To wonder if DS is not progressing well at swimming?

[Battyboo82]

Ok - appreciate not a serious problem but would like to hear others' experiences of swimming lessons. My DS is 5 next month and has been doing Stage 1 of swimming lessons with the local authority since September. Everyone else has passed through the group, children have been and gone, but he's still in there and making painfully slow progress. I work full time so would find it hard to go with him any other time - my partner works evenings and we also have a young baby. Neither me nor my partner are particularly "sporty" - I just don't want him to be the worst in his school year at swimming (as I was) and obviously be able to save himself if he fell in somewhere.
I'm not trying to get the next Rebecca Adlington here - I just wonder if I am missing something or if a lot of children are like this? Thanks.

My dd has been on stage 1 since she was 4.5. She is now 7. Despite double lessons at the weekends she was making very little progress until I started taking her for 1-1 myself 6 months ago every weekend. She has massively improved since this.

My DD (nearly 5) started Stage 1 swimming last summer. She had previously had pre-school swimming lessons but was v v nervous. She's just got her confidence and moved up to Stage 2 a few weeks ago. Her friend moved up months ago, another is still in Stage 1. All started together. I think you just have to give it time. They all progress at different rates.

Dd5 and ds7 stage 4 and 6 after two years of lessons. Once per week.
Every child is different.

He won't be the worst in his year as he has been going to lessons!!! Swimming can be painfully slow, kids generally won't make great progress until their 'core' is strong enough. If you can take him outside the lessons that would he the most beneficial thing to do! Also he needs to go in the deep end, one on my DC made no progress for a year and walked up and down until we moved pools and he couldn't avoid the deep end. Another DC it didn't click until age 6/7 now he is a really competitive triathlete at age 10. Keep going!!!

He's 5. Give it time.

Most swimming clubs don't even accept under 5's. Until then it's all about water confidence. Their arms are often not long enough in proportion to their heads at that age to get a proper stroke together.

He's suddenly figure it out.

DS1 is 6 and made fuck all progress in group lessons. Two years of him at the same level and occasional weekend trips to the pool and still needing armbands. At the start of the year I asked him if he would like to really try to get his armbands off and he said yes so we book a 12 week block of 121 sessions. By week 5 he was swimming without armbands on. I'm not looking for Olympic medals. Just reassurance that if he fell in water he could get to the side. He's enjoying the 121 lessons a lot more too and getting loads out of them. Money well spent in my opinion.

DD is nearly 6 and has been having lessons for a year. Currently stage 2 but has been stuck there for months now because she is very nervous. It's hard because she swims beautifully (albeit with floatation aids) but every lesson involves tears. I am glad you started this thread OP as it's reassured me at a time when I was starting to think we should give up on the whole idea of swimming. I'll be investigating 1:1 lessons now.

I'd be having a word with the instructor if my kid wasn't moving up a stage for a year. May be something small that you can work on, ie face in the water. Practice with them in the bath etc

Have you asked what he needs to do to progress? I don't think that they can progress to stage 2 if they aren't putting their face in the water so he may have everything else "tucked" but can't progress because of that.
Swimming experiences are so varied because, IMO, so much depends on the child's temperament & the teacher's attitude.
FWIW, DD is 7 (Yr2) and her experience is:

• 1 term leisure centre in groups of 8; one nice teacher, one OK teacher
• 1 term leisure centre in groups of 8. 2x evil teacher certificates; destroyed DD's confidence;
• 6 terms of 1:1 lessons every other weekend. DD was out of her depth in the pool so stopped hopping around & started swimming. Re-gained her confidence. However, teacher seemed to lose focus & I began to realise the teacher never seemed to track the numbers (e.g. strokes dementia - yay!