Swimming Lessons : When should we start?
When we bring the kids to the swimming pool, they’d splash and play happily like most other kids would when they’re in the waters!
They have yet to learn how to swim though.
We feel the ability to swim is one of the basic ‘survival’ skills one needs to have, but we’re still waiting for the right time to enrol them BOTH together (because it IS more convenient for me to send them BOTH to classes at the same time)
And we’re thinking sometime after Vai turns four next year (By then Anya is about 6.5yo).
Hmm.
You know, these days they have swimming sessions for BABIES and it’s becoming more and more common to introduce swimming at an early age.
And yep, I do sometimes wonder if it does make a ‘difference’. You know, the age at which a child starts learning how to swim.
Personally I’m totally neutral about swimming sessions for babies and toddlers … but I am interested to hear other people’s cases and views on this topic.
So, what’s your view?
And if you were to introduce your kids to swimming, would you teach them yourself? At what age?
And if you’ve already started them on swimming classes, how old were they when they started?
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Oh btw, here’re two interesting findings :
Just checked on wikipedia, Michael Phelps learned how to swim at the age seven, and Ian Thorpe started going to the pool at the age of five (and it was unintentional because he was following his sister at the time)
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Thanks everyone for sharing your thoughts and personal experiences on swimming for kids!
I’m sure everyone else who reads what you’ve shared would gain something out of it …
For us, looks like we’ll send the kids together for swimming lessons next year after Vai turns 4yo. Yet to decide on that.
But in the mean time, other than teaching them more about water safety (how there must be an adult with them at all time, etc), I’m getting them to be more ‘comfortable’ with the pool.
Anya and Vai used to totally REFUSE to jump off the edge of the pool (although I’m in the pool, very near to edge, ready to catch them as soon as they jump)
Recently though they’re getting much better and I’m happy with the progress.
With floats on both arms, Anya now jumps off to the 1m pool and paddle away towards the steps, climbs up, jumps off again and so on.
As for Vai, he still prefers that I catch him as he jumps, or … that I hold his hand as I swing him into the pool 🙂
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(btw … sooo sorry for responding to the comments so late … )
Hi, Jamie boy luvs water play but like most parents, i wud only want to put him on class 4yrs onwards. Mainly, he probably take instructions better by then and also, i want to drill in the awareness of “water danger” to him. Now, he is so fearless of the water which makes me very fearful. Kids needs to know that sometimes water play / swimming at different environment can be dangerous even they know how to swim, or am i too uptight??? 😉
I believe that children can start swimming lesson once they are able to take instructions. Both my girls love to play water, age 3 and 1. They will go crazy as soon as they see swimming pool, that’s because I rarely bring them to one…
Tomorrow I am going to take a big step and start my 3yo her first swim lesson by a private instructor, one-on-one. It usually cost RM65 per lesson, but he only charged RM30 for a 3yo per lesson.
It’s more about saftety issue and survival when one learns to swim. I am happy if my daughter can float by herself in a deeper water and learn at least a basic stroke.
I think as long as the children are exposed to water frequently and at a young age, it doesn’t really matter when they start lessons. The biggest hurdle is fear (the child’s and the parent’s) and I feel that’s best overcome when they’re younger. My niece never took proper lessons and hence doesn’t do proper strokes, but she swims like a mermaid (she’s 12). My oldest started proper lessons a year ago and she can now swim fairly confidently. She’s Anya’s age. My son who’s two years younger is confident in water but can’t swim (a hazard frankly because he thinks he can). Hopefully he’ll be fairly water safe in the next 12 months.
Hi Hi,
According to my uncle who’s a swimming instructor (for years), kids can start learning to swim at any age. But but…he recommends to start at 4 years of age. Says at that age, they pick up very very fast…so less stressful for everyone.
Meantime, just lots and lots of waterplay for the young ones to introduce them to water…
Hope this helps.
My eldest (5) just started this year. He was so scared of the water for years, and I think it’s because we never really constantly exposed him that early. He had a start when he was 9mths, but stopped after a term. But now that he’s in kindy and can follow instructions, leaving him in the pool w/ the instructor is easy. He can follow easily what the teacher says, and he loves the water!
I took our youngest to classes when he was 1.5 years, and he played, splashed, etc…. Took him for 2 terms, and after that I just took him along whenever I dropped the eldest for a class. I’ll wait until he’s about 3.5 year when they go in the water on their own and can listen to instructions better.
so in my opinion just continously expose the kids in water no matter what age. Even if they’re taking lessons, they still hva to keep on ‘practicing’ in between classes. When they’re about 3 or 4 i think that’s the best time to start when they can understand instructions.
Hi Leonny! thank u for ur support! my votes to u too! 😀
Hi Leonny,
I don’t think there should be any hurry in sending little ones swimming. Lachlan started at 6 months and I didn’t think it did anything in terms of developing his swimming skills! More like fun in the water and that could be done in other less expensive ways. He did one term and then I stopped his lessons. Now he started again at 3.5 years, he’s learning to swim by himself but then again, his attention span in so limited, I’m thinking why am I wasting my money again???
Anyways, Lucas is about 1 when he started, only because I have the “second child syndrome” guilt. I sent Lachy, so Lucas should have his fair share too. It’s a little bit silly I know, but one more term (because he loves it so much) then he’s OUT until he’s about 3-4yrs.
I’m sure they pick things up quickly when they’re a wee bit older….
🙂 Grace
Oh, congratulations btw for the winning nomination!! And I’ve started casting votes for you!! Hope you win!!!
I have a 3yo boy and he loves the water. But I guess we would probably start his swimming lesson after he turns 5. There’s no hurry, I suppose.
Tobi starts his swimming lesson when he was about 5.5 yo. His group consists of kids of similar age. At that point I asked his coach if it would be too early for Kyla, who was about 3 yo, to join. He told me that the bigger the kid the better cos they will catch up faster. For younger kids, just bring them for water play.
Hey… I’m thinking of sending Kyla for swimming lesson sometime next year too. Why don’t we form a new group then?
I feel that as long as the kids can take instruction, they are ready to take lesson. From what i observed, the earlier the kids are sent to take swim lesson, the better. Older kids tend to have more “fear” in them and hence they usually take longer time to feel comfortable in putting their head into water.
PS: Nikita starts learning swimming ard 5yo.
hey, was wondering about when to send Will for swimming lesson too!!! Got a flyer in mailbox that says tots can start at 2! But we had a discussion and decided to let me enrol at 4yo! We think swimming skill is vital and a child has to learn this skill no matter what!