How long did it take your kids to swim properly?

[tigwig]

My 7yr old has been having lessons for nearly 4yrs now. She has been to 3 different places (first 2 for water confidence really). The most recent place, that used to teach proper strokes until changing to the National Plan, she has gone since Sep 09. She finally learnt to swim unaided last summer but has not really progressed since then despite having lessons for a year since then! The problem is now the emphasis is on having fun and they do very little 'proper swimming' so she has forgotten and is a weaker swimmer now than she was a year ago. So is this normal or is she just rubbish lol?! How long did it take anyone else's kids to do it confidently?

[NOX]

Ouch- I doubt she's just ' rubbish'. None of mine had swimming lessons we just used to swim with them everyday and play in the water and the all swam confidently fairly quickly. Swimming should be fun, not many people are olympic standard so most people only need to know how to swim recreationally and well enough to get them out of trouble, so fun should be the emphasis. Can I ask if this is something she enjoys?

[tigwig]

She enjoys messing around in the water etc but I suspect she finds the lessons boring. However as its such an important life skill I want her to keep going until she can swim confidently across the big pool.

[NOX]

We always encouraged length swimming by races etc and rewards if they reached a certain point- the rest they more or less did themselves. i cna understand you wanting her to swim from a safety point of view- that's the main reason we taught ours, but can you not maybe teach her yourself rather than leave it to official lessons?

[nannybooby]

I think the trick is to keep going to the swimming pool all year round ,its a case of if you don't use it you loose it. I am a poor swimmer myself but have taught my daughter and grand daughter to swim . They must have confidence in the person teaching them . When they could swim a little I used to gadually deflate arm bands but let them old my hand then one finger and then I@d walk backwards just in front of them increasing the distance gradually. Then one day th e penny drops and they are away. However if you dont like to get your face or eyes wet it will alsways be a bit of a struggle.

[roslyn251254]

Join a swimming club - the coaching will be brilliant!

[netibiza]

My daughter was 3 when she joined the local swimming class and she was swimming in a couple of weeks, the teachers made great fun of it all and threw them in, the kids loved it and couldn't wait. of course we parents were horrified but it worked with each and every one, 7 in the class and two monitors. The kids couldn't wait for their half hour lesson every afternoon.

[annie0000]

Hi tigwig, my kids went to swimming lessons since they were about 3 or 4 and it does take a while for them to have the strength to pull themselves confidently through the water, it is better from them to take the time to learn the strokes properly rather than rush them through the levels, however frustrating that is for you. You will always get the parents who boast about what level their child is on, but there is a lot of evidence that the teachers dont necessarily mark them at the same competence. the teachers that my boys have now are a lot stricter than others I have seen and I am happy with that. They have finished the main levels now (scotland, different system) and they are now developing their strength and endurance, but that is them 11 and nearly 10. If you are concerned that the teacher is not doing her any good, then by all means speak up, but it does not happen overnight.

[annie0000]

swimming clubs will generally only take children who have completed lessons to a certain level.

[tigwig]

I have recently spoken to her teacher but she cant really offer any advice. I just think that in a year she should have improved. She can do breast stroke quite well but when in the small pool does tend to put her feet down so doesnt get marked down to say she can do it! She is not so good on her back though. All the other kids are flying through the lessons and get moved up as soon as they hit the targets but mine is at exactly the same stage as she was a year ago and gets no better poor love.

[LoftyLottie]

I think my son was a little fish. He just took to the water and swum very quickly. We had a great deal of trouble though getting him to swim on the surface of the pool rather than underwater. He could swim before he started school and I must admit the small village school was excellent, the children started swimming lessons as soon as they started school at four and were bussed to the local town school pool.

Not all kids like swimming and water though. I was one of them!!

[annie0000]

breast stoke is the hardest stroke to master ( apart form butterfly) maybe she is not putting the effort in because she is not really enjoying it.

[milly143]

Maybe she just isn't a good swimmer. No matter how many lessons, some of us just weren't born to swim. As long as she can hold her own for a few minutes in the water without being able to touch the bottom then I don't see there is a problem.

[LoftyLottie]

Milly I am one of those that wasn't born to swim. If I can avoid water I will!! I can swim, slowly and for a fair distance, but I don't enjoy it in the least!! My Mum paid for swimming lessons before I started secondary school when I was 10. I haven't progressed since then, even though the secondary school had it's own swimming pool!! (Mind you it was outside and unheated - they were like that in the late 50's early 60's)

[LoftyLottie]

I tend to agree tigwig, that perhaps your daughter isn't really that keen or enthusiastic. If she can swim, then don't worry about the strokes she uses, etc. If she is having fun then that's just fine. Don't worry about it or push her or the teachers.

Is there any reason you want her to be a really good swimmer.

[LoftyLottie]

I can only do breast stroke!! And I can't or should say won't even attempt to swim on my back - too scary!!

[boxtops]

tigwig, I really wouldn't worry. She's seven - if she can get along with breast stroke, as you say, that will keep her alfloat. Many adults can't do backstroke - I wouldn't expect that of her at her age. It needs to be fun.

[milly143]

Same here Lofty. I had swimming lessons in school but was always the slowest to progress. I didn't really enjoy it and just wasn't good at it. To me a swimming pool was for dive bombing and getting Dad to launch me off his knees. I can swim, just about but I'd rather go in the pool to lark about then attempt to do any real swimming. I just wasn't made for it.

[annie0000]

having said all that though, I love the fact that the boys swim well as i am a poor swimmer. I think in the end it makes swimming much more of a pleasure for them when they are really confident in the water.

[Jemisa]

My G/daughters 5yrs and 7yrs have been having lessons for 3 years, they both can swim now, they are very confident in the water, they will jump in & swim (Doggy paddle) to the steps and do it all over again. This year they are doing the serious stuff Back stroke, front crawl.
My daughter had to transfer them to the serious class. Perhaps you should do that. (an extra fee too)

jem

jem

[Maydup]

If your daughter is not a strong swimmer then she's unlikley to tend toward a nautical career. Does she need to be any better than she is?

Maybe yours and her efforts would be better aimed at one of the other "life skills" now which might come more naturally to her. Find something she enjoys more and she'll be better at it.