Do children need swimming lessons or can they just learn by themselves?

[mrscraig]

Hello.
My dd1 is 5 and she has been going to swimming lessons for past 2 months. Only time can take her for a formal lesson is after school on Thurs (I work pt) by which time we end up getting home at 5.30 and she is exhausted. She isn't keen on lessons but will go with a friendly shove! Don't think she would be devastated if she never went again.
We do go regularly as a family so I wondered about ditching the lessons and teaching her myself or just let her learn herself - I can swim but don't really remember being taught, we had lessons in junior school but could swim by then.
I posted on here last week about her being tearful when leaving me and I just am looking at ways to slow her pace of life down a bit. When I work life is a whirlwind and I want her to feel she isn't being pushed from pillar to post.
BUT can children learn with bit of support from their parents or from formal swimming lessons?

I sent my ds to lessons, but it was an intensive (well, not that intensive) course of 1.5 hours a day for a week in the half term as, like your dd, he'd been for half hour lessons after school which didn't seem to be working. He's now competent. I think it's important for them to be able to swim reasonably well just to be on the safe side.

I didn't teach him myself as I'm not a confident swimmer and wanted to hand him over to the experts.

They can learn to get through the water but it would be hard to teach swimming strokes I think. I can swim well but I just couldn't work out how to teach my children to do it.

I think a really good method is one to one for a while. Not cheap but they come on very quickly so possibly it equals to a term of lessons in which they learn more slowly.

Of course they can learn just from their parents - I never had a formal lesson in my life and swim well - likewise my mum who swims 60 lengths 3 times a week.

Just concentrate on having fun in the water as a family, and I'm sure that she'll start to swim at her own pace. Maybe once she's swimming happily in a relaxed way, you could try lessons again to improve her stroke if you think thats important.

I think it depends on the child. Mine needed lessons, because they had no interest learning from me when they could be splashing about and I really needed them to be good swimmers because we spend a lot of time by the sea.

My ds (now 61/2)has always flatly refused lessons, but has enjoyed being in the pool when we go (which isn't very often!) He has always used arm bands. We have just come back from a 2 week holiday which he spent nearly entirely in the pool. With a little reduction in the amount of air in his bands each day, he was swimming about 10 strokes without them by the end of the fortnight. Don't force lessons if she isn't keen.

Well I am self-taught and I am hopeless - all my stroke patterns are faulty to the nth degree which means I don't get to go very far or very fast. you can really tell which children have had swimming lessons and which not.

The intesive course idea is okay but that really only helps them to get swimming and doesn't help them to develop. Why not try lessons at weekends?

Could try lessons at weekends but the times are awkward - I think at local pool they are quite late in afternoon so therefore you are limited as to what you can do. We tend to go as a family first thing in the morning, so then we can 'get it out of the way'. Also she has a party invite virtually every weekend!

Might look into individual lessons though - anyone else tried these?

A friend of my DD's is having individual lessons and it's great, she is learning really fast. Plus it's flexible - they book them for when it's convenient.

Teaching them yourself is only any good if you have excellent technique yourself, or you'll just pass on your bad habits.

it hink all kids should have some swimming lessons - i think it need onlybea few - and then as long as they go swimming now and again thats fine

Blimey just phoned leisure centre - individual lessons are £20 per half hour. Is this about right? Are they worth that amount?
Or am I a cheapskate?

my dd needed lessons but it took FOREVER. Other dc might pick it up more easily.

it is worth it

they will be swimming after about 6 lessons

do you have [[http://www.swimmingnature.com/sn-public/ this nearby?)

both my dds learnt with them. id really really rcommend

this

I've used swimming lessons and will probably do so again. They are costly but effective. Your child learns fast. We had about a term's worth of private and then group. The group classes are finishing and I will probably arrange for some private lessons. It depends on what you want. I would like mine to be able to swim properly so I think lessons are worth it. They're not so sure so I balance their interests with my standards.

That was meant to say "I've used private swimming lessons"

DS (9) started going to the pool as a baby and I enrolled him on an intensive swimming course at 5. It was essentially a 'confidence in the water' thing but led to regular weekly sessions afterwards. For us (ds has Asperger's) it was a long struggle because behaviourally he couldn't cope with the lessons and didn't gain much from them, however he learned more when I started taking him for half an hour before his lesson 1) to ease the transition into swimming lesson and 2) to practice what he'd already learned. In effect, I taught him 1-1 at the early levels and he did the formal classes to prove he could do it and gain the certificates. Now he's been doing lessons for several years with the same instructor, so he doesn't have the issues he used to have as he's used to the environment and is doing well (now on Level 11).

I agree what some others have said, that it's useful to have formal lessons to learn strokes properly, and also because they teach safety techniques and build confidence. TBH most pools offering lessons will recommend that you swim with your child in between to get practice, and they will stress that they won't make progress otherwise. We had a great time with our 1-1s because we focused on ds's special interests, would have Hogwarts Championships etc to encourage him along, which the instructors would never have time for. In our experience, ds wouldn't have learned from being taught by me (not a strong swimmer, self-taught) OR by the formal lessons, he had to have a combination of both for it to work.

I do actually swear by the swimming lessons Im afraid . My ds was so so nervious when he used to first go. He had a spell where he didnt like it due to his insecurities in the water but we kept him going dispite being extremly tempted to pull him out. Six years on he still goes, enjoys it and swims fantastically! Just has to master his diving now! Its given him a special sport which he would never had been able to do else. His lessons are not for long. 30 minutes once a week but its done him great and his confidence also. We have just currently started his sister now. I dont think teaching ourselves would have achieved this result as they learn them everything correctly down to positioning and breathing ect. He was a boy that would give us so much grief to just wash his hair!!!They sorted him out which I dont think single handedly we could have done. Probably being with other children too helps maybe. However only you will know if it becomes to much for your dd and I suppose we didnt have a lot of distress else I couldnt have kept him going

mrscraig, I learnt by myself at the seaside when I was nearly 5.
I took swimming lessons later, when I was around 9 and already a very good and confident swimmer (my dad taught me). But you know what? Going to swimming lessons as a child threw me in a state of huge apprehension.
I hated to get undressed, I worried constantly of losing my stuff, I hated the changing rooms etc. I've always been a good swimmer who hated swimming pools.
At 5 she is still very young. I'd wait another few months, perhaps try some other sports?

Get a book out of the library on learning to swim and you can probably do quite a lot with her without lessons. If you try that for a while and it doesn't work you can always go back to lessons later when maybe she'll be more able to cope with them, but if it does work then you've saved yourself the hassle and cost.

I do want her to be able to swim - I don't think she would thank me later in life if she couldn't. It's just how she learns. I don't expect her to be a swimming prodigy just swim well enough to be confident and safe in the water. Think I will keep up with the lessons but maybe look at the individual ones - this will probably be more up her street and at a more convenient time.

Thanks snorkle- hadn't thought of that!

I think lessons really help, especially with their becoming more efficient swimmers.

Re-reading your thread, she is younger than when my ds started. I think we started him in year 2. Maybe you could manage to hold off for a bit and start her when she is a little older and wont get so tired. Like I said my dd has now started and is 6years but we are lucky to be able to do it on a Saturday morning. We live near the sea and yeah do look at it as though one day it could save their lives.