What is the right age for swimming lessons?

amother

Mon, Sep 23 2019, 1:47 am

I see conflicting info on the internet. From your experience, what is the most beneficial age to start lessons?

Ruchel

Mon, Sep 23 2019, 4:07 am

When the child is motivated OR very young if you're very consistent and takes well to it

amother

Olive

Mon, Sep 23 2019, 4:13 am

I have been teaching swimming for almost 20 years. From my experience, you do not need to start swimming lessons for a child until age 5-6. Until age 5 you just need to make sure that child is comfortable in the water and has no fear. They should be splashing around and have no problem dunking head in the water. You do not need a swimming teacher for this just exposure to water and maybe a bit of help from parent. If child has fear of water it may pay to get a couple lessons just to get comfort in the water. Once the child is comfortable in the water, I find that it only pays to start lessons at 5-6 years old. If you start earlier, you will spend A LOT of time and money getting them to do what can be done in one or two lessons as a 6 years old.

amother

Sapphire

Mon, Sep 23 2019, 5:44 am

I was told by a swimming teacher before 6 is a waste of time, ideally 7/8 is the best age.

notshanarishona

Mon, Sep 23 2019, 10:24 am

I don't agree that it's useless to start young . My daughter was swimming across the pool at age 3 (and then I got lazy and stopped teaching her and she is slowly picking up the form and here and there I throw in a lesson ). It really depends on the kid . She loved the water.

I also have many years experience teaching swimming .for some kids it's a waste and some kids do well

LovesHashem

Mon, Sep 23 2019, 10:38 am

I learned when I was 4, so did my other siblings.
We loved it and turned out just fine.

amother

Goldenrod

Mon, Sep 23 2019, 10:50 am

I think the answer varies on how much access they'll have to a swimming pool.
My kids were all swimming before they turned 4. My now 4yo DS is completely deep water safe in our 8ft deep pool. But we are swimming 4 or 5 days a week in the summer. At a young age you really need the daily repetition for it to work.
If it will be just swimming lessons where they're in the water than I think 5 or 6 is a better age.

amother

Purple

Mon, Sep 23 2019, 10:55 am

I think b4 your kid is going to swim in a real pool they need lessons. Started my kids at 5 bec in camp they’d be going to a real pool.

Flip Flops

Mon, Sep 23 2019, 10:55 am

I like to do it when they already are comfortable in the wate. My goal is to have them learn the proper strokes and swim confidently in the deep end.
The 4 yr old kids by lessons are just learning how to blow bubbles.

amother

Aqua

Mon, Sep 23 2019, 11:19 am

If you own a pool, it's important to teach kids water safety lessons & being comfortable in the water from when they're babies. Not swimming lessons, they don't need to know how to swim. Just water safety so they know what to do if they ever fall into the pool ch'v.
Swimming lessons from age 5/6 if the child is comfortable in the water.

amother

Bisque

Mon, Sep 23 2019, 11:51 am

amother [ Sapphire ] wrote:

I was told by a swimming teacher before 6 is a waste of time, ideally 7/8 is the best age.

I agree. Gave my three children swimming lessons this summer. Ages 5, 8, 9.5. the 8 yr old gained the most. 5 yr old really was waste of time as far as learning to swim from expensive lessons. They've only been to backyard camps and had minimal exposure to big pools.

amother

Azure

Mon, Sep 23 2019, 11:56 am

Water safety skills are really important if the child is going to be around pools before 6.

amother

White

Mon, Sep 23 2019, 12:24 pm

I belong to a pool
I see the swimming teacher give lessons to kids still in pull ups .
My kids learned to swim in nursery school during class at the jcc
I didn’t open my pool till I knew my kids knew how to swim
I took my son to swimming lessons with me when he was a baby

LovesHashem

Mon, Sep 23 2019, 1:58 pm

I wasn't blowing bubbles. I was doing races from one end of an olympic pool to another by the age of 5.

tichellady

Mon, Sep 23 2019, 2:05 pm

I learned to swim by 3 but also have a pool in my backyard. Not sure when we will teach my daughter since we don’t have the same access to a pool

amother

Jade

Mon, Sep 23 2019, 3:34 pm

3 is a good age because its after that that fear of water may set in. Or the younger the better if you have a pool. Financially considered only, youd get the most for your money around 6y.o.

Chana Miriam S

Mon, Sep 23 2019, 9:46 pm

I taught swimming for many years. It’s never too early for mommy and me. For lessons alone, each child is different. My son was four when he learned to swim competently because we started later ( he screamed for each early swim and within weeks could actually swim. He did special Olympic swimming from age five to 12 and then was a non compete on a swim team locally ( practice with the team but not compete)

My daughter and I used to go swimming weekly after that when he had lessons and when she was 13 months she ‘told me’ she wanted me to stop holding her. We had these cool floaty belts that had removable foam blocks. I taught her how to kick and as she got stronger we removed the foam blocks.

At two, she was capable of following directions safely in a private swim class in our building. When she was 2 years and 11 months, she floated for the first time, stood up and said ‘ mommy the water held me!’

A couple of months after that she was able to pass deep water tests at public pools ( always with an adult in arms length when we were in the deep end other than testing- per policy) and by four she was the youngest child at the time ever to have taken synchronized swimming by synchro Canada because she was still too young for actual swimming lessons but they let her in. Sabbath observance killed that because you can’t build a routine with a kid who misses all the Saturday competition.

She never really took swim lessons after that. She swam on a regular swim team and played water polo in high school until grade 12. She became a lifeguard and worked for all of one summer at camp. That was some money wasted!

So, how early is too early? Start them young, be consistent and they’ll swim well and early.