Swimming lessons - Over a year in ASA Stage 1

[ListsWonderfulLists]

Has anyone else had this with their child? My DS who will be 7 in a couple of months time has been having swimming lessons for over a year and he's still in Stage 1. I know a lot of other children his age and they all seem to be on Stage 3 or 4, or at least moving through the stages quickly if they've started more recently.

My DS is making progress (very slow progress but progress nonetheless!) I've asked how he's doing and apparently he's now at 79% so he's getting there.

He is definitely not the most coordinated child in the world and he also lacks concentration which we are working on. So I'm not wanting him to be moved up before he is ready. Just wondered if anyone else had a child like this and did they get there eventually? I've done a search and everyone else's kid seems to whizz through the early stages! For what it's worth, I am also a dreadful swimmer! I can swim underwater but I just sink on top!

[user1494050295]

Can I suggest you swim with him before or after his lesson. Go through what he has learned. And take him more than once a week (not a lesson but just swimming). My daughters instructor says the more times she swims the better. If you aren't as confident with your swimming maybe do some lessons too so you can both enjoy it.

[Rainbowsandflowers78]

Do you take him to practice at the weekend? That’s how they really improve.
Some people are more bouyant than others but you need to focus on him relaxing and floating for him to get swimming at all. You can’t swim if you can’t float. Practice relaxing and doing star floats on his back - lots of breathing not holding breath

[HorsesCourses]

DS2 spent 15 months on one stage. He's been going for 6 1/2 years and is on silver, so that's an average of 9 months for every stage.
He quite enjoys it and just plods along. We've had to 'let go' of the focus on rising through the levels and just see the lesson as something fun he does- like going to youth club -where there are no levels or progression.
I was ranked in the national top10 for my age group as a teenager but when initially learning to swim, I was frightened of going under water, swimming on my back or jumping in. It clicked for me round about age 9. Neither of my DSs have inherited my swimming genes!!!

[ListsWonderfulLists]

Yeah I think we do need to take him more often to practice. There's no facility for swimming with him before or after his lesson as the pool is just taken up with lessons on Saturdays. We'll have to do a Sunday (and I'll have to disguise my hatred of the whole swimming thing ;-) )

The not being able to float thing is totally me Rainbowsandflowers78. I cannot relax in the water. Can just about make a width with terrible doggy paddle! I'd really like my DS to be better and more confident than me.

[Rainbowsandflowers78]

You could get lessons for you too - not too late to learn and you could practice together (with a swimmer to keep you both safe). It’s a life skill - what would you do if your kids fell in a river - you couldn’t save them.

Imo learning to relax and not sinking are the first stages of learning to swim but of course it’s a catch 22 because you won’t relax until you know you won’t sink! You need to build up faith and confidence in the water.

Imagine your child learning to read if you couldn’t read - progress would be really slow if you couldn’t help them by reading with them and reading to them. Lead/teach him by example

[Rainbowsandflowers78]

Ps I made my oh learn in his mid 30s when we had our first child (I told him he had to be able to save his own child in an emergency). He used to make me laugh (internally) trying to power through the water but sinking like a lead balloon. As soon as he relaxed and floated he was away.