Rethinking rewards in children's swimming lessons

In many children's swimming programmes, as well as across sports and education, rewards like certificates, badges, ribbons, and trophies are standard practice. The logic seems simple: reward good performance, and motivation will rise. But what if we've got it backwards? What if the natural motivation children are born with—to explore, to master, to move—is actually undermined by reward systems? What if, instead of building confident, self-driven swimmers, we are accidentally conditioning them to swim for something, rather than because they love it?

Understanding child motivation

Babies and toddlers: no need for rewards

It's essential to recognise that babies and young toddlers have no understanding of what a badge, certificate, or prize means. At this early stage, they are motivated purely by curiosity, sensory joy, movement, and connection with their trusted adult. The idea of "If I do this, I get that" simply doesn’t exist yet. At this age, the purest form of motivation is intrinsic — it comes from within.

As children grow older and interact with social systems, such as school, sports, and activities, they begin to learn—often unconsciously—that good behavior or achievement results in external rewards. This process is known as conditioning.

The Psychology Behind Rewards: What Research Says

Numerous leading psychologists have shown that while rewards can temporarily influence behaviour, they often damage deeper, long-term motivation.

📚 Alfie Kohn (Punished by Rewards)

• Main idea: Rewards and punishments are two sides of the same coin: both are ways to control behaviour, not inspire genuine interest or intrinsic motivation.

• Key point: When we reward children for doing something "right," they learn to work for the reward, not because they find joy, pride, or meaning in the task itself.

“The more we reward people for doing something, the more they tend to lose interest in whatever they had to do to get the reward.”

📚 Edward Deci & Richard Ryan (Self-Determination Theory)

• Main idea: Humans have basic psychological needs: autonomy, competence, and relatedness. Motivation is strongest when these needs are satisfied internally, rather than through external rewards.

• Key point: External rewards (like badges and certificates) can actually reduce internal drive by shifting the focus to "what I get" instead of "what I love or feel proud of."

"Rewards can undermine intrinsic motivation when they are perceived as controlling."

📚 B.F. Skinner (Operant Conditioning)

Skinner demonstrated that behaviour can be shaped through reinforcement. However, conditioning someone to expect a reward isn't the same as nurturing a genuine love for the activity.

• Main idea: Behaviour can be shaped by reinforcement (rewards) and punishment.

• Key point: Skinner proved that you can train (or condition) someone to expect a reward after a behaviour —but this does not mean it’s always the healthiest or most sustainable way to build motivation. Natural motivation can be overridden by expecting rewards if conditioning happens consistently.

  
  

📚 Carol Dweck (Mindset Theory)

• Main idea: Praising children for outcomes ("You got a badge!") encourages a fixed mindset — where children believe their ability is tied to winning rewards or proving they are "good."

• Key point: Children thrive more on process praise (recognizing effort, strategy, persistence) rather than rewarding the final result.

"When we praise children for the process they engage in—their hard work, strategies, focus, persistence—they learn to love challenges, to enjoy effort, and to persist in the face of setbacks."

📚 Maria Montessori (Montessori Method)

• Main idea: Montessori believed that children have natural, intrinsic motivation to learn and develop through exploration, not external rewards.

• Key point: In Montessori classrooms, rewards and punishments are avoided because they are seen as interfering with the child's natural love of learning.

“The prize and the punishment are incentives toward unnatural or forced effort.”

📚 Jean Piaget (Cognitive Development Theory)

Piaget noted that children under 7 years old are still forming their understanding of social meanings and rules. True growth happens through active exploration, not external validation.

• Main idea: Piaget highlighted that young children (especially under 7 years) are still developing their understanding of rules, fairness, and social meanings.

• Key point: External rewards make sense to children only when they have matured enough to understand social constructs. Even then, their sense of achievement is best built through personal mastery and discovery rather than external validation.

  
  

Rethinking Swimming Lessons

So what does this mean for swimming lessons? It means we must rethink why and how we motivate our swimmers. If a child is racing through badge levels because they are excited by the badge itself, are they truly developing a love for swimming?

Or are they merely learning to chase approval instead of following their own drive? When we center lessons around connection, joy, challenge, and growth, children build an internal fire. They swim because it feels good, because they are proud of what they can do, and because they want to go further.

The Path to Lifelong Swimmers

This approach lays the foundation for building lifelong swimmers — and lifelong confidence. By supporting intrinsic motivation, we can help children understand the joy of swimming, rather than simply the joy of a reward.

🌱 Final Thought

Children aren’t born needing rewards. They are born ready to explore, master, and grow. Let’s fuel the fire inside them — not train them to swim for prizes.

In conclusion, we must challenge current practices in children's swimming programs. Let's encourage our young swimmers to focus on personal growth and joy, fostering a genuine love for the sport. By doing so, we can ensure that our children swim not just for rewards, but for the pure joy of it.