Remedial swimming lessons?

[peg2001]

DD7 took 2 sets of group swimming lessons in 2002 (age 5) and another set of group swimming lessons in 2003 (age 6). Since she still couldn't swim, I decided she needed private swimming lessons and she completed several of these also in 2003.

DD4 took one set of group swimming lessons and several private swimming lessons in 2003 (age 3).

Neither of my children can swim yet. They WANT to swim and beg for more lessons but I'm getting frustrated. The private swimming lessons seemed to help more than the group lessons and DD4 especially was really starting to make progress last year. However, these lessons are quite expensive and this is a real consideration for us.

Any tips or advice on how to get these kids swimming without going to the poor house? How many lessons did it take for your kids to really start swimming? Am I expecting too much too soon?

Thanks!
Peggy

 

[Rippington'sFan]

Well since the private lessons seemed to be better and they made progress have you thought about going back to the group lessons again?

 

[jel0511]

I have sympathy for you and your kids. I tried in vain to learn how to swim as a child and I never could do it. I'm not very naturally bouyant and kept sinking regardless of what I tried. I actually really still don't know how to swim, and it's very important for me that my children learn. I haven't started DD (who will be 6 this summer) yet, since my peditrician doesn't recommend swimming lessons before this age. I'm the example of someone who tried and tried, and just doesn't have the ability to swim. It's good that you keep trying and I'd recommend the private lessons, for someone who has difficulty, it's the best way to go.

 

[Lewski709]

I happen to teach kids to swim at our Y. Consistency is key, don't take them to a session, quit and take them to another session two sessions later until they master the basics, or they will lose it and struggle starting all over. Keep them in lessons and I really believe groups are better. More than anything, they can see what the others in the group can do or not do. They also may not feel so bad about their skills/lack of. They will want to improve by watching others and may try new things, not to mention making friends. Another thing, private sessions baby a child more than groups.

The best thing for YOU to do is take the kids, then leave. We allow the parents in the pool area the first and last night of sessions, otherwise....they must be behind the glass or wherever else they need to. I know it's hard.

My DS who is almost 5 has been in lessons since age 1. He is not perfect and I have seen better 5yr olds. He has been out of lessons for a year. He loves to swim, but doesn't want to do the lesson part, just playtime. He's lucky to have a grandma with an indoor pool and a mom who teaches. I DON'T HAVE HIM IN MY LESSONS.

Ask me any questions you like.

I also don't understand why a pediatrician would not recommend lessons before 6. I do understand that all Dr's opinion varies.

 

[Disney Ella]

My kids took lessons from ages 3 through 6, both group and private, with no real results. They took the group lessons at the Y with those float belts and were afraid to try anything without the belts, so I signed them up for private lessons at a swim club. The swim club did not use float belts and they did make a little progress at first. However, the instructors were high school students, who all seemed to quit after six weeks. Just when my kids would start feeling comfortable with an instructor, she would be gone.

I finally decided I was wasting my money and it was time to take a break from lessons. Last year we bought one of those inflatable Intex pools for the backyard. It is 42" outside, which makes it just about 3 feet deep inside. Having the pool in the backyard was what really turned things around. The kids started trying things. At the beginning of the summer, they didn't want to put their heads under water, but by the end of the summer,
they were swimming under water.

In the fall I started them in swimming lessons at a health club that has swimming lessons so they could learn the proper techniques and learn how to swim in deep water. They are doing well this time, thanks to the backyard pool.

 

[tiggersmom2]

I know this may sound really odd, but I took my first DS to private swimming lessons when he was 2, it scared him to DEATH!! After we left these lessons, we would let him watch us in the pool and he would wade further in out of curiosity. Well, at about age four he started immitating us and suddenly - VOILA!! He was swimming - no lessons necessary!

 

[Lewski709]

BTW, most kids prior to the age of 3 (although some rare 2yr olds are ready) do not go to a preschool or toddler class at my Y. They are in a parent tot class which has a lot of games, singing and activity teaching skills. It's really more about getting "used" to the water and a class setting.

 

[Jenn Lynn]

DD started swimming lessons at the YMCA last November at the age of 2. She loves it and is a total water bug. They are already working on reach and pull. I can't imagine waiting until she is 6. She loves the water to much. We are at the Lake all the time during the summer. And, since boating is so big around here, they teach kids the proper way to get in and out of a boat.

I would just keep with the group lessons. I was a slow learner also and had a fear of water from almost drowning at a swimming birthday party. Now I can swim pretty well.

 

[Octoberbride03]

I found out just a couple of years ago that i actually started my swimming lessons as soon as i learned to crawl. i realize i wasn't able to do freestyle or the crawl(whatever you wanna call it). But it was a group of babies all crawling age, and we were taught to get used to the water, and how to make ourselves float. And considering all the incidents of toddler drowning each year in pools, i have an amazingly hard time believing that your Ped. says kids are too young b4 age 6 to have lessons. NOT TRUE.

My parents never planned on making me an Olympic caliber swimmer, but they did want me to have basic swimming and water survival skills so they could be reasonably confident at the pool or the beach. That's what i gained. I did finally get them to stop having me take lesson at age 9, but I had joined the swim team, so they didn't mind.

Send your kids back to the group lessons and see how it works out. They should be able to hold their breath for a few minutes under water, and have basic swimming and floating skills. Some ppl never turn into swimmers. But i really think the lessons are worth it.

 

[peg2001]

I appreciate all the advice so far. I guess I really expected them to be swimming after a summer or two of lessons. However, we do not have a pool ourselves so they have limited practice time.

Peggy

The American Academy of Pediatrics doesn't recommend swimming lessons before age 3. Here's their reasoning:

Though swimming classes for young children are widely available, the American Academy of Pediatrics does not recommend them for children under three. There are two reasons:

1. You may be lulled into being less cautious because you think your child can swim.

2. Young children who are repeatedly immersed in water may swallow so much of it that they develop water intoxication. This can result in convulsions, shock, and even death.

If you do enroll a child under three in a swimming program, particularly a "mommy-and-me" class, think of it primarily as an opportunity to enjoy playing in the water together. Be sure the class you choose adheres to guidelines established by the national YMCA. Among other things, these guidelines forbid submersion of young children and encourage parents to participate in all activities. When your child reaches three, you may want to teach him to swim so he'll feel more comfortable in and around water.

 

[Wish I lived in Fl]

For my DS 11 we also could only afford so many lessons. Having flotatation arm bands allowed him to relax in the pool and not have to fight to keep his head above water. That helped the most. And whenever we had to stay in a hotel I looked for one with a pool. I also babysat for free membership at a gym that had a pool so I could take him for free swimming untill he turned 7.
Now for technique improvement, our town has Aquatic Adventure -A program that is more varied than swim lessons. We couldn't talk into swim lessons- He said he could already swim!. But this $99/8 morning program went over survival float, treading water, swim stroke review, basic dives and some playing each session.I spring for 1 session each year.
Good luck!

 

[LKS]

My kids took lessons, but really learned to swim by being in the pool with Mom and Dad. We would stand a few feet apart and say "Swim to Dad" etc... Then over time we kept backing up until the kids were swimming long distances quite well. In the lessons, there was so much time spent sitting on a wall waiting for their turn that they just didn't make as much progress as they did with us.

For perfecting their strokes once they can swim underwater or however sloppily, we thought swim team was amazing. My daughter could go the length of the pool at 6 or 7 (I forget) but she stopped a few times etc... and was quite sloppy. By the end of summer, she won every event she entered at the final meet. My son did too. They were thrilled.

 

[dmfuru]

I took my oldest DS to the local YMCA for his first group swim lesson and hated it. First, the teacher hardly ever showed up on time, if at all. Second DS sat on the side of the pool 99% of the time and learned nothing. Needless to say, I blasted the program on their survey.

We finally found a wonderful private swim teacher and he had DS swimming w/o any kind of floation device within 5 minutes of DS's first lesson. He is quite expensive, but worth every penny IMO.

BTW, it's not a private lesson through a club or program. We provide the pool. My husband found him through his doctor. Talk with friends and neighbors, let them know you are looking into private swim lessons. I just learned that one of my neighbor uses this instructor too.

 

[Lewski709]

Originally posted by peg2001
If you do enroll a child under three in a swimming program, particularly a "mommy-and-me" class, think of it primarily as an opportunity to enjoy playing in the water together. Be sure the class you choose adheres to guidelines established by the national YMCA. Among other things, these guidelines forbid submersion of young children and encourage parents to participate in all activities. When your child reaches three, you may want to teach him to swim so he'll feel more comfortable in and around water.

Parent tot program is all about this. The submersion of a child under 3 happens ONLY by the parent and while we don't encourage it, we don't discourage or teach it.

I believe you will find my earlier post very similar to what is recommended by the AAP. I consider swim lessons to really begin at 3, again referring to my previous post.

 

[mom2boys]

So Lewski - what's the record for the # of times a child has repeated Poliwogs??? My poor 8 yr old is on his 4th consecutive session of Poliwogs. They have class tonight & he is looking forward to it - a couple of months ago he was losing sleep over swimming lessons.

 

[Lewski709]

That's good he's looking forward to it at least. I think 6 is the most I've seen. I bet he'll pass.

 

[Toby'sFriend]

My middle son was kind of like that with swimming lessons. It didn't help that he had such bad ear infections, that a good deal of his Preschool life was spent being banned from swimming at all.

We finally took away his arm floaties etc and just gave him lots of opportunites to play in swimming pools with friends. We didn't force him into the deep end or anything, but when he saw his friends going off the diving board etc, he really pushed himself to learn how to at least kick himself over to the side.

My heart nearly stopped when I first saw him line up at the diving board. In fact, both the lifeguard and myself were perched at the side of the pool thinking we'd have to go in after him. But he made it ok and there was no looking back from there.

 

[momof2inPA]

My 4 year old just graduated eel after his fourth time. He now swims almost the whole length of the pool on his own, when less than a year ago he would not even get his face wet. What helped him were group lessons with an experienced, consistent instructor and frequent swimming with mom and dad.

My other son learned when he was four by just swimming with his dad three or four times a week.

 

[Allie322]

Does your town or a neighboring town offer lessons? The next town over from us offers classes in the summer. The sessions are set up in 2 week blocks. You go Monday through Friday for 2 consecutive weeks. Though it was a bit of a drag, it really worked great for my kids. For us the problem with once a week lessons was that my kids would get a little bit of confidence by the end of the hour and then by the following week, they would forget that they had some semblance of confidence the week before! By going every day, they didn't have time to forget. Once they had that confidence, the rest came much easier.

Good luck!

 

[crazelion]

Check with city or town. They may offer free swimming lessons. I know our city does. I learned to swim by going to YMCA with a friend and have been swimming ever since. I have even went back refresh courses myself.