How do we help DSD learn to swim?

[PoesyCherish]

A few years ago DP was seeing his DSD every Saturday as her Mum wouldn't allow overnights. DP and his ex agreed it'd be good for DSD to have swimming lessons but since they were on a Saturday morning, it fell to DP or I to take her. She took a long time to take to the swimming, we think she found it difficult because of a Speech and Language delay but as soon as her S&L picked up, she really thrived at the lessons.

Last year DP finally managed to get his Ex to agree to overnights. Instead of seeing DSD every Saturday we saw her every other weekend Friday - Sunday. We carried on taking DSD to her lessons but on the weeks she was with her Mum, she didn't go. Eventually they petered out as we felt maybe it wasn't worth paying for the lessons for her to only go half the time.

So my question is, how do we help her learn to swim? I strongly suspect that if DP suggested to his ex we pick her up, take her to swimming and then drop her back on those weekends she's with her Mum she'd tell him where to stick it. I think the only way she may potentially go for it is if he dropped the every other weekend and went back to Saturday only contact. She won't allow midweek contact so after school lessons are out. What do we do? We both feel swimming is such an important skill and she's rapidly approaching the age / size where she'll no longer be able to use armbands.

Any suggestions would be hugely appreciated :)

Do you take her yourselves if you took her one or twice over the weekends that she’s with you she’ll soon gain her confidence.

Do you take her yourselves if you took her one or twice over the weekends that she’s with you she’ll soon gain her confidence.

Swimming teacher here some school do adhoac basis so speak to them and see if you can do pay as you go, how old is she? If she’s about 4 years old I would be putting her on a woggle/noodle rather than armbands and encouraging her to put her face in the water and building up onto floats.

@billybagpus we do try to take her but tbh I've no idea how to teach somebody how to swim

@Winterishere2018 she's almost 7. She does use a noodle but sometimes she feels safer with armbands. Do you think getting her a float would help?

Oh sorry I should've fully read your post @Winter re the float

She doesn’t need armbands if anything they will get in the way and hold her back. Keep her in the shallow end so she has confidence to be able to stand up and put the noodle around her front in a u shape but allow with space in between so she can put her face in and promote blowing bubbles with her chin on the water then progressing to putting her face in and kicking her legs behind her. Best bet is to get her into a school that will build confidence and you can also take her in you’re leisure time with a noddle.

Once she’s confident on a noodle and putting her face in she would progress to two floats on each arm then one float in front.

What about a swim fin? www.argos.co.uk/product/6838939?cmpid=GS001&_$ja=tsid:59156%7Cacid:444-797-0832%7Ccid:189949525%7Cagid:18091975405%7Ctid:aud-484139256461:pla-297697331029%7Ccrid:77627774605%7Cnw:g%7Crnd:12039517401298433579%7Cdvc:m%7Cadp:1o1%7Cmt:%7Cloc:9045349&gclid=EAIaIQobChMIn5Dp35mG3wIVyLHtCh3o1wROEAQYASABEgLj0fD_BwE

Don’t use arm bands. How long did she do lessons for before? Can she swim at all? Doggy paddle? Can she float in a star shape on her front or back? Is she confident putting her head under water?

Ask about private lessons once a fortnight rather than weekly. Might well work out a similar price though. If you can afford it, I would just pay, and only go every other week.

Our pool also does school holiday crash courses in lots of the lower swim levels. DD learnt to swim 5m in a week long Stage 2 course. Might be worth asking around local pools as you could take her as a family during term times just to build her confidence, then enrol on crash courses in the holidays.

Plus if you stay to watch the crash courses, you could use that as things to do in the term time in between. So if they're using floats, copy that with her etc.

I remember when DD started with lessons they focused on putting face in the water and learning to float (I guess if you can't float you can't swim). They did use noodles or floats for some part of the lessons.
Maybe 121 lessons on the weekends you have her could help her along a bit quicker?