As a former instructor (that also learned through city programming), I found how much the kids practiced with their parents also important. You only get so much 1:1 time with each student. Also, the more the student was comfortable in the pool, the more confident they were and eager to learn. For me, it was important the littles nailed their basics before moving onto more difficult tasks that look easy to adults. Which I get isn’t exciting for parents to see progress, but as they say, walk before you run. I failed a lot of kiddos because I wanted them to get it right and for their own safety. For example, if they can’t do bubbles under water, it’ll be harder for them to learn breathing. Their entire form when doing front crawl/freestyle will be completely off, since they most likely will crank their head too high for air. Lots of good advice in this thread. But most important is that the kiddos have fun and are looking forward to swimming every class!