsure or upset when they used to adore swimming! But don’t worry, it’s a common developmental phase that kicks in between around 8-24 months. So don’t worry, they will come out of it, and everything they learned and loved before will come back. Often, our most confident little swimmers are the ones who’ve been through the worst of the wobbles and come out again the other side.
There is a lot of little ones with 'water wobbles' you're not alone!
