Deep water test
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Anonymous
| 7yo DD has been going to the same camp for four years. They swim 2x a day, one instructional swim and one fun swim. She still hasn't passed her deep water test. They have to swim freestyle to the middle of the lake, tread water for one minute, and swim freestyle back. This isn't easy, obviously - I don't know if I could do it but at the same time, she's had all of this swimming instruction plus other swim time on family vacations - is this camp not teaching her in the most effective manner or is this typical? And no, she isn't the only one who hasn't passed the test but other friends started passing it last summer and she is no where close to being able to tread water for 1min. |
Anonymous
| While camp might give swim lessons, you shouldn't be expecting them to teach her to swim. Swim team or swim lessons while at home is how she'd pass the test and how her friends are doing it. Camp for a few weeks for 4 years plus messing around in the pool won't teach her. |
Anonymous
Ignoring your condescension, part of the camp's purpose is to teach the kids to swim. What do you think "instructional swim" is? And it isn't four week, it's eight weeks over four years - that's a lot of pool time. Someone should learn to swim with that amount of instruction. |
Anonymous
That's still not nearly as much swimming as, say, summer (or definitely year round) swim team. |
Anonymous
| Do you practice the treading water part? My kid's camp had a 1 minute treading water component to the test and lots of kids failed it because its just not something they do regularly - even kids who were top of the swim team. Practice. |
Anonymous
Really? Our pool requires 30 seconds of treading water as part of the test to be in the dive well, and pretty much every kid figures something out. |
Anonymous
Yes we practice - we don’t have a pool but some friends do and we go on vacation. She’s had swim lessons 2x at 6wks each. Something isn’t clicking. |
Anonymous
| Get a private lesson and ask to concentrate exclusively on treading water. If you can get a water polo coach as a teacher, even better. My kids swim year round and when they were 6/7, their teacher had them tread water with their arms in the air or holding a ball for minutes at a time - it doesn’t come naturally for most kids. The lessons will give her confidence and will teach her to breathe properly, keep her head position, relax, and how to kick her legs. She can practice her leg motions while in shallower water or while holding onto a kick board and then progress from there. |
Anonymous
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Age 7 isn't "too young" but it is pretty young and she just may not be there physically. It may come with time and growth as much as practice.
That said, if it bothers her (or you) get private lessons that focus on exactly these two skills. Swimming on vacation isn't really practice. |
Anonymous
| 7 is still pretty young. Where is she failing? does she get pulled back into the shore? Or is it just the treading water? Some places make you keep your head above the water and a minute is a long time. |
Anonymous
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That actually doesn't sound like very much swim instruction. Strong swimmers tend to do daily instruction on summer swim team for at least 6 weeks every summer or year-round lessons. I think your expectations for a few group lessons are too high.
I'd try a few private lessons with a focus on treading water. |
Anonymous
| My kids are past that age but when they were young most parents, myself included, put their kids in the winter/spring swim lessons at the Y to prepare for summer swimming (mainly for safety). |
Anonymous
+1. We don't use the Y, but we do lessons every winter/spring. |
Anonymous
| Treading water for 30 secs in a deep end of a pool is not anywhere near what OP is describing. How big is the lake? To swim to the middle, tread for a min and swim back is endurance. That takes dedicated effort and a very strong swimmer. And it honestly might be tactical as well. Is she allowed to float to catch her breath before she treads? Also I assume the lake changes temp as she swims out, and that can change the breathing pattern and if she isnt doing that regularly and learning to control it, she can tire herself out. |
Anonymous
Nix the attitude, OP. I'm not the PP you responded to. My kid needed one-on-one private instruction to learn to swim. He had motor issues and ADHD. Even if your child is entirely neurotypical, some kids just don't learn well in group settings, especially in more casual camp settings. Maybe this camp isn't actually good at teaching kids to swim, and those who pass their test have instruction on the side. Who knows? But the answer is to pay for private instruction elsewhere. It's going to get dangerous for your child if she can't keep up with her peers. |