Alternative to swimming lessons for almost 8 year old?

[SportForAHMDC]

DC is almost 8 (end of July).

They’re very hypermobile and are also diagnosed dyslexic. As such they’re stuck in Stage 1 swimming.

They’ve been going since they were 3 and never completed Pre-school Swimming as they got to old.

They’ve just entered their 6th week of no progress whatsoever. They’ve only completed just over 50% as well. They’ve been in stage 1 since January 2020 so pre-covid. They were in Pre-school swim until they were 5.5 and still only got to Duckling 2.

So I’m thinking of pulling them out, they’re getting upset by it and most of their friends (year 3) are stage 4 or 5, ones done all 8 stages is and is now in the swimming squad.

They’ve also missed out on their school swimming due to covid, as they usually go in Year 2 (School have said they may if they have time and money catch up but if not it’s just gone, most children in the area have private lessons anyway).

They do other activities that they enjoy but no sport. The only reason I stuck with swimming so long is because the physio said it’s the best exercise for their hypermobile limps

So what sport could I try with them that will be just as good?

I plan to reintroduce swimming in a few years when all their friends have completed the programme and they’re not comparing themselves to them.

I'd put him/ her into 1-2-1 swimming

@nearlyspringyay Unfortunately the cost of that is way out of my price range, they did the SN swimming for awhile which is only a bit more than I pay now but they didn't like it as most of the DC in the class where a lot worse than them so they went back to mainstream.

Yes I'd suggest one on one swimming. Dyslexia won't affect swimming will it? Is it just the hypermobility?

My immediate thought was 121 lessons.
It actually might work out cheaper as progress will be so much faster.
My DS had years of group lessons and progressed at snail pace. A handful of 121 and he was swimming.

Added advantage is you can get the teacher to tailor lessons. For example before a holiday I got her to do a lesson on water safety.

Can you take them once or twice a week yourself instead? Concentrate on the confidence, going underwater, kicking etc. Not so much on the exact style of the strokes.

Change the swimming class, go somewhere else

I have a child with dyspraxia. He has had close to 80 swimming lessons a mix of 1-2-1 and group. He cannot swim a single stroke on his own. He is 12. I have been told that this is due to my failure as a parent, but considering his 10 year old brother swims like a fish I beg to differ.

Our local pool holds family fun sessions every weekend and one niht a week. They chuck in inflatables and you just go and do it. In 8 weeks of doing this every weekend DS1 now can get his feet off the bottom of the pool, and with the aid of a kickboard can splash his legs. This is a massive massive improvement.

So from my experience i reckon justgo and swim for fun. Get arm bands and kickboards and noodles and see if they can get to grips - with anything.

@Hohofortherobbers They've had 4 different teachers, so I do think it's a problem with DC not the teaching, thats not to say DC is a problem, just that they're specific circustances make it harder.

I think this sounds like a swim school problem - not your child's issues!

My child is both of those things and is stage 5 swimming.

Find a different place for swimming lessons first.

121 lessons are out of my price range.

I pay £25 a month for 4-5 lessons. 121 lessons at the same pool are £25 per session, I just cannot afford it. I'm a single parent, no help from DCs father. I can afford the current lessons without going without but £100 a month for 4 lessons will mean I go without.

Do you take them swimming yourself? If you can't afford 1-1 lessons I'd suggest taking them swimming as often as you can.

@NerrSnerr When I can we go, it's hard though as they're either at after school club or other activities in the week and do swimming lessons on the weekend so are too tired to go.

We do go in school holidays when their other activities stop.

If you stop the swimming lessons now could you use what you would have paid for lessons over the next few months for a summer intensive swimming course?

I'd ask on a local FB page if anyone can recommend anyone who has experience with children with similar difficulties to your son.

Try a different class/teacher, those who are hypermobile find, once they get it, swimming is easier due the extra flexibility in their joints. The problem might be most kids when initially learning to swim put in too much effort, need more strength than your dd might now have, due to bad technique.

I would take her yourself 2-3 times a week and focus on floating face up and down and try to moving gently through the water and build up from there. Also walking through water will help build strength. Hanging onto the edge of the pool and kicking. Look at books for swimming techniques and master the arm movements, that is what ds's 1-2-1 instructor did for most of his lessons, practice perfecting the arm movements through the water while standing so when he swam it needed less effort.

@SeemsSoUnfair DC has had 4 different teachers across the stages. This is a council pool, the next nearest pool that offers lessons is triple what I pay a month, it's just beyond my price range.

I'll try and go more often with them if I do take them out of lessons to hopefully keep the confidence in water up.

If they're hypermobile there can be other factors that affect ability to learn to swim. My dd is/was the same. She has Eds - in some with the condition the bones can also be more dense (which means they don't float as easily as others and they have to work harder against the water) and with the hyper mobility their co-ordination and assessment of reach etc can be poor too.

Take them yourself and go at their pace but lots of practice and it comes eventually or if/when you can afford specialist swim teacher or physio can help

Whereabouts do you live? In Manchester there's a session on Sundays run by a local Paralympian gold medalist. It's not expensive either and a fair few dc we know go to his classes. One has hypermobility that I know of. She has come on leaps and bounds in his class.

Agree with above PP who said stop the swim lessons now but put the money aside and arrange a couple of 121 lessons a week through the summer months.

in place I’d just take them a couple of times a month to the family swim on a Sunday or whatever it makes sense for you to do so.

In your situation I’d stop the swimming lessons completely for a year, put the money aside and save it up, and in a year use that money to have some expensive 1:1 lessons somewhere else.

What you are paying now is very very cheap, I’ve never heard of swim lessons that cheap. Don’t want to judge the swim school but they can’t be paying their teachers much so they can’t be very experienced, I do wonder if somewhere else might be more able to help.

Anyway forget it for a year.

Op I have just managed to get my 11yo swimming confidently. He's been doing lessons since he was a baby.

Change away from council lessons to a private company with max 6 kids in the class. More expensive but well worth it.