This is a safety issue and worth the coin for private lessons.

Anonymous wrote:Do the 1-1 lessons. I'd explain that she is 9 and very fearful. She may do well with an instructor who works with adults that have a strong fear of the water. This is mental, not physical. That's why I wouldn't just stick her in another group lesson.

Yes. I say this gently, but ... if she wears water wings in a public setting, she's going to get teased. I would really try to take care of this now.

1-1 lessons. But not once a week. Commit in summer to 2 weeks if lessons. One every other or every day. Exposure and a friendly instructor will have her swimming in 2 weeks. Throw the wings out, not safe or appropriate for her age/weight.

Do the 1-1 lessons. I'd explain that she is 9 and very fearful. She may do well with an instructor who works with adults that have a strong fear of the water. This is mental, not physical. That's why I wouldn't just stick her in another group lesson.

Water wings are like training wheels, they don’t help you learn how to swim or bike.
Get 1-1 lessons pronto, I agree. I am not shaming but 9 year olds (4th grade) generally know how to swim and are comfortable in the water. You don’t want her to be embarrassed or unsafe if she’s invited to a pool party.

Anonymous wrote:By what age do kids know how to swim around here?

Mine knew how to swim by 4. They were on swim teams by 5.


They are in their late teens and early 20s now, and they are no longer competitive swimmers, having stopped that around age 12 in favor of other sports. But they are both lifeguards since it pays well.

My older kid didn't learn to swim until age 8, because the pandemic happened right around age 6 and wasn't swimming independently yet. We didn't restart swim lessons until after, and they were able to do so with 3 months of group lessons at YMCA. I think there were a lot of kids in the same boat, so being older wasn't necessarily an issue.
I think the 1-1 lessons sound like a good idea. Even just 3-4 to get her comfortable, after which you could put her in a level 1 or 2 group lesson for age 6-12. She might be one of the older ones, but that could actually motivate her to work harder.

The longer you wait, the harder this will become. Bite this bullet now so that she can properly enjoy swimming by the summer.

My kid did swim lessons with the coach of the neighborhood swim team for $20 per half hour at our neighborhood pool. Best decision we ever made the teacher is like 19 so the kids are excited to hang out with her and she's amazing with them. My then six year old was swimming by the end of the summer and my 4 year old would go under water, something she would never do for us.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:By what age do kids know how to swim around here?

4-6 yo

Wow that seems young to me. I'm my area it's by age 8

It's a swim culture. Many 6-7 yos are on summer swim teams and know 2-4 legal strokes. My brand new 7 yo went to divisionals for breast stroke last summer and is legal in 4 strokes.

Most kids are at least doggy paddling before kindergarten.

Most of the 6-7yos at our pool tend to be on the pre-team, but I agree there is a big swim culture here. Belonging to a community pool and swimming all summer goes a long way to becoming proficient in the water, even if you aren't on a team.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:By what age do kids know how to swim around here?

4-6 yo

Wow that seems young to me. I'm my area it's by age 8

It's a swim culture. Many 6-7 yos are on summer swim teams and know 2-4 legal strokes. My brand new 7 yo went to divisionals for breast stroke last summer and is legal in 4 strokes.

Most kids are at least doggy paddling before kindergarten.

If she's 9 yo, she should be able to stand in the shallow end. I'd take her somewhere with a shallow-ish pool and forget the floaties. See if you can get her into a pool where she can stand.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:By what age do kids know how to swim around here?

4-6 yo

Wow that seems young to me. I'm my area it's by age 8

Anonymous wrote:By what age do kids know how to swim around here?

4-6 yo

One on one lessons for sure, especially because it sounds like her fear is a big issue. Other kids her age in swim lessons probably just haven’t had the exposure, but she needs someone willing to work just with her.

My kids all did lessons, but it seemed to really click when they were able to swim every day to practice. Once a week wasn’t enough, but when summer hit and we could go to a pool more often, that’s when they all really got better. And they all did well in pools deep enough to swim but shallow enough they could stand up. They played around and could dive for rings and actually swim, but they knew they could always just stand if they got tired. The water wong are doing more harm than good at this point, take them away and swim with her in the shallow end.

I’d say most kids I know I our Nova suburb were filling swimming by 5ish.