Swimming

[yesokthen]

Aibu to wonder how far your child can swim? I understand the National goal is that kids can swim 25 metres by the end of primary but I keep hearing of all these 5 year olds and younger that can already do this.

My 6 year old can only just do 25 metres on her back, very slowly with no arms. She can't do it on her front. She has been doing lessons since she was 3 and loves it.

My 4 year old won't let go of me in the pool whether he is wearing arm bands, using a noodle etc. He is also very resistant to starting lessons. He loves being in the pool but with me. We take him swimming twice a week and he is very slowly getting more confident.

so surely there's a quicker/more effective way of teaching a kid to swim than the way we currently do it

I think it’s just exposure. If you live somewhere where it’s hot and are surrounded by swimming pools then even before they start formal lessons children are used to the feel of the water. They can jump in, get in over their head, make their way to the side before they are formally taught any kind of stroke.

My 4.5 year old has only just started lessons so can't do this. My nephew is 5 though and started lessons just before 5th birthday and started being able to swim unaided within about 4 months. He can't do 25 metres yet.

Waterbabies lessons very young doesnt always translate into an early swimmer - it can do for a child who probably would have been very able anyway, but I knew lots of people disappointed that their child was quickly caught up by children only starting to learn at age 5, as they had spent thousands on weekly lessons since baby hood.

I should clarify, my 4.5 year old can propel himself when he's wearing armbands, and can cover about 15m. He just isn't very floaty and is unsure without arm bands.

My two got their 100m certificates aged roughly 7 but they had been having swimming lessons since they were tiny. To me swimming lessons are essential from a safety point of view. We found the best value to be classes of 4 as there would inevitably be one or even two away some weeks so sometimes it was just them.

My children aged 6 &8 can 'swim' 25 meters. Although it's less swimming and very messy no technique but they have never had formal lessons and have picked it up from playing and us. When they become a bit stronger I hope to get them some private lessons improve techniques

You can start with toddlers at home - blowing bubbles in the bath or paddling pool is a great way of starting to get them used to having their faces in the water.

Dd is 7 and just got her 25m badge. I think she is unusual though as the kids in her group are a couple of years older and she was the only one who passed the badge.

Dd started swimming lessons at around 2 and I'm pretty sure she could swim a length by the time she started school. She's 11 now and recently swam 1.5 miles for a charity swimathon

I have to say though, I detest the move away from any focus on distance. My niece was doing very well in lessons, lovely technique etc but at age 8 still had no stamina or fitness. By age 10 I got my 2km badge! Swimming is a great way to get stamina and fitness. The focus on technique is a desperate bid to try and produce better competition swimmers, but for most children it's more important that it be an effective form of exercise as part of a healthy lifestyle and that means covering some distance regularly.

My 7yr old Y2 has just got his 25m
From what I can see in his pool session most kids who've had lessons from 3/4yrs old seem to be at least 10m mark by that age - that's when they switch to the big pool.
Our school start school swimming In Y3 (aged7-8). At this point there were only 4 in my dds class of 30 who were put into the big pool - so at or close to the 25m mark.
P

She does has swimming every day at school though and sometimes twice a day as she's captain of the school squad which have been finalists at national school competitions. I'm so proud of her 😊

My 7 year old just completed the great swim 250m with me. But his swimming lessons would not say he could swim that far and in fact I don't think has ever had more than a 10m badge. My five year old can probably swim 25m but still gets put on a woggle in swimming lessons following a change in swimming schools despite being able to confidently swim without it.
Lockdown closing their lessons meant we started open water swimming last year in one of the local lakes and because they had so much fun doing it and paddle boarding their confidence has grown massively. They usually will always have life jackets on in open water but can swim confidently without them when I am near by with a tow float.

My two could swim 25m at age 6. Not because they were in anyway talented or gifted but because we live within walking distance of a pool so have been in it since they were babies on a regular basis. Both had lessons from 3 in the pool and went to baby classes as I love being in the water. So they were exposed to swimming regularly from an early age which I reckon is why they so quickly learned to swim. Neither are competitive swimmers, they just love swimming for fun.

Ds2 has had lessons since baby as lots of others have. He's 8, in stage 4 and has the stamina to swim about 15m so far. He hasn't managed a length yet. The children in his class are about his age. Not every child is naturally good at it.

Typically, when you take a Year 1 class swimming, about a third are non-swimmers, the next third are pre-swimmers (i.e., they can get into the right position, are beginning to use floats, can put their faces in the water, etc), and the last third can swim 10m+.

In classic MN boasting fashion, I’d like to point out that my third dc got her 1,500 metre badge before Christmas in Year 1. However, at 17 she’s a very average swimmer.

My children are good for their age, but they are definitely the exception. As well as their lessons/club we swim once more each week so they have good opportunities as well as enjoying it. They started formal lessons age 4, when in pre school, but both could already swim doggy paddle.

Year 2 child now trains with a club and swims all strokes well and he can swim lengths well for the 45 min sessions. Reception child can swim multiple lengths (she has got 100m badge but swims further). She is in a lesson with year 2 and 3 children - and these are the ones who can swim as they're having lessons so many more of their peers can't.

I think swimming lessons should be more accessible for all and it shouldn't necessarily fall to school but more funding should be available for those where the cost is an issue. Lessons are very expensive, especially when families have multiple children and so important.

My 7 year old can't swim, and neither can alot of the kids in her class! I don't know anyone who's children could swim before the age of 6 or 7

My seven year old has had swimming lessons since he was 4, he can just about swim one length!

At 5 my DD could just about stay afloat for 10 metres. It wasn’t swimming it was basically a thrashing of arms to stop herself from sinking.
She joined a club however at 5 but for about a year it was torture watching her, she spent most of the time pretending to swim but walking along the pool. Most of the other kids in her group and were the same age and would have struggled with 25 metres.
She is 16 now and swims nationally at about 7 it just clicked and she progressed really quickly after that.

DS 11 can't swim.
He currently attends a pool with the school twice a week but he can't seem to get the hang of things however is gaining confidence being in water.
He refuses private swimming lessons that we've asked and encouraged.
DD 10 attends private swimming lessons ( last 3 years).
She can swim 25m and she is confident in the water.
I wish I had taken them swimming myself when they were very young however I can't swim myself and lessons were not an option for us at that time.

My son is 6.5 and would be able to do this quite easily but he does love swimming and even though he had a massive break due to covid he picked up where he left off.

My year 6 child can swim 3km, he can probably swim further if time wasn't an issue. Although he couldn't let go of the side without hyperventilating until he was 7. One term of 1 to 1 lessons and he was away. School swimming lessons will rarely be enough to teach anyone to swim.

My nine year old can swim about 300m so at the top end of his peers, within his friendship group there are massively varying levels of ability from complete non swimmers to where DS is - I'd imagine 25m on average for a primary aged child is about right.

We're lucky enough to be able to access reasonably priced lessons at the council pool and have been going around 4 years, we have time to go alone in between to practice and so many children have dropped out through the various lockdowns there are now only 2 children in his class so he's flying through the grades.

Its the only sport he's any good at though, watching him run, throw or play football is painful

DS (9) can just about swim 10m. DD (6) can barely kick 3m with a float. Both have been having lessons since they were 3/4. It’s been painful to be honest, especially as DS had just got it when lockdown happened, and has only just got back to the same level he was 2 years ago.