To think I can teach DCs to swim?

[ePurSiMuove]

Has anyone taught their child to swim without professional lessons? I really want to get the DCs swimming quickly to be safe around Water.

I can swim myself, relatively strong and did a few galas when younger. DCs 8 and 4 can’t swim yet, this has been mainly due to not being able to access a pool. We now have access to an indoor pool but there are no lessons available which fit with our work times etc. I can probably take them a couple of times a week.

It can’t be that difficult? Anyone done it and if so,

Is there a teaching programme available that I could follow? Is there a definite “right way” to learn?

If I teach them will I be teaching them bad habits which they won’t break?

How long is reasonable to expect a child to learn to swim ?

Depends if they'll listen to you! We swam most weeks with our DC from a few months old. Consequently they were very confident about jumping in, heads under water, blowing bubbles, starfish etc. But they were completely resistant when we tried to reach them proper swimming, maybe because it was our fun family thing. So they had lessons and their technique improved very quickly. I'd go for lessons if you can.

I'm not talking about perfect strokes, our requirements weren't particularly onerous, 2 x 25 m lengths without stopping of something approximating front crawl or breaststroke. Not doggy paddle, swimming underwater or backstroke. This was for 8 year olds and up.

But some parents who'd taught their children to swim, thought that they were good swimmers despite not being able to complete the above.