Learning to Swim

[Anonymous]

At what age did your kid learn to swim well enough to jump off into the deep end and swim by herself to the ladder?

[Anonymous]

3

[Anonymous]

6
But all kids are different

[Anonymous]

4.5.
Started swim lessons at 3.5
Was fully comfortable in the water prior to lessons so we didn’t waste lesson time learning to blow bubbles and putting face in.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:At what age did your kid learn to swim well enough to jump off into the deep end and swim by herself to the ladder?

I wrote 3, but my brain was inserting the word “diving board”.

Are you talking about swimming across the pool? Or jumping in and swimming back to the wall?

Probably still 3, maybe 2 for one. Just curious.

Note I know my kids were outliers on this. I am not sure there were any real benefits from swimming so early.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:4.5.
Started swim lessons at 3.5
Was fully comfortable in the water prior to lessons so we didn’t waste lesson time learning to blow bubbles and putting face in.

About 4 and same thoughts. Don’t even bother with swim lessons before 3. Take them to pool yourself and just get them used to being in the water and getting face wet, submerging.

[Anonymous]

I think age 5

[Anonymous]

Oldest was about 5 yo (but scared to jump in until 6), middle was 3 yo, youngest is newly 5 yo but he has a motor disability and it will probably happen next summer, I'm guessing. We have a pool and do private swim lessons, but he is in his daycare for the summer, so he is not practicing swimming much during the day.

[Anonymous]

Oldest was either about to turn 5 or 6. I can't remember. She's a fantastic swimmer now. Youngest just turned 5 and he still can't swim, but seems close.

[Anonymous]

My kids are outliers in that they were a little later. DS1 could do that at 7, but DS2 (a late bloomer across the board) is almost 8 and still can't really swim but we are getting there and I'm hoping he will have it down by the end of this summer. I partially blame Covid for this, as we were just getting them into swimming lessons when all the pools shut down. But that said, we also started lessons a bit later than some folks, so not shocking that my kids are learning a little later than average. DS3 is 4 and is still working on the basics, so I expect he will need another year before he can truly swim.

[Anonymous]

Oldest was 6, middle was 5.5, and youngest was 4.5.

[Anonymous]

Do you mean "swim" underwater, kick in a PuddleJumper, or actually swim with legs and arms? Very different ages and stages.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Do you mean "swim" underwater, kick in a PuddleJumper, or actually swim with legs and arms? Very different ages and stages.

+1

[Anonymous]

3 for both of mine.

[Anonymous]

I’m assuming they mean actually swim (i answered above with kids 3, 5, and likely 6). My current 5 yo can just now swim the long way of our home pool (once or twice at a time), but it’s not fluid yet- he goes on his back to take breaths and can run out of steam at any second.