This post is written in partnership with Goldfish Swim School. Amazon links are referral links.
Last month, I shared how Goldfish Swim School is helping my youngest son overcome his fear of water. But Goldfish isn’t just for beginners. My oldest son (age 7) has taken off in his lessons, and found a love of swimming I never knew he had. He’s moved up three class levels since we started at the end of February, and he is very focused on his goal of getting to Swim Team.
For every class level at Goldfish, the skills needed to move up are clearly laid out. This is great for my goal-driven kid. He knows exactly what he needs to do to advance. He’s also loved learning “real” swimming strokes. He’s gone from a kid that would just dog-paddle in the water to a kid who has mastered the freestyle and the backstroke. Next stop, breaststroke and elementary backstroke! Swimming might end up being his “thing,” and we wouldn’t have known that without Goldfish Swim School.
Because classes at Goldfish move at the student’s pace, my kids get to spend as much time as they need at each level. My youngest is still at the beginner level; my oldest is rapidly advancing. But they are both making progress, and I am so proud of how far they’ve come.
Since my oldest has found a love of swimming, we’ve been “diving in” to books about famous swimmers. Here are a few that we’ve really enjoyed!
4 Children’s Books About Famous Swimmers
America’s Champion Swimmer: Gertrude Ederle by David A. Adler — At the age of 17, Trudy Ederle made history by winning three gold medals in the 1924 Olympic Games. However, she’s best known for breaking a world record by swimming across the English Channel in 14 hours. This amazing story of accomplishment is accompanied by beautiful illustrations.
How to Train with a T. Rex and Win 8 Gold Medals by Michael Phelps and Alan Abrahamson – It’s not easy to win eight gold medals like swimmer Michael Phelps; it requires intense training! This fun fiction book shares lots of true facts about Phelp’s training process and how hard work brings results.
Swimming With Faith: The Missy Franklin Story by Natalie Davis Miller — This faith-based biography tells the story of swimmer Missy Franklin and how she achieved Olympic success while striving to maintain humility. This chapter book is best for kids ages 8-12.
Speed to Glory: The Cullen Jones Story by Natalie Davis Miller — Another faith-based biography about another amazing swimmer. Cullen Jones almost drowned at age five, but he was able to overcome his fear of water. Hard work led him to become a gold medalist! This is another book that is great for ages 8-12.
For more great reads, be sure to follow us on Pinterest!
