At our local private swim club, most of the 5-7 year olds are on the mini swim team which teaches them the basic strokes. 5 may be a bit early, but most of the kids start at 6 and finish at 7. You have to be able to cross the pool once to be on the mini swim team so most people put their kids in lessons beforehand.

Anonymous wrote:I have twin 5 year olds. One can, one cannot.

Like everything, it depends on the kid!

+1

Anonymous wrote:Yes! She is a wonderful swimmer. She has had lessons since 3 though because she has an older sibling whom she considers her twin.... what DC1 does DC2 must too.

LOL, neither my 3 nor 5 year old can swim yet but they are taking lessons and the 5 year old is pretty close, but I just thought this was funny because my 3 yo DD thinks her 5 yo brother is her twin, too!

Yes! She is a wonderful swimmer. She has had lessons since 3 though because she has an older sibling whom she considers her twin.... what DC1 does DC2 must too.

Form is terrible but my 5 and 6 yos can both swim independantly around the pool. They only each took a couple weeks of swim lessons (4 weeks, 2-3x per week) but have been in the water since they were 6 months with a floaty vest which allowed them to "swim".

Yeah. Trust other people.

http://patch.com/maryland/silverspring/child-rescued-pool-near-drowning-reports/

Most people who drown inhale water into their lungs, then go straight down because air-filled lungs are a major factor in keeping someone afloat. Many never make a sound.
Learning to only exhale while the face is underwater is the primary requirement for learning to swim. Coordinated strokes are not so important and are not developmentally possible for many five year olds. Work on jumping in, face going under, and bobbing back up. Don't attempt to teach children to swim until they have mastered this without choking on swallowed water.
Most group lessons are worthless or worse and often taught by teens or college kids with no concept of how to teach swimming.
I consider swimming a basic life skill and have taught many children, though I specialize in adult beginners. I do not live in the DC area but my grandkids do. I'm glad to see many here are teaching their kids.
Water park "wave pools" are a drowning menace. Don't allow your kids near them.