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Behaviour/development

Talk to others about child development and behaviour stages here. You can find more information on our development calendar.

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Original poster

Whats the youngest realistic age for a child to learn to swim?

55 replies

juicychops · 17/02/2007 10:24

my ds is 2.1 and he loves swimming. Once it gets a bit warmer im goint to start taking him regularly. I want him to learn to swim early but whats a realistic expectation?

OP posts:

Are your children’s vaccines up to date?

Set a reminder

themildmanneredjanitor · 17/02/2007 10:26

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

Gobbledigook · 17/02/2007 10:28

Ds1 did his 25 metres just after he was 4. He had done his 10m and 15m before that. He did his 50 metres when he was 5 I think. These are proper distance badges so without armbands obviously.

Ds2 is 4.3 and he's just about done his 5m on his front. He can do 25m or more on his back though. Without armbands again.

Original poster

juicychops · 17/02/2007 10:28

my ds has arm bands too and i let him just get around himself. But what age is realistic to take the bands off and for them to be able to swim do you think?

OP posts:

FrannyandZooey · 17/02/2007 10:29

I have been told 4, or 3 for an unusually able child.

Gobbledigook · 17/02/2007 10:29

No idea really - mine had private lessons as all they want to do when I take them is jump in! They won't do proper swimming or learning strokes with me - that's why they are having proper lessons and have done since they were 3. If you child is more receptive to your teaching I'm sure you could do it yourself

Original poster

juicychops · 17/02/2007 10:32

I would like to teach him myself as i don't work or anything and would like something to aim for with ds that i can say 'i taught him to swim myself'. But then he likes to jump in and mess about on the slide too. so easier said than done i suppose!!

OP posts:

CAMy · 17/02/2007 10:52

My dd swam without armbands before she was 3. But that was with doing weekly mother & baby lessons from 5 months.

LIZS · 17/02/2007 10:52

I would say between 3 and 4. There are 5-6yr olds at dc's school who can do a length with ease in a recognisable stroke.

pointydog · 17/02/2007 11:02

holy moses. competitive parenting or what

Oati · 17/02/2007 11:20

Surely this isn't about competitive parenting? Children will learn to swim when they are given the opportunity.

My dh loves swimming and has taken the kids swimming since they were babies and they started group lessons at the age of 4. Consequently, both were able to swim at the age of 4. They are not child geniuses, they merely had the opportunity at an early age.

DS1 was almost 7 before he learnt to ride a bike BTW

Bozza · 17/02/2007 11:25

Well I took DS to baby classes from being a few months, and he started weekly swimming lessons at 3 1/2. He also had a few months of one-to-ones. He still cannot swim at all and will be 6 on Tuesday.

Oati · 17/02/2007 11:27

OK Bozza, maybe mine are child geniuses after all

Oati · 17/02/2007 11:28

but not on the bike riding front of course

Gobbledigook · 17/02/2007 11:35

Nothing competitive about this thread imo. It was a straight forward question that people have answered! Like others have said, it's partly about opportunity. If mine hadn't gone to lessons from 3 they wouldn't be able to swim now, I'm sure of it. So it's not always about their ability, it's as much about the opportunity to learn.

FrannyandZooey · 17/02/2007 11:38

"They are not child geniuses, they merely had the opportunity at an early age."

This is obviously part of it, but like any other skill, some children are going to get it faster than others, and some may never get there. It took me till I was 10 to learn to swim, not because I had no opportunity (we lived 5 mins from the sea), but because I am crap at swimming

Oati · 17/02/2007 11:40

it's much harder to swim in the sea though F&Z

fennel · 17/02/2007 11:41

I know children who could swim at 2 or 3, they were taken a lot, sometimes daily and also naturally good at it. in fact all the ones I am thinking of lived in hot places where they went daily.

Mine were taken regularly and couldn't swim unaided at 3, or 4. They're not that great now at 6 and 5. They're not naturals, it seems.

FrannyandZooey · 17/02/2007 11:42

You may be right Oati, but I am still crap

fennel · 17/02/2007 11:43

Swimming was in fact the one thing we said when they were babies that we really wanted them to do young. Because we do a lot of watersports and spend a lot of time around water. However, the dds just don't seem to be working to our agenda on that one

However mine were naturals at bike riding .

unknownrebelbang · 17/02/2007 11:48

Not sure it's competitive parenting.

Swimming is a good lifeskill to learn, the earlier the better imo.

(apologies to all those I've just offended who either can't swim or were late learners, or who aren't very good at it, etc etc etc)

snorkle · 17/02/2007 12:15

Message withdrawn

RedLorryYellowLorry · 17/02/2007 12:25

Ds is 4 yo and can do 5m doggy paddle. He has been going to lessons for 1 yr. Dd is 6 yo and has been having lessons for a year. She can do 200m on her back and 100m front crawl. The problem with ds is he won't put his face in the water so can't progress to proper front crawl. It will come though . The earlier they get water confidence the better imho.

Blandmum · 17/02/2007 12:29

My cousin's son could swim as soon as he could walk. He used to scare the crap out of life guards etc by toddling up to the deep end and jumping in with no arm bands!

Cousin was a v keen swimmer, and he was taken swimming regularly as soon as he'd had his jabs.

He is still a v good swimmer and has worked as a life guard.

My kids learned at aroubd 4

RedLorryYellowLorry · 17/02/2007 12:31

Some are just born water babes. You see some of the children in dd's swimming class & above and they are like little seals gliding under the water and doing somersaults. I loved swimming as a child.

Bozza · 17/02/2007 12:43

TBH I think DS is an exceptional case. He just really doesn't progress and I have seen lots of children taught to swim by the same teacher in the 2 1/2 years he has been going. Actually for the latest course of lessons I have changed day and therefore teacher.

DD has started going to ducklings purely because they stopped the baby class so it was the only opportunity to take her. She is 2 1/2 and although still in armbands will swims around quite well and has a good position (head back, stomach up etc) on her back. I wouldn't be surprised if they actually learnt to swim at about the same time.

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