Am I expecting too much from swimming lessons

[Penns]

My 3 year old son has been having swimming lessons for about a year. His GP takes him normally as I work FT but I go along to the odd lesson to see how's he doing.

I took him this week and left feeling abit disappointed with the lack of progression. His confidence is better but not much else has changed.

The instructor is lovely and my son likes her, but we are paying £60 for 6 x30min lessons and not much seems to be happening . Another thing that annoyed me recently is that on one occasion when no other children turned up, she cut the lesson short by 15 mins rather than spending the full 30mins with him, which I didn't agree with.

AIBU to expect more from the lessons or is this typical to not really see much progression at this age?

I took my son out of swimming lessons at this age, as like you I didn't see much progression. I felt like he wasn't even getting water confidence; some sessions they were more focused getting his goggles on rather than teaching him to starfish in the water. One week he finally got a badge which said "I am trying my best!" which made me laugh! We were paying £38 a month, for 1x 25 min session a week.

Now I take him every Sunday for 90 mins, costs me £5 each time. He's 5 now and can swim, jump in, dunk, and starfish. I have no intention of putting him back in a class tbh.

3yo is very young. What are you hoping to see? He might not have the coordination for strokes yet... but at that age my DD was learning floating, kicking, submerging, blowing bubbles etc. It was a good set up for proper lessons when she was a bit older.

He is too young to see much progress. His arms will still be too short in proportion to his body for most children to be able to learn to swim properly.

In the Netherlands all kids learn to swim but you can only start from four years old. Reason is their motoric skills just can't cope and they don't float as well as when they are older, making swimming more difficult.

Best age to start to learn is 5. Then they all learn within a year.

I think your expectations are too high. Three year olds don't swim. It's a ploy for money, as are most organised groups at that age. I'd stop and start again in a few years.

YABU. He is 3. At this age it should all be about developing confidence and having some fun in the water.

Swimming clubs don’t start learn to swim classes til 5. Because kids under that age can’t really learn to swim.

water confidence, jumping in, floating in and on the water, yes. Actual recognisable swimming, no.

if you can’t take him yourself keep on with the lessons. If you can, once a week playing around in a kids pool- lots of toys, no armbands or bouyancy aids- until he’s 5 will see the same progress.

So he started swimming lessons at two?! Very early. Mine swam like fish but didn't start until they were about five IIRC.

Children this young having swimming lessons is relatively new - it would have been unheard of when my children were that age. They are very young and i would just take them myself to play in the water - i taught my children and grandchildren to swim by just playing and only switched to formal lesson at around 6 when they needed to learn to breath properly.

Yabu. Swimming teacher here. Lower your expectations. I honestly think 3 is too young for most children, (not all) to learn anything from a group swimming lesson, in water, without their parent. It's too daunting. Too confusing. And actually, it kinda makes me cross as well when parents who must know their children aren't emotionally ready yet to listen and learn, put them in group lessons. It's verging on dangerous. Round my way, posh area, people put their kids in to tick the box and keep up with thr Jones's but whilst most of the kids do enjoy themselves, so if that's what you want then great, they're not gonna learn anything that a child who has only been fun swimming with their parents doesn't know. You will get a handful of toddlers who will learn to swim unaided, but apart from the wonderful Instagram videos of look at my baby swimming, it's pointless cos they can't mentally understand the next steps yet, so everyone else catches up by about 6 anyway.

Your better of taking him yourself regularly

He's three. You're not going to see mich progress over and above confidence.

They're a waste of money to be honest until they're about 6 or 7 and can reliably follow instructions. Just a middle class money waster.

You'll have a good long while of not much progress yet OP. It's just too young to be proper swimming (with the odd exception). I kept sending dc because I hate swimming myself so didn't take them all that often and places are like gold dust so I'd be scared to stop them and struggle to get back in later if I had been prepared to take them myself 1/2 times per week

I think 3 is very young to be honest.
we started DD last year at 8 (I know that was a little late) and she progressed very quickly.
We pay £24 a month, which is a 30min lesson every week (only closed 2 weeks over Xmas).

My ds has been going to Puddleducks since he was four months. I’ve no way of knowing otherwise but I do think it’s done him a lot of good, he enjoys it and it is something to do. But I have fairly low expectations: I just want ds to enjoy himself!

Agree with most of the earlier posters. Mine are like fish now but swim clubs wouldn't take them until they were 5/6 yes but we used to take them regularly ourselves so they got very comfortable in the water. Once a week (with half of of it fixing goggles) at 3 yrs old doesn't do much imo. Hold off & save on the cost of the lessons and just take him yourself for water fun times

The difference between a three year old and a four year old swimmer is huge. But if he’s gaining confidence etc he may be a stronger swimmer in the end.

I think proper swimming lessons are a bit of a scam before the age of 5 to be honest. It’s just a bit of fun before then surely?

As long as they're not frightened and will happily submerge - both those are key - you can teach an 8 year old to swim very very quickly. Save yourself a fortune! But....the downside of waiting till 8/9/10 is if they're frightened, it is then very very difficult (and many many lessons) to teach them, because it's too late, they think too much about it all. So, it's a balance of how late to start. Fun swimming, submerging, parents only till about 5/6, then go for it us optimum ime.

I think at 3 it’s just about building water confidence. If he enjoys it then you are getting your money’s worth. At this age a scary experience can put them off for years so it’s not a complete waste of time but you probably don’t need to pay for it if he is just happy to have a play swim.

My DD is 4 next month and has been going to swimming lessons at the local leisure centre for around a year. It’s only in the last 4-5 months that she’s made a lot of progress with actual swimming and still only has her 10m badge, she wasn’t overly keen on following instructions beforehand. She’s was already very water confident. We said we will start our son at 3.5.

DS was a national level swimmer, in several strokes.
At 3 swimming lessons were a nightmare. He did bugger-all actually. Finally swam 25 metres at about 8. Early swimming isn’t essential for swimming success later.

I used to alternate a term of lessons and a term of weekly family swim. I always found DCs never had any practice, so we would take sinkers and floating balls and play. It build up their confidence and they could use their skills.

Yes I think lessons from 5ish is about right.
I wish I had started DD earlier but for one reason or another we just didn’t. But like you say, have saved loads of money starting at 8! She has been doing them less than a year and nearly into stage 4.
However she has now decided she wants to swim in the olympics so I may have a lots of paid swimming lessons ahead of me yet!!

This.

You should be getting your full 30 minutes though.