Dd (3) hates her preschool swimming class

[Squirrel78]

Dd (3) used to love swimming when she was in the adult and toddler class where she went in with my husband or myself. Now she's gone up to the pre-school class where she goes in with the instructor and a handful of other children and she hates it. She spends the majority of each lesson in tears. She's only been in this class for three weeks but we all dread swimming now because she gets so upset. I really want her to learn to swim so do I stick it out and hope she settles down eventually?

[MI5agent]

Would you like to carry on a hobby that you really hate? Imagine being somewhere you didn't want to be, under duress. She'll resent it and begin to associate swimming as negative too.

Have you asked her why she gets upset?

I'd pull her out. Take her swimming yourself, same time every week.

[LittleBearPad]

Scrap the classes and take her yourself. She will learn to swim when she's ready. It isn't worth the tears.

[timeforabrewnow]

At 3 years old - don't persevere with the wrong teacher - wait til she's older.

[VashtaNerada]

Both my DC (and myself at that age!) found the transition hard but got through it to have a real love of swimming. With DD the key was actually more not less lessons, as it built her confidence quickly. And a chocolate biscuit afterwards It's horrible at the time but I'm glad we persevered now.

[SanityClause]

Just take her out, and keep going together as a fun activity with you and/or DH.

FWIW, Michael Phelps didn't learn to swim until he was about 8, and apparently he wasn't keen either.

[SavoyCabbage]

Just don't go! Start going swimming together for fun instead. My dd didn't start lessons till she was almost six and she's in squad now,

[Asleeponasunbeam]

I took my nervous DD out of group lessons and she has one to one. There were other reasons for this too though. It's an expensive solution! If yours enjoyed parent and toddler swimming, then I agree with PP to just take her yourself.

[OffTheBackOfALaurie]

She isn't going to learn anything while in tears and you may well put her off for life.

[FairyPenguin]

DS was the same as you. Took him out of group lessons and moved to 1:1. He hated those too so teacher advised a break and that I just took him and reintroduced it as a fun activity with games. About a year later we started lessons again but at a different pool, with different teachers, much better ratio of teachers to children, and fun-based activities. The first two lessons were upsetting for everyone but they handled him so well, a year later he is loving it and a real water baby! Don't worry - there's no hurry.

[wigglesrock]

Take her out completely - she's only 3. Fwiw I perservered with lessons for my oldest - she didn't cry but she didn't get on with them, just couldn't "get it". I could cry now thinking about the money and time that I wasted in a hot, noisy, sweat inducing panic about her not being able to swim. I stopped the lessons, took her myself "for fun".

She got to 7, went once a week with the school, that was the push she needed, flew through the lesson and is now a better swimmer than I would have ever imagined. I didn't even start dd2 at lessons until a few months ago (she's 7) and the same story she's done really well. I'm glad I didn't push it. I have dd3, she's 4. I'm going to do the same with her, wait until she's 6 or 7 then enrol her.

I too take them swimming including the youngest but it's just for a mess about, get her used to the water.

[BikeRunSki]

DD, also 3, also hated her lessons, but loved swimming. We had reason to suspect it was her teacher she didn't like. We stopped for a few weeks. It would have been longer, but her class got a new teacher and we were offered her place back. She has really taken to the new teacher and is happy in her lessons.

[LittleLionMansMummy]

What others have said, it doesn't sound like much fun for any of you. She's 3, take her yourself and try again when she's a little older. Children only learn when they're happy.

[Iggly]

My dd was the same but it was a one week intensive course. We now just take the DCs every weekend and they've made massive progress with just us. We will put dd (who's younger) into formal lessons when she's a little older as can see with ds, who can do a crawl of sorts, it isn't necessary as we've given them the confidence already.

[plipplops]

Could you go to a different company who would let you still be in the water with her? I teach baby and preschool swimming and we wouldn't let a 3yo in without a parent unless they could be really safe by themselves (lots of criteria including 5m badge and being able to take instructions properly etc). Just because she reaches a certain age it doesn't mean she's necessarily ready to be in a lesson without you...x

[somewheresomehow]

i agree with ^^timeforabrewnow
if you keep forcing her she may well come to associate going swimming with terror and tears. drop the lessons for now but carry on swimming with her and make it about having fun and getting confident in the water

[Vickisuli]

A 3 year old does not need swimming classes, just take her yourself and let her enjoy the water.

None of mine ever had swimming lessons as I knew they would hate being made to put their heads under. They all love swimming, and learn to swim eventually in their own good time.