For children learning to swim, every milestone matters - no matter how small!
The first time they put their face in the water. The moment they float without help. Swimming their first length independently. Mastering a new stroke they've been practising for weeks.
These moments are all part of a much bigger journey - and deserve to be celebrated.
At GetSetSwim, our Awards Weeks give us chance to recognise children's progress and celebrate the skills, confidence and independence they're developing in the water.
But if you've ever watched your child receive a certificate while a friend receives a medal, you'll know that children don't always see things quite the way adults do.
So, how can we help children understand their achievements, feel proud of their progress, and stay excited about what comes next?
Every swimming journey looks different
Learning to swim isn’t a race. Children develop at different rates, and each little swimmer has their own strengths, chalenges and goals.
Our swimming programme has 7-stages, with smaller milestones along the way. Some children might be working on becoming more independent in the water, while others are refining their strokes, building endurance, or learning more advanced skills.
That’s why awards can look different from one child to another – even when they are in the same level class.
Depending on the achievement being recognised, a swimmer might receive a medal, a badge or a certificate. Each is a way of marking progress at a particular point in their journey.
It’s not always possible – or meaningful – to directly compare two children’s awards, because they may be working towards quite different things – even within the same class. What matters is understanding what your child has achieved and why that achievement is important for their development as a swimmer.
Why progress is about more than swimming a length
It’s natural to think of swimming progress in terms of distance. Being able to swim 5 metres, 10 metres or a full 25 metres is an exciting milestone.
But becoming a confident, capable swimmer involves much more than reaching the other side of the pool. Children also develop their breathing, balance, coordination, body position, stroke technique and ability to move safely and confidently through the water.
Some of these skills are immediately visible where others will take time to develop. Some skills may not look as impressive at first glance, but these foundations can make a real difference to how well a child swims in the future.
For example, a child who is learning to breath comfortably during front crawl is developing a skill that will help them swim more efficiently as distances increase. Similarly, learning to float independently or control their body position creates the foundations for more advanced swimming later on.
These are meaningful achievements, even when they don’t involve swimming further or faster.
What if your child compares their award with that of a friend?
Children naturally notice what their friends and peers are doing. If another child receives a medal and they receive a badge or certificate, they may wonder why – particularly if they don’t yet understand the different stages of the programme.
They might feel disappointed, embarrassed or simply confused. That’s understandable, especially if they had imagined receiving something different. The most helpful response isn’t to tell them they shouldn’t feel that way. It’s to acknowledge the feeling and help them understand their own achievement.
You might say: “I can see you were hoping for a medal. Let’s talk about what you’ve achieved today. What have you been working on in your lessons?”
Or: “Everyone is working on different things in swimming. Your award recognises the progress you’ve made, and I’d love to hear what your teacher says you’ve improved at.”
You don’t need to turn this into a big conversation, sometimes all that’s needed is a little reassurance and a chance to talk about what they’ve achieved. And if your child is genuinely upset, maybe give them a little time before you launch in with the positives of what they’ve achieved.
Three simple ways to help your child feel proud
1. Ask about the achievement, not just the award
Instead of starting with “What did you get?”, try asking:
- What was the best thing you did in swimming today?
- What can you do now that you found difficult before?
- What did your teacher say you’ve improved at?
2. Celebrate the small steps along the way
Not every achievement comes with a medal or badge. Learning to relax in the water, trying a new skill, improving breathing, or becoming more independent can all be reasons to feel proud.
Recognising these moments throughout the year helps children understand that progress happens lesson by lesson, not just during Awards Week.
3. Talk about what’s next
Children often enjoy having something to work towards. Ask what they’re learning next, or what they’d like to feel more confident doing in the water. This helps them see swimming as an ongoing journey, with new skills and challenges to look forward to. It also reinforces an important message: an award marks a moment in their progress, not the end of it.
How we celebrate progress at GetSetSwim
Our teachers see the small improvements that happen every week – the extra confidence, the better body position, the new skill that finally clicks after lots of practice.
Awards Week is just one opportunity to recognise that progress and help children feel proud of how far they’ve come.
We also know that every child responds differently to recognition. For some, receiving an award is a huge moment. For others, the real excitement is being able to do something they couldn’t do before.
Both matter.
As children progress through our seven-stage pathway, our aim is to help them develop the skills and confidence to become capable swimmers – not simply to reach a particular distance or collect a particular award. And that journey’s worth celebrating at every stage.
The most important award is the progress behind it
If there’s one thing we’d love every family to take away from Awards Week, it’s this: your child’s swimming journey is there own.
There will be skills that come easily and others that take more patience. There will be milestones that feel enormous and quieter improvements that make an equally important difference.
Every child deserves to feel proud of the progress they’re making. So, by all means celebrate the award, take the photo, share the excitement and enjoy the moment.
But also celebrate the courage it took to try something new, the persistence behind a skill they’ve been practising and the growing confidence that comes with learning to swim – because those are the things that will stay with them long after Awards Week is over.
Every milestone is part of becoming a swimmer, and every little splash forward is worth celebrating.