Swimming lessons. What's best?

[TitsMcGeeee]

We currently take our two eldest children (5 and 3) to weekly lessons (local authority lessons). Progress isn't particularly fast. It's also a bit stressful at times juggling the lessons with other commitments (and a baby) and although doable, we're wondering if this is the best way to do it.

Seasoned parents, what do you do/have you done and what works best?

Would intensive lessons in the holidays be better? Private one-to-ones?

We just want our children to get to the stage where they can do all the basics and be safe in the pool independently (swim a length used to be the marker when I was a kid!). If swimming appeals to them as a sport, we'll happily continue to support that, but in the meantime we're just focused on the 'life skill' part of swimming and getting there as quickly and efficiently as possible! Particularly for our eldest who (it feels) has been in lessons for ages!

There are so many variables that there is no one answer.
DD started off aged 3.2 in local authority group lessons. First term she enjoyed it although there were too many for her to learn anything. Second term she hated it due to a really shouty teacher. So we moved to 1:1 lessons which she did for the next two years. The cost was similar as she only had one lesson a fortnight. She got her confidence back & improved remarkably. So by the time she was 6, she could do several lengths of both front crawl & back stroke ... but rarely did breast stroke and never did butterfly or other skills like forward rolls although I often asked.
By this stage, DS was 4.5 and terrified of the water. I'd got annoyed with DD's teacher and ended up signing DS up for a half term crash course at a different council course. He had a teacher he loved and still does weekly lessons with that teacher 2 yrs later and is half way through ASA stage 4.
Meanwhile, I moved DD to group lessons at that pool and she is now (aged 9) able to do every stroke imaginable (who knew back butterfly was a thing!), tumble turns & all sorts of things and wants to trial for the squad in September.
So two different children & totally different experiences & approaches.

@TinklyLittleLaugh I very much doubt that. DD never doggy paddled, she wa taught proper kicking first, then the arms came. With swimming properly I mean a width of a pool deeper than her height.

DD does have problems with motor skills, arm movement took a long time to work but doggy paddle is a totally wrong approach. You can’t get from this to proper strokes in a matter of a term for a 4-5 year old.

You can’t get from this to proper strokes in a matter of a term for a 4-5 year old.

Well obviously you can because all my kids did.

My oldest ones are in their twenties so it’s a bit hazy, but DS2, who is 13, had his first lesson at 6 when he could doggy paddle and was very water confident, and was moved up to the next class after about 10 minutes. He did about a year’s lessons, learned breaststroke, front crawl and backstroke. Decided he was bored and wanted to quit.

He’s had a bit of formal coaching on his stroke a couple of times in the years since and from hid Dad who’s a decent open water triathlon swimmer. DS only swims for fun with his pals but he’s perfectly competent. He’s a very sporty child though.

If they are a similar level then you might be able to get 1:2 lessons, a little sibling rivalry and at least then it is all over in half an hour. Even better if you could get 1:2 every day for a week in the holidays. Not sure though whether the 3yr old would manage it. Some 3 yr olds can, others need to develop a bit more first.

I certainly have a strong memory of DS1 aged about 18 months, equipped with armbands and running and jumping in the pool on holiday and freaking a few people out.

And him again aged 5, running and jumping in a holiday pool with no armbands and a German lady jumping to her feet ready to leap in and save him and laughing with me as he did a neat little length of breast stroke.

Mine do small groups (so max 4 kids per lessons but often 3). It’s really expensive but I literally would never take them swimming otherwise so it forces the issue and they have really progressed so at 6 my twins can swim a length, are now learning proper strokes and happy diving to bottom of a 2.5m pool. Holidays are much more interesting as they can do surf club, go out on body boards in rough-ish sea, sit on the front of a kayak or paddle board etc. I’d like them to get to stage 5 (currently on stage 3) and then hopefully get them into a secondary school which pushes swimming.