Is there much point to a 6-year-old having swimming lessons?

[Thesnailonthewhale]

My 6-year-old can swim maybe around 8 to 10. M in a sort of recognised stroke. She's currently in stage 3 lessons . I'm just thinking of taking an eight of lessons because she isn't getting that much from them and spending a lot of time standing around, waiting for her turn to go up and down the pool etc. we swim at least one other time apart from the lessons and would replace the swimming lesson with a family swim where I'd make her practise. We do the practise anyway on our weekend swim. So should be practising at least twice a week, about 10 to 15 minutes each time, which is probably more that she gets out of the 25-minute lesson anyway.

Am I missing something?

I don't need her to be able to do butterfly or breaststroke or anything. Just be able to swim across the pool and then naturally grow her stamina as she gets older. She's a million % confident in the water but also safe. she'll dive down to the bottom of the two to three metre pool to collect weights etc.

I'm just thinking I could save myself 40 odd pound a month

We did group sessions for a while but there was a lot of standing around so ended up doing joint lessons with a friend's child. So more expensive than group session but not as expensive as 1:1 They both came on leaps and bounds.

At 6 my DC could swim multiple laps of a pool in 3 strokes. I don't think that butterfly is in any way essential though.

You can learn to swim at a club. I used to swim at several clubs and teach swimming too.

I did, the lessons are designed to keep you paying for as long as possible, barely got 10 minutes “swimming” out of the 30 minute lesson and a lot of that seemed to be with floats. We did lots of normal swimming then had a private instructor on holiday when they were older 1:2 who helped with a bit of technique. Dd2 is an excellent swimmer, dd1 isn’t keen but she has seizures so is of course wary and even as an adult has to be accompanied

I would get her booked in to 1-1 lessons, although appreciate that’s even more expensive than group lessons.

My Girls could barely swim after attending group swimming lessons for a couple of years.

We then booked in for 1-1 lessons and my 8 year old could swim 400m within 3 months & my 5 year old has just done her 15m. It makes such a difference in such a short space of time.

I’d change her swim school. She needs to learn breathing techniques in order she can swim longer than 8-10m 🙂

She has no chance of finding a swimming club which will take a non-swimmer. DDs swimming club has a minimum requirement of being in stage 6 and even then they don’t invite children until they have passed a significant amount of stage 6. Op your child sounds no where near able enough. Find a different place for lessons if needed but no not pull her out

Agree. I would expect any reasonably fit and able-bodied child over the age of 5 to be able to swim at least one length after a year of lessons. The fact that OP's child cannot do this means the swimming teacher is failing her.

There are plenty of people who can't swim, that's nothing to be ashamed of. It's a bit odd to be unable to swim after so many lessons though. Change the provision and there'll probably be swift progress, especially given the child's enthusiasm for the water.

Lots of 5 Year olds can't swim a length after a year of lessons. I can tell you there's not many 5 year olds in stage 5..6...7 etc...

Honestly people live on another planet on MN

Agreed. They should be actively swimming for almost all of the lesson.

I'm not going to tell you should be doing it as mine didn't start til 7 and 9 (pandemic) and caught up fine, but now you've started I'd be inclined to keep on- it's a ringfenced weekly practice, whereas if you're anything like me you won't get to the pool for family swims as often as you intend to.

You'd think so, but she just isn't that capable.

And she's not in the minority. Ask around at school and kids are all in similar levels, only one 6 year old I know if isim stage 5 (and she's also excellent a judo and all sports TBF)

One to one with a good teacher is the answer and it is so worth it.

( There are not so good teachers though so try to see who is good with other children first.)

Yes, she goes at least every Sunday and we practice for around 15-20 minutes, with the rest of the hour being "fun swim".

She just isn't making progress because she's just not that coordinated.

But also, she is definitely within normal expectations of other children in her class are normal too. It really isn't common for 5-6 year olds to be swimming multiple lengths (despite what MN think)
Plus there's a difference between a just turned 6 year old and an almost 7 years old.

Anyway, I will see how she gets on in the next half term or so.

Well I learnt to swim without swimming lessons and I am very strong swimmer. I couldn't be done with group lessons and my parents couldn't afford anything else so my Dad took me every Sunday for an hour and a half for many years. I taught my DD to swim, never had swimming lessons. it doesn't sound like she is capable enough to give up so either pay for 121 or commit to teaching yourself.

Do you work at the swimming pool or something? You seem weirdly offended at being told that maybe their teaching style isn’t suiting her or isn’t great and the waiting around for her turn is a waste.

No one is saying your daughter is a short swimmer, but you’re reacting as if we are. it’s very weird of you.

Maybe try a different instructor/ venue or are you confident abd proficient to be able to teach her yourself?
But she needs to be able to confidently and easily swim more than 8 metres and be able to tread water as an absolute minimum.

It doesn't sound I said the current swimming lessons are ideal. Find another pool/instructor. Swimming is the lesson that will save your child's life.

I'm just saying that whenever I've sat at lessons with kids across the years (with nephews etc c)there's most definitely not loads of 5 Year olds in the higher stages... But MN seems to have 6 year olds swimming 20+ lengths and making out this is completely normal when it just isn't.

(A bit like how they're all reading Matilda in Year 1, and not recognising that it is unusual for a Year 1 to be reading chapter books like that independently... )

It's too early to stop lessons now. My rule is that they get to stage 7 and then stop. It's true that progress in the early stages can be slow but I have noticed that there is a switch when they start to finesse their strokes and then they can build stamina. I don't just want them to be able to swim ok, I want their technique and stamina to be as good as it can be - not Olympic level of course but a good technique. Try another swim school but it's definitely too early to quit.

My DD (7) is in stage 5. DH and I are very strong swimmers, I used to lifeguard when I was at uni, we scuba dive regularly and she's been snorkelling off a boat with no issues. She's 100% not ready to stop lessons. Family swimming isn't a replacement for lessons. She can stop when she's a strong swimmer, which imo won't happen until she's completed her gold. I really don't think stopping at stage 3 is a good idea, maybe look into switching swim schools if you think the lessons aren't effective.

I think you’ll get mixed responses, but personally I feel you could teach her yourself if she has the basics.

Agree with stage 5 minimum. My 9 year old is mid-stage 5 and wants to quit. They need skill and endurance, the latter is only taught in later stages. As much as I cannot wait for swimming to be over, it’s a must do for me.

They absolutely need to complete stage 604 otherwise they will be eaten by a shark whilst drowning in a puddle.

But it’s not necessarily about the stages. My 4YO in stage 2 can swim a length but can’t do front crawl arms so he’s in stage 2 as absolutely not ready to move on yet. I really don’t think anyone expects a 5YO to be in stage 6/7 or anything. I wouldn’t! I don’t see any that tiny in those stages at my DC’s lessons. However, if after what sounds like quite a lot of lessons (if in stage 3 she’s presumably had a fair few lessons to move through stage 1 and 2) and at 6 years old so not an uncoordinated toddler she can only go 8 metres which is not even a width in most pools, I would think the teaching is frankly quite poor.

I learned to swim at 17/18 and it was really hard. I wish my mum or dad had taught me or taken me to lessons. It was very important to me that all my kids are good swimmers because I do think I missed out on a lot of fun as a kid because I couldn’t swim.

DD is fine in group lessons, she naturally pretty good and took to it quickly. DS needed one to one because he has inherited his dad’s lack of coordination and his mother’s aversion to water poor thing. He’s getting better now and I don’t regret forking out a bit extra for it.