My oldest learned at 5, my youngest is 8 and still can’t swim. We are still doing lessons.

Mine were about 5, despite our efforts for a couple of years before it. I feel it's a bit like math -- people can try to explain a particular concept to you forever and you can't grasp it. But then a new person steps in and says it a different way, and suddenly it makes perfect sense.

My 11 year old still can't

I have a kid who refused for the longest time and now just in the water at 8. Daughter know her strokes but isn't proficient in a way I would like. Honestly, we are not a pool person/beach person, so we have to make ourselves go and it is torture. I think they know this is a life skill but well...my daughter wants a Latin tutor. Kids pick up what you value.

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 think they were all 6. The first two took lessons. First kid just needed to diligently practice. Second kid needed to work through some fears. Third kid just started launching himself off the diving board and figured it out. :O

Mine were around 4-5, I think. I don't really remember.

But I work with tweens & teens in a volunteer role in which I monitor them taking a swim test for some summer activities, and there are a lot of 11-15 year olds who can't do this. In our last group, about 15% couldn't swim or tread water at all. I don't mean "swim" as a competion-legal stroke across the pool, I mean they couldn't dog-paddle 15 feet. And that doesn't count the ones who wouldn't even sign up to try.

By kindergarten for both kids. By age 7, both were swimming 25M freestyle and backstroke on the summer swim team.

6 for the older kid who is more reluctant. Almost 5 for the younger who also just wants to be like her big sister.

Anonymous wrote:At 2 they could swim the length of an Olympic size pool

Ours went to the Olympic try outs at 2.

At 2 they could swim the length of an Olympic size pool

My 8yo started swim lessons at 7 and figured it out in less than a year of 30 min lessons every week. It's never too late!

Usually 3-4 with a parent right there…

3ish, I am very proud of the fact that I taught both my twins how to swim! Now one of them is a competitive swimmer

Just before turning 5 as in; jump into a pool from a board, fully clothed, no swim aids, and swimming to a ladder to climb out.

Youngest: before age 3. No puddle jumpers, off the diving board, swimming head submerged to the wall/ladder. But she started in ISR at 12 months and continued with the same program through Learn to Swim.

Oldest: probably 4ish