swimming

[treehuggingstiletto]

I only learnt to swim as an adult (and it was very difficult) and I don't want my kids to have to go through that stress. I don't need them to be olympic swimmers, but I would like them to be confident in the water before they are say 10years (and perhaps strong enough to swim themselves to shore if we are holiday and the waves happen to carry them far away). What do I need to do? Are weekly swim classes from school enough? Or do I need to do more? My kids are 3 and 5. If i do need to additional classes - what is a good age for them to start? And about how long will they need to do classes for? Thank you so much for your personal or mummy advice!

Do you mean weekly swimming lessons run by the pool/private classes or lessons offered by schools?
No schools that I know run weekly lessons for each year all year round, and groups are too big for the children to get enough swimming time in my experience. I think you need weekly lessons in smallish groups (4-6) to crack it, and from about age 4-5

School lessons wouldn’t be enough.

DD1 started lessons in reception but I think on reflection she was too young, but then lockdown happened and she has being doing much better since doing them while she has been in reception. We also take her swimming every week to enjoy the pool and so she in more confident in the water. I’m expecting many more lessons to come. DD2 is 2 years old and for now I just take her swimming myself every week, again just for enjoyment and water confidence.

Start them now.

My 2 and 4 year olds have been swimming since birth apart from during lockdowns. My 4 year old has just done his 10m and my 2 year old is close to doing her 5m already.

DD1 school is very unusual in that they go swimming for a half term a year from reception to year 4 but most schools will only do one for two half terms the entire time they are at school.

School swimming have been enough for many children I know.

Start additional swimming lessons as soon as possible. It's very unlikely that what they get in school room be enough.

Depending on temperament, I guess some kids may respond better to earlier or later lessons. But for most, starting dinner and having regular lessons is key.

Thank you all for your responses (i'm new to mumsnet and just figured out how to read your responses!) I'll try and book them onto some local swimming classes.

and perhaps strong enough to swim themselves to shore if we are holiday and the waves happen to carry them far away

No matter how competent swimmers they are never ever expect them to be able to do this!

@Santastealer

Start them now.

My 2 and 4 year olds have been swimming since birth apart from during lockdowns. My 4 year old has just done his 10m and my 2 year old is close to doing her 5m already.

This! Ours are 7 and 4 and can both swim. No way would I leave the 4 year old unsupervised yet as she's still not strong enough to go the distance in the pool. 7 year old is fine. But the sea is a different story and I'd not leave either of them without constant supervision. Both went into the pool at 6 weeks weekly lessons. Endurance and strength as well as knowledge is required for sea especially. But also pool. Also, big difference if it's only them in the pool versus loads of other people who may/not be watching their behaviour and how that impacts others. Inflatables are fairly terrifying as a kid stuck under one of those is undetected.

• 6 weeks old for weekly lessons

My sister and I didn't start swimming until we were about 5 and 7 and only taught by our mum and then by the school. We both became very strong swimmers and competed for the school. Mum thinks we learned quickly because we were a bit older. So whether children go from a very young age, or slightly older, most will end up swimming well if they enjoy it.

I'm a swimming teacher I would highley recommend getting them in private lessons. I also teach school swimming and it depends on the school which year groups attend and if they return the following year we teach in a 2 week block. It's much easier to get children through atleast 25 metres or 50 metres if they have some swimming experience. I wish sometimes parents could see how the kids swim to get a true picture its different swimming in a public swim which is a fun session to a swimming a length.