Swimming lessons for 4yr old-are they necessary?

[Mala]

DD has just turned four. Most of her friends have started swimming lessons. These are half an hour sessions in a group, once a week. I can't help thinking that they can't be learning that much during such short lessons. I would prefer to teach her myself, but I can't swim and don't know the best way to go about it. I thought that maybe I could buy a book and try and teach her every week. However, on the other hand as I haven't a clue about this sometimes I think maybe I should just enroll her in one of these lessons.
What do people think? What did you do with your children?

Her school will start teaching her when she is 6, but I rather she learns a little before that.

Mine go after school DS at 4 and DD at 5.15, they are both totally exhausted after though but then they can't wait to get to bed which is good for me.

Dd (reception class age 5)goes swimming every week with at my parents house, my mum is a very good swimmer and swam competitevly as a youngster.

However she is very behind her cousin and schoolmates who go to swimming lessons. I'm not too worried as she will start at school next term but it just shows you that they do learn somethin gat these classes.

Ds1 started at 3 and he was out of armbands and had done his 25m by the time he was 4.

Ds2 also started at 3 and he did his 15m out of armbands last week - he is 4.3.

So, IMO, yes, it's worth it.

Swimming is essential.
noth mine attended lessons since they were 1 (well confidence stuff at first) and both a very confidant in the water (dd2 a bit too much though!)
I was always nervous as a kid partly because my Mam is (she has now started lessons!) and I didn't want them to be like that so my aim for them was to be better than me, dd1 is now and has been for a hwile (she is 7) and dd2(5) is better than me (except I can swim further )

Sorry to Hijack this thread

Gobbledigook, please can you go to this thread asap.

Thanks

Agree swimming lessons are vital and if you can afford it 4yrs is a great age to start.
Ds 4.5 goes at 3:45 so he's starving afterwards,eats a huge supper and goes to bed early....fanTAStic!

Do people who are on benefits get lessons subsidised?
I do think some people may find lessons expensive and that is a shame ,they should be made affordable for everyone imo.

Where we live you can't start swimming iuntil they turn 5, and then getting a place is a nightmare!

DD does love swimming when we go. She is very confident and happy int he water, and can easily aswim with just two flota in her swim vest now - not bad considering she's has no lessons and we go swimming so rarely. Hopefully she will get even better on holiday again - both DH and myself learnt to swim on our holidays when little!

DD starts school swimming next year, so age 5-6yo. We are considering lessons for her from this summer if we can get a place, but struggling with the time factor. We can't do weekends as we are often away, and are limited to certain nights after school because of other commitments/my work. It's a pain, but not much I can do about it.

hi, sorry haven't read the thread, so sorry if this duplicate whats been said, myy dd went to swimming lessons for a year at about 4 and shes a lot more confident in water, can actually swim (although it took her forever!) and she enjoyed it, i think at least one term would do your child good, and maybe you could go to adult beginners for a term too if you fancied it, then when you've both learned the basics, go swimming and learn together

bUMPING AGAIN FOR GOBBLEDIGOOK

CAN YOU PLAEASE GO TO THIS THREAD ASAP

LasVegas, I enrolled my two for private lessons when they were 4 and 5 - dd2 had just started school. They were WAY too knackered and we had to knock it on the head.

Now they're 7 and 8 and they have a lesson once a week at school and we take them to a private group session on Tuesdays after school, and they LOVE it. Really quite proficient, too, but I would say that because I can't swim a stroke .....

Surely the earlier they can learn to swim the better?
Wouldn't you rather your 4 year old could get herself out of the water if she accidently fell in? By 4 all mine could swim unaided and my just 5 year old can swim 50 meters, stroke work is irrelevent, it's the not drowning that I'm interested in