To feel a bit embarrassed my nearly four year old is in a class with two year olds!

I’d just stop for a year or so and try again later. I found my kids would plateau after a while, so not worth paying for the lessons.

Mine didn’t start until 5 ….they were swimming in a couple of months….,same now with my GD …..4 is young ….they will get there

My boy didn’t swim independently until he was 6, the other children were at least a year younger than him if not more. But once he got it, all other parents were so chuffed for him. They saw his struggle each week( anxiety about the water). Now he loves it

I’m sure loads of people have said this but mine didn’t even start swimming until he was 4.5 and in reception. He has picked it up fairly quickly despite being in a massive council-run (cheap!) class.

I think all of these water babies type things are a massive con - you can teach them water confidence in the bath and then by taking them swimming yourself. It’s not even very sociable for the kids or adults. And they cost an absolute fortune!

Just do more swimming with him. Lots of practice. At least one extra swim each week. During holidays, every couple of days. Go for it Mum.

It's not that you've done anything amiss but it is an unusually long time. My son also could not manage to learn in a group and we ended up getting 1:1 swimming tuition. He was later diagnosed with dyspraxia which explained it in his case.

I’d give him a break from lessons. Why are armbands detrimental to progress? Once they have the basic doggy paddle and are comfortable in the water, just let the air out a bit. Do this gradually over a few sessions until there is no air in them and they should be able to swim on their own. Take him to the pool yourself, focus on lots of water-play, blowing bubbles, picking up sinkys etc. Your child isn’t ready to progress yet, so be patient.

I mean 4 yrs classes at anything and to not be able to do it would suggest to me either the teaching style isn't effective for him or the teacher is no good.

I wouldn't expect him to have mastered front crawl but to be able to swim independently seems reasonable after 4 yrs.

Does he have a fear? A difficulty? Is it a bad class? Does the style not work for him? I'd try asking him gently if he likes swimming and the teacher for their opinion to see if this is a good fit

My little boy was exactly the same but he suddenly just came on. He much preferred the baby group as they had more fun and games and a warmer pool but he's eventually moved up and can swim a little now. He's 9 now btw but was the biggest kid in the lower group!

A lot only start lessons at 4/5. DD was nearly 6 due to Covid. Cant you change classes and put DC in a beginner's class with older DC?

OP, I'm learning to ice skate and I'm older than most of the coaches, let alone the kids I'm learning alongside! It really doesn't matter. We all learn different things at different ages.

He’s 4, my 13 year old cannot swim but your child will get there, my middle son was really scared about learning until he was 7 maybe 8 and we did small classes 3 to one teacher max and he learned really quickly and was a bit of a fish, youngest was set to start then Covid hit and he just refuses to go into the water, he is autistic and nothing I do can persuade him. I also took an age to learn to swim, I am dyslexic likely dyspraxic I have no coordination at all and I really struggled.

do lots of fun water/swimming play together lots of toys etc you can buy too. He’s in lessons so you could change to smaller class or go swimming together more often. Good luck 🤞

Also perfectly normal for a 4yr old to not be able to swim yet. But get them in a stage 1 class with other 4 yr olds (the instructor will be in pool with them until they move to stage 2)

What your paying sounds extravagant.... Our local authority pool lessons for school age children are £30 a month! And they've been brilliant. Get looking at your local leisure centres.

Ahh I see sorry there were a lot of messages! I would defo look into council swimming programmes in your area but obv depends on where you are. Our authority is large with several pools nearby

They are all preschoolers for heaven’s sake!

My DS started Turtletots when he was 6 weeks old. I took him every week until the July before he started Reception. He then joined Stage 1 swimming classes at our local council pool. He's now in Year 2 (7yo on November) and has only just moved to Stage 2. He still won't jump in from the side of the pool and hates being on his back. He struggles with motor skills so finds coordinating his limbs for floating and different strokes much more challenging than his peers. All children do things in their own time. Well done for getting him in the water.

I know you have said its a council pool but private company who do the lessons? I would look around your local authority at their swim programme I found council were much better at publishing what was required to move up a level.
When I switched from private to council difference was night and day almost half the cost (and we can leisure swim in any pool in the authority) , 10mins extra per lesson plus my son spent most of it actually swimming compared to private where he spent most of time waiting to be taken 1 at a time. I raised an issue with both private and council lessons private shrugged their shoulders and ignored my messages - council offered a free 1 to 1 30 min session to resolve the issue

Sorry to hijack this thread but my 2 year old is the skinniest little thing and he absolutely cannot get the hang of swimming. I had never even considered it might be to do with his size! He’s so coordinated and strong on dry land but he only enjoys the pool when we are playing - the swimming lessons seem such a waste as he cannot / will not do the movements that the other (younger) children are all happily doing. Thanks for sharing!

I had swimming lessons ALL through childhood, multiple instructors at multiple swim schools but never could swim. I used to get a few meters then sink like a stone. I tried to tell them for years that I couldn't breath properly and they never understood, I got yelled at to turn my head etc... as if I was too dumb to not understand to not breath underwater (which wasn't the issue).

Went back as an adult to do special lessons (most are adults with water trauma) to be told I'm doing everything correctly and physically body wise and mentally I can swim something else must be going on.

Go to the doctors and find out I can't swim due to my asthma (makes sense, the same way I can't run or climb). They tried steroids and medications but nothing worked and now I have to accept that likely I will never be able to swim. I can float and do mild doggy paddle though so I could probably save myself in a pool to get to the edge.

Sometime people literally just can't swim no matter how many lessons we have, just the same way as some people can't walk.

I wouldn’t sweat this OP. My DD started swimming lessons the summer before she started school at 4yo. Half an hour per week. She’s now 6 and a really good swimmer.

I must admit that if he’s still at the same level and everyone else has passed on there does seem to be an actual issue.

This can be true of musical instruments and other sport too.

Wouldn't he be better off moving to a normal wave 1 type swimming class with kids his own age at the same level?

Or you could get him in to a 1:1 or small group intensive course so he progresses? That's what we did with my DD - she missed loads of swimming lessons because of covid so still couldn't swim independently at 6, but after 5 days intensive course she was swimming independently and loads more confident- then she went in to regular group swimming lessons