Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:11 or 12 is a good age for this type of independence.

+1 Mine started at 11

Its not really independence because you are relying on others to supervise them.

Anonymous wrote:11 or 12 is a good age for this type of independence.

+1 Mine started at 11

My daughter just started this year (6th grade and she is 12). Her best friend has a fun neighborhood pool and so when she is over there, the girls are allowed to go alone. Lifeguarded.

We have a pool and I just started hanging in the kitchen (can see pool through window) this year when DD has a friend or two over. I used to sit out there and read a book.

So, I’d say around 12.

We started at 9, but she was on the swim team, and kids have to pass a test starting at age 8 to go into the pool without an adult.

Anonymous wrote:In the 80s. We all biked to the neighborhood pool at that age and sooner w/out parents.

I did this too in the 90s

In the 80s. We all biked to the neighborhood pool at that age and sooner w/out parents.

I follow the pool's rules. Our pool is 13 for an accompanied child, so our kids started to go alone at 13. Of course the kids must be good swimmers.

Anonymous wrote:DD has been going to the neighborhood pool alone since she was 9. There are life guards working, but she is not being supervised otherwise.

+1
Same, but DD was on a year-round swim team and usually walked over with other friends also on year-round swim teams.

DD has been going to the neighborhood pool alone since she was 9. There are life guards working, but she is not being supervised otherwise.

I spent all summer with my friends at our town's swimming pool when I was in 5th and 6th grade.

Yes, you need to be sure your child is a good swimmer and the pool must have good lifeguards, but that's a rule for any age.

11 or 12 is a good age for this type of independence.

Our pool allows this at 10, my oldest will be 11 shortly (so first eligible summer given COVID last year) and I will permit it.

Like PP said, with a friend is fine but definitely not alone.

My children are on the swim team so it was natural to drop off for practice before age 12 and pick up after. By 12 they were used to being at the pool with teammates, the coaches and lifeguards. Once they were 12 I didn’t have any problem with them meeting a friend and swimming together, the pool manager and guards knew them. I only let them go with a friend though, not alone, at ages 12-13.

At age 15 they became a lifeguard themselves, hard to put pool restrictions on them after that!

As a comparison:

In Texas, our local pool required a pass on a simple swim test for 9+ in order to swim alone. All they had to do was one full lap of the pool without touching the bottom. The 8yo took her test on her birthday, but her 10yo sister took her test 2 months later (and took 20+ minutes to lazily kick on her back, but it was still a pass). The older kids took their test the first day we were there, passes all around.

I wasn't worried about the slow times. However, I also made friends with the director, and she would give me a head's up about busier times, so I could drop in.