Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. Flexible and made to last.

Meet the Other Phone.
Flexible and made to last.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

Are pre school swimming lessons worth the huge expense?

83 replies

upwardsandonwards33 · 13/03/2017 11:33

I need to make a decision about whether I renew for next term for two dc. It will be to the tune of £300 for the term. DD1 is 4 and is a bit nervous in the pool. DD2 likes water but I think she has little understanding and doesn't always follow instructions e.g kick your legs.
DH goes in the pool with them (consecutive lessons) whilst I dry and dress the girls and don't have to worry about having fanjo tidied up

When did your dc learn to swim? I didn't learn to swim in the swimming lessons we went to at school as had horrid shouty instructors. Am still not a confident swimmer. So want to get it right for dc but what worked for you?

OP posts:
Lowdoorinthewal1 · 13/03/2017 16:40

I suppose it depends how early you want them to be competent swimmers.

DS has swum since he was a few months old. He is now 6.5 and swims 3.5hrs a week in a competitive club, which he absolutely loves. In his club kids can only be in the bottom squad until they turn 9 and I don't think a kid could go from just starting lessons at 7 to being ready for Squad 2 in two years.

If you are not bothered about swimming as a 'thing' I guess starting earlier is not necessary. You just have to be ultra careful around any water they may fall into for longer.

bostonkremekrazy · 13/03/2017 17:47

Dc could swim unaided at 3....started for fun aged 6 months. Nothing fancy just the council pool.
Since age 3 has lessons twice per week - is now 4...

fiorentina · 13/03/2017 18:24

Mine started at 3, could follow instructions and progressed fast. Depends on the children I would say. Some kids were just messing about the whole time and whilst having fun it would have been money better spent just taking them to play in my opinion.

BikeRunSki · 13/03/2017 19:32

Actually, swimming lessons were good practise at following instructions from a teacher, in readiness for school/nursery.

SomewhatIdiosyncratic · 13/03/2017 21:19

Mine (4 & 6) have been to lessons since 5 months. They go to a council pool, so considerably cheaper than some private lessons, and in league with other activities for children (£19 per month). I've been happy with it as an activity for them to do, with water confidence and early foundations for swimming as a bonus.

At 4, they get to the foundation stage where swimming is taught over just kicking around and being supported by the parent. DS1 got stuck for 18m at this point, partly because he was small and found the depth and grip on the floats difficult, then because his attendance was affected by a change in my frequency of meetings. At 5/6, he's progressed through stage 1 much quicker.

We did an intensive course for a week to give him a boost. They were split between those nearly ready to move up, and complete newbies who needed guiding into the water. The progress in 5 days was impressive.

I've never regretted the lessons as we've enjoyed them, and it's made us get to the pool weekly, which we'd probably have struggled to do casually. On holiday last year, the pool was slightly out of DS1's depth, but he and we were happy for him to swim around freely with floats (closely supervised!). It's at times like that that I feel there's been more of an advantage to all those hours waist deep in water with them Grin

Swimming lessons before 5 don't have a massive benefit towards long term swimming ability and aren't worth paying considerably more than any other activity for a reluctant child.

cantmakeme · 13/03/2017 21:24

DD had swimming lessons at five. Before that we went swimming but she wore armbands and splashed about. Within about a month she was swimming properly.

faithinthesound · 13/03/2017 21:43

My brother, who drowned in a pot hole when he was three, would probably advocate for preschool swimming lessons.

And greater caution to be taken around bodies of water in general, no matter how trivial ignorant adults may think those bodies of water are.

Original poster
upwardsandonwards33 · 13/03/2017 23:20

faithinthesound - It may well have been a while ago but I am so very sorry for the loss of your brother. That is just unbelievably tragic.

OP posts:
arethereanyleftatall · 13/03/2017 23:35

I'm a swim teacher.
No - they're a waste of money for preschoolers in terms of learning to swim. Fine if they enjoy it and you can afford it.
Yes, definitely at 5 or 6, they're strong enough and can understand the instructions and catch up the ones that learnt at 3 in 6 months or so.
I have taught many children to swim unaided by the age of 3, a couple have been 2. But as soon as they get to the level where they need to learn timing of the breathing and breathing to the side on front crawl, they don't understand until at least 4.5 years old. In my experience.

arethereanyleftatall · 13/03/2017 23:36

Oh goodness - faith, sorry about your brother.

BackforGood · 13/03/2017 23:48

EVen if that is between 2 dc, £300 for a term seams very steep!

Even if you were paying a more typical £3.70 - £4 per lesson, it's still a waste of money for most pre-school dc who will struggle to follow instructions in a swimming baths.

Just take them to play / splash about / get used to the noise and the feel of water on their faces / have fun until they are about 4, then lessons will be more useful.

Another good place to look is for any local swimming clubs in your area.

r0tringLover · 14/03/2017 01:31

We pay £20 for a 1-2-1 30 minute lesson for our eldest (nearly 5) and £10 for 1-4 lesson for our youngest (nearly 2).

The eldest was in a small-group class until about 3.

I think confidence and ability around water is important. Our school is also one which takes aquatics fairly seriously so I'd like our children to have the opportunity to compete should they wish. The eldest does and loves it.

Both our children could swim 15m by around 20 months and will happily jump into a pool going underwater.

They have also learnt how to follow instructions, how to get out of a pool, how to wait until an adult tells them they can enter the water...

pre-school dc who will struggle to follow instructions in a swimming baths.

And therein lies the rub.

Children meet expectations. Set the bar low and that's what they'll achieve. Expect them to follow instructions and do what they're told and they will. My nearly 2 year old (does attend school but I guess that isn't what you meant) will sit on the edge of the pool with his feet in the water until his swim coach tells him he can get in. 3 whistles and he'll get out and stand by the wall. Every other child there is the same.

Proper coaches are proper coaches for a reason. They're trained and good at what they do. The same goes for any other type of teaching. I remember from my first child's first lesson that we were told to get them to blow bubbles underwater, not hold their breath. This is fundamental to good swimming but most parents(us included) would have been telling them to hold their breath.

JamButtyLand · 14/03/2017 01:47

My best friend nearly drowned when I was little so my kids were under the water in the bath from birth and at the baths every week from 6 weeks. They progressed to baby splash and dance (to nursery rhymes) sessions then lessons at 2.5 (council run- we had a choice of a few local baths so lucky)
I think it depends on the child. Mine loved water so we're happy in lessons.
I do agree with pp who suggested lessons for you then you can take them more often.
Swim party's are great fun for young kids and a great way to learn to love the water

JerryFerry · 14/03/2017 05:11

If you have the time, the money and the energy, then go for it. Personally I found it a hassle. Started them at 6 and they were v. competent within the year - swimming 1000m.

r0tringLover · 14/03/2017 05:32

@JerryFerry

1,000m for a 6 year old with less than a year's coaching? Are you sure?

Trb17 · 14/03/2017 06:22

DD started council run lessons age 4.
They were £4.50 for 30 mins. 10 kids in pool and teacher on the side with parents in viewing area. She's now a strong swimmer with no fear of water. She went to these weekly lessons and progressed up the bade levels until she was 9 so it worked great for us.

Trb17 · 14/03/2017 06:22

*badge

MiaowTheCat · 14/03/2017 06:58

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

Kennington · 14/03/2017 07:08

That sounds steep. For pre school we paid about 4 quid a session for 30 mins and it was great. It also meant that if we missed a lesson we didn't mind as it was only 4 quid.
Now we pay 7 and it is great. At that age they just need a brief lesson and to get used to the water.

dietcokewithlemon · 14/03/2017 07:17

Personally I don't think it matters if they learn to swim competently but I do think it is worth investing in lessons from as early as you can to get them water confident. You can't buy that later on.... mine have been swimming from babies and whilst they aren't swimming lengths there's no drama about the whole thing - I haven't pushed them but they are happy and confident and enjoying learning I know. I hated swimming so it was v important for me not to pass that on but equally not to push it too much

CaroleService · 14/03/2017 07:26

We taught ours in the summer holidays, when we could go several days in a row. They had had float coats for ages, so were happy and confident in the water. We reduced the floats at first, then took the jackets off entirely, and let them dog paddle between us, getting further and further apart as they got the hang of it. Didn't take long.

thehousewife · 14/03/2017 07:55

DD did from 3. It was the local everyone active pool, she loved it and is now an amazingly good swimmer.
My reasons being, we wanted her to have confidence in the pool on holidays, she enjoyed it, I nearly drowned in holiday as a child as I couldn't swim and didn't want that to happen to her.
I recently had lessons too at the local pool, the instructor was in there with me and now I'm so confident it feels great.
We only pay £20 a month and in the younger classes there is a teacher in the pool with them. I think if they are in with parents they tent to prat about more.

ScarletSienna · 14/03/2017 08:03

Having looked a lot in our area, I'm amazed at how cheap some lessons are that pp have said they pay. The absolute cheapest here for toddlers is £9 per half hour in a 1:10 group! If it was cheaper, we would probably do lessons again (did when DC was very young but that was more for me I think) but for now we will go as a family.

JerryFerry · 14/03/2017 08:44

tring yes I am sure. Lessons twice a week, through term time and holidays. Go with it while it's happening I say! Not at all unusual here (NZ) though one of mine does seem to have a talent. The other had to work a bit harder.

JerryFerry · 14/03/2017 08:46

They do quite a bit of water stuff - kayaking, surfing, snorkelling, sailing, the pay off for the hard work.

Swipe left for the next trending thread