At what age could your child swim?

[Anonymous]

I don't mean laps, but at what age could your child float independently and maybe swim the width of a 4-lane pool? And what did you do to help them get there? Group lessons/private lessons? How may days a week? For how long?

For context, DD started with twice a week semi-private swim lessons last summer at out neighborhood pool (she was almost 3yo.) I am not sure that the lessons were that helpful, but we stuck with them. In the the fall, we enrolled her in once-a-week group lessons (there is only one other child in her class, so it's basically semi-private). She definitely learned useful skills there, like getting in an out of the pool, but as far as I can tell, she is nowhere close to swimming. She is 3.5 now and I am just wondering what my expectations should be. My parents have a pool, which is why we are so focused on swimming.

TYIA

[Anonymous]

DS was 4. I taught him but I used to be a nationally ranked swimmer, lifeguard, and taught swim lessons.

[Anonymous]

One of mine could swim at 5 after a year of lessons. He decided he wanted to. The other is 7 and cannot swim, after years of lessons and playing in the water. He hasn't decided that he wants to, yet.

[Anonymous]

Mine started lessons at 2 (the first year was just parent and me type lessons). By 5 she could swim a few strokes with no flotation, but 6 she could swim the length of the pool. I think it's a combination of skills, confidence, and the desire to swim and that hits differently for each kid.

[Anonymous]

I would say right around 4 mayeb 4.5 she could swim like you asked.

I took her swimming about twice a month from the age of 6 mos to 3.5 so get her comfortable in the water. At 3.5 we started swim lessons once a week with Kids First. We did group lessons but like you only had 1 or 2 kids in the group because we did lessons right after school and most kids go later.
So at 3.5 she started learning to actually swim. I would say 6-12 mos later she could swim across the pool.

She could do all the strokes, float and tread water the summer she turned 5 so after about 18 months of once a week lessons.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:One of mine could swim at 5 after a year of lessons. He decided he wanted to. The other is 7 and cannot swim, after years of lessons and playing in the water. He hasn't decided that he wants to, yet.

This was very similar to our two kids. The younger one passed the swim test--swimming the length of the pool without putting feet down--at 5.5. She may have had a couple of lessons but mostly she'd just played in the water with us. The older one was 7.5 at the time and couldn't swim, in spite of a few rounds of lessons. He took his sister's passing the test as a personal challenge and passed it a few days later.

Now they're 11 and 13 and both good swimmers. So it didn't really matter.

[Anonymous]

We took her in the water a lot but she didn’t actually start to swim until we got her one on one lessons when she was 5. She picked it up quickly and was swimming right away. Practically grew fins and joined a competitive swim team at 7.

IMO the combination of private lessons and regular access to a pool is the quickest way to get a kid really swimming, but they have to be ready. The ready age differs among kids.

[Anonymous]

We did some lessons etc which certainly helped with comfort and body positioning. But nothing was as helpful as going on vacation to a condo that had a 3 foot deep pool. The water was up to her shoulders, but she could pop up onto her tip toes whenever. After a week there, she could swim across the whole thing without needing help. She was just a few weeks shy of age 5. We bought her some mermaids to dive for.

Then we practiced at pools the rest of that summer. She is pretty good, but maybe can't swim across a huge pool yet. She is able to get across a small pool and is comfortable where she can touch to get a break.

We signed her up for private lessons this winter, and she's only had 2 so far and she'd made HUGE progress. I told them I wanted her to be able to swim across the pool and to float/swim on her back well and maybe get some better techniques down. It's been WELL WORTH the money.

But once it's starting to get close to clicking, just have your kid practice. Lots of swimming between two grown ups in the pool etc.

[Anonymous]

4-5, but my son took to water like a fish. i think private lessons are worth the splurge.

[Anonymous]

Between age 2.5 and 3: both kids could swim several feet to the edge, but couldn’t really come up for air & keep swimming. They figured out this piece of the puzzle and were really swimming between 3 and 3.5 years.
We taught them ourselves (DH was a swimmer & lifeguard, but it’s really not that hard even if you’re not). The key was constantly having them in the pool. Our apartment had a pool, and we took them 1-2 times every day in the summer. Even if you can’t go everyday, go as often as possible. That really speeds up the process.

[Anonymous]

Oldest swam at 6. It's a body composition thing. Some kids just sink so need stronger swimming skills to get them.from A to B. My young guy is a chunk at 2 and can swim short distances already. It helps he doesn't sink like a stone.

[Anonymous]

DS had been taking lessons since he was 4 but never took to the water. He swam, as in using a stroke and actively making it across to pool on his own power, at 6. He is working on on strokes at Goldfish one day a week. We told him that he could not attend some of the summer camps he wanted to go to unless he could swim. He wanted to camps with a lot of pool time and water parks. He does not like swim lessons and has no interest in swim team but he is working on a third stroke right now. He has to finish out the offered levels at Goldfish to be done with swim lessons.

[Anonymous]

By 3 our girls could go off the diving board, go under from the jump, and swim to the side of the diving well. I'd find a better teacher or program.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I don't mean laps, but at what age could your child float independently and maybe swim the width of a 4-lane pool? And what did you do to help them get there? Group lessons/private lessons? How may days a week? For how long?

DC1 age 6.5, a mix of group and private lessons summer and winter since age 3
DC2 age 4, group lessons summer and winter since age 3

[Anonymous]

Age 5-ish, after 2 years of off and on private lessons. Stroke was better by 6/7.