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?

Dd1 will be 5 next week and we are starting her in lessons. She has dyspraxia. So does DH and he says it helped him a lot.

Plus, she loves it!

I think it depends on the child, and the lessons (teacher).

I've noticed my friends who had lessons as a child swear by them, and those of us who learnt by having fun (me included, I can't even remember learning, but loved swimming and was always in water on holidays) don't.

dd1 hated hated hated swimming lessons as a baby, loves water but refuses lessons now (4.5).

yes to swimming lessons

dd and ds both had swimming "lessons" from a young age, dd being only 2 just now, has been going for around a year now. It teaches them,slowly, water confidence and I think it is invaluable, I wish I had had swimming lessons as a young child, I may not have had the fear of water that I have now.

Learning to swim is very important in my opinion. And you need proper lessons to learn to do it properly and safely. Perhaps you could drop the after school lessons and enrol her on a more intensive programme during the holidays if you want to get it over and one with it and not 'drag it out' with a nervous, unwilling child??

I was very nervous of the water at this age, but aged about 6 my mum sort of forced me into having intensive lessons. I cried before every lesson , but I picked it up amazingly quickly and from then on absolutely loved it and did all my swimming medals at school. I thank my mum massively for making me stick with it, to be honest. My dad can't swim and it is a handicap, no doubt about it.

I must say that I am really glad my two dcs have started at a young age, as the emphasis has always been on them having fun.

Curious, how on earth do you 'force' a child into having swimming lessons?

dd had a few lessons on holiday, but really didn't enjoy them - she seems to go backwards when she has lessons. When dh and I take her, she makes huge strides - what to do?!

isn't there going to be free swimming for the under 16s soon?

i taught myself to swim aged about 9 on holiday, started with the doggy paddle

Well, my mum said 'You're doing swimming lessons and that's that'. Not a very fashionable approach these days, but in the early 80s most parents were like that - even soft old hippies like my mum believed they knew best (and did, most of the time!) ...@Elibean

The thing is, you only get over your fear of water by gentle but regular contact with it. That can be achieved through going to the pool regularly and having fun with you or other friends / family. But I really do believe it's best to learn to swim through proper lessons.

Ah - you must have been different/older than dd1 then!

dd is a stubborn but free spirit who likes to dance (but never ballet), swim (but not take lessons) and is only 4.5.

I could lead her to water, but I couldn't make her participate in a lesson, and I wouldn't want to make her that unhappy anyway.

Thing is, I've watched endless lessons at my local pool, and I don't think the very little kids learn anything during them that the dds don't learn with us? I might be wrong, but I can't see it

OTOH, if I could avoid getting wet and chloriney by booking her into lessons every week that would be wonderful....any tips welcome...

Maybe she is just too young? Perhaps you could just concentrate on her having fun in the water now and then and try again with lessons next year? A lot can change with kids at that age.

Its probably a good idea to have swimming lessons before the school ones (in about yr 3 or 4) if they aren't reasonable swimmers before then... I go with my DDs class sometimes and I feel sorry for the poor little ones still in armbands or swimming like kittens at the age of 9.

Someone mentioned getting a book from the library - here's a link which has video clips explaining techniques from beginner through to 'advanced' crawl - could be useful not just to help kids but for all us self-taught oldies
www.videojug.com/film/basic-swimming-strokes-for-young-children-5-7-years-2

Agree, Mrs M, she's too young - I might insist with a 7 yr old, but not a 4 yr old.

If she liked the idea, fine - but she honestly doesn't.

So its wet and chloriney fun for me for another year or two

Elibean - I didn't have swimming lessons and I swear by them

DD was a reluctant swimmer. I had to bribe/beg/bully her into her lessons every week for a solid year. Twas very wearing. She told me how grateful she was that I did that because she would've given up aged 5. She went on to get all her swimming levels/bronze/silver/gold/mile/two miles/diving badges/ and finished off her swimming career swimming in lots of local galas and is now a thoroughly competent little swimmer who loves the water.

So I say to you - SWIMMING LESSONS

and don't be fainthearted parents - they will always try to yank your chain