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Original poster

Swimming lessons

8 replies

CathyCy · 08/03/2016 05:48

My little girl will be 3 in May and we have just started taking her to swimming lessons (she's had 4 with a gap after the first two). She's very cautious by nature and small for her age and hates getting water in her face / eyes. The other children in the lesson have been going much longer and are all very confident - jumping in the pool, rolling off floats etc. There are bits of the lesson she enjoys and smiles during but a lot of it she cries, clings on to dad and refuses to do. She seems fine afterwards and doesn't seem to get anxious about going there. The swimming teacher and her dad think we should stick it out, but I'm not sure - any advice?

OP posts:

JellyMouldJnr · 08/03/2016 05:53

Is it lessons with her dad in the pool with her? I'd keep going. It's early days and the only way she'll get more confident is to try things.

Dellarobia · 08/03/2016 05:58

My friend's two DC were like this - very nervous and disliked the water. It went on for quite a while, but she kept taking them and now (age 4 and 6) they are both good at swimming and happy in the water. Swimming is an important life skill and I think nearly 3 is a good age to tackle this. I don't mean you should force her to do anything she's not comfortable with (eg put her face in the water) but I do think you should keep taking her.

westcountrywoman · 08/03/2016 06:24

Yes I'd carry on, especially if there are bits she's enjoying. Can you go swimming more often as a family to get her used to the water? Or practise getting her face wet in the bath with pouring toys etc.
It's really important IMO that children learn to swim / be safe in the water as early as possible.

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BikeRunSki · 08/03/2016 07:24

Persevee gently! And get her some wrap around goggles

I am just coming out of the other side of this with my 4 year old, although my 7 yo appears to have been born half fish.

Original poster

CathyCy · 08/03/2016 13:25

Thanks so much, just needed some reassurance that keeping going was the right thing! X

OP posts:

WonderingAspie · 11/03/2016 21:06

Definitely persevere. DS would live in water if he could, when it came to DD she was the opposite, wouldn't get in herself, wouldn't jump in, wouldn't put her face in or go underwater, clinging to the teacher, didn't like being in the water without a float.

It took a good few months but there was progress. Now she is swimming with her face in (as long as she has her goggles on) and jumps in. Now we are overcoming her swimming out of her depth, which she can but she is back to clinging to the sides saying she can't do it (she can, she has her 10 meter certificate). We found 1 to 1 lessons were much better for her as she would spend her time hiding at the back of the group or telling the teacher she couldn't do it and they would let her get away with it.

PommelandCantle · 11/03/2016 21:12

My DS was like that. It took over a year for him to put his face in the water but He improved with goggles and practise. He is 6 and can swim 25mts now putting his face in the water.

BackforGood · 11/03/2016 21:33

At 2 there's no point in lessons - just take her regularly and make it fun

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