Do children need swimming lessons?

[scattyspice]

DS is 5 and can swim with armbands (and underwater without!). All his friends have swimming lessons, but he is reluctant to go (he gets shy in groups where he doesn't know anyone).

Has anyone successfully taught their DC to swim without lessons or is he missing out by not going?

[HairyToe]

McDreamy
"Lessons start from the age of 3 generally. Children get taught with the use of noodles/spaghettis and not armbands as the noodles keep them in the correct swimming position whereas armbands/ floatation jackets keep you upright."

I must have been lucky as this is exactly the approach my local pool takes (under the guidance of a fantastic swimming teacher from Australia). We're nowhere near the Med though - in drizzly Somerset.

By the way with regard to not knowing why parents don't want to take their kids swimming. I love swimming with mine but when I first had DD2 (DD1 was 2) I didn't feel able to take them both on my own so booked DD1 into lessons to make sure she was getting some swimming time every week. She absolutely loved it and still does so now even though I can, and do, take them both swimming I've let her continue having the lessons as well. In my opinion she's getting a lot out of them - maybe more than I could give her on my own?

[HairyToe]

SOrry just re-read - DD1 was 3 when she started the lessons not 2 - doh!

[Elibean]

dd1 is 4.5 and is adamant that she doens't want swimming lessons (I think she's scared). Lots of her friends do, but dd is not a follower, so that doens't help - she won't.

So I take her once a week, and lots in the holidays, and I have to say I can see her increasing in confidence and getting better anyway...when she's ready, she can have lessons, until then, I want it to be fun for her.

I guess it depends on the child.

(My siblings and I never had lessons, all good swimmers, btw!)

[hercules1]

DD learnt to swim this summer by going to the pool with me. SHe's had lessons prior to this and will again now but didnt learn to swim with no aids until we we went lots in a row.She's 4.

[scattyspice]

Thanks for the replies. Sounds very encouraging. I gues if he really won't do the lessons (and I don't want to push him into it really) then he should be able to pick up some sort of stroke by just coming with me.

The school do swimming in yr2. One of the reasons I would like him to learn properly now is that he'll be so put out if he gets to yr2 and finds that he's the crappest swimmer in the class .

[scattyspice]

Riven, I think its one of those things where you encourage as much as possible but you can't force it. I force DS into school every morning, I can't really bare the thought of trying to force him into anything else.

[scattyspice]

[Quattrocento]

I agree that swimming is a life skill

I don't believe in parents teaching children to swim. Even if the parents are really good swimmers the children end up with weaknesses in their stroke patterns. I can spot the home-taught children a mile off.

Because of the weaknesses in stroke patterns etc it also rules your DS out of competitive swimming - which might not be a bad thing, but mine enjoyed it for a while.

[Issy]

The DDs are nearly 6 and 7 and still can't swim. Just the thought of all the faff of swimming lessons has made me put off the evil day when we finally push them into the local public pool in the care of somebody in an ill-fitting tracksuit hollering at them from the side. I've sort of persuaded myself for a while that the later we leave it the better their gross motor skills and concentration levels and the easier it will be, but I suspect we may have passed that watery rubicon. They are perfectly confident in the water, they just can't actually...swim.

[Elibean]

Are you a swimming teacher, Quattrocento?

I am sure I have tons of flaws in my strokes, but tbh its not something thats got in the way of anything in my several decades of existence...then again, competitive swimming is not something that has ever crossed my mind

[Quattrocento]

No, not at all. My own swimming is hopeless (self/parent taught). Just had a lot of experience at the poolside, taking them to lessons and training and club nights and dive-training and galas ...

The DCs did give up swimming competitively, which was a blessed relief.

[Hulababy]

Well unless there is an increase in the number of swimming classes available, without cramming in several children into each grup - I just can;t see how it is possible for all children to be having lessons. So, some need their parents to teach them.

And FWIW DD learnt how to swim unaided with me (as a very weak rubbish swimmer) than she did in her first block of swimming lessons (due to lack of discipline by class teacher, so the 3 naughty boys dictated the lessons)

[Elibean]

Quattro, that all sounds infinitely preferable to windswept sports, perhaps I should try harder to persuade dd into swimming lessons....though if early tendencies hold true, she's far more likely to have me enduring endless concerts and shows than anything sporty

[Elibean]

windswept sports fields

[Quattrocento]

Oh yes, s'okay really, just a bit of a bind but not too bad if you take plenty to do with you. Blackberries very handy.

[snorkle]

Don't believe Quattro: swim galas are evil places to be - hot and humid and they sometimes last ALL weekend. But she does have a point that if you do want to swim competitively you will need lessons with a club sooner or later, and most do start sooner, but some start late and still mostly get stroke problems ironed out eventually (but it is harder).

I personally think that it's easy to spot club swimmers (ie those who have got to the point of training 2-3 x per week) over non-club swimmers - they really do seem to flow through the water in a more streamlined and graceful way, but it's much less easy (for me) to differentiate between those that have had lessons over those that have been taught informally.

cat64 has a good point that some kids just won't be told by their parents - but others are just fine & I think it's obvious when it's not going to work and outside help is needed.

[scattyspice]

I wasn't planning on him being a competitive swimmer, just to be able to swim and have fun.

I have decided to take him myself on a Thurs eve while dh has DD and see how we go. Still don't know what a noggle is though .

[islandofsodor]

If your child goes to a school where swimming is not taught until year 3 or above, then yes, I would say that either lessons are a must or going regurlarly with a parent who knows how to teach swimming correctly.

I have never sent mine for lessons as my mum was a competetive swimmer and lifesaver in her younger days, also they do it at school from reception class onwards. Dd is not as proficient in distance etc as dneice who has gone to lessons since age 2 but her technique is better (dnceice swims by holding her breathand seeing how far she can get also her fingers are open)

[fruitful]

Mine have to have lessons because I have 3 children under 8, so I'm not allowed to take them swimming.

But dd (6) has been doing lessons for 3 years now, and can only just do 5 metres, and only on her back.

[tortoiseshell]

The ratios are crazy I think. Where we live we can have 1:2 under 8, but if I drive 3 miles into the next county I can have 1:3 (so I do that, as I have 3!) . What is really stupid though is that until next June, ds1 has to be supervised in a 1:2 ratio. No leeway. Once he has had his 8th birthday, with no check on his swimming ability, he can go with NO ADULT. So the day before his birthday, he is not permitted to go with an adult supervising him if dd and ds2 are there as well, but as soon as he is 8, he can be totally unsupervised. Crazy.

[tortoiseshell]

(and that is even in the little pool).