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chance
10-09-2005, 11:00
what age do you think its best to put your child in to swimming lessons or what age did you?
my son who is 6 has started today,he misunderstood the teacher at one point and thought she wanted him to go under water for a whole minute so he burst in to tears and legged it in to the changing rooms! i had to go and get him and explain to him she wasnt trying to drwo nhim! he was ok after that and did some swimming with one of those floats but i do wish i had started him sooner.
he takes after me with his nervousness for these things but once he got going he was fine which i was pleased about and he even went under water which amazed me.they got through loads in one lesson which is only for 30 mins so i can def see him swimming some time soon.... watch this space..
angelblue
10-09-2005, 11:05
Thats great chance i think it quite a good age to start and it will keep him fit and healthy :)
eastenderfan_91
10-09-2005, 11:09
yer i think 6 is a good age to start aswell
willow
10-09-2005, 12:41
i think 6 is a good age to start too.
good luck
Trinity
10-09-2005, 19:02
You can take your kiids swimming right from 3 months when they get their second lot of jabs. I am a really keen swimmer, so my boys were taken to lessons as soon as that. Really, 3 months. Get them used to having their face wet, blowing bubbles in the water etc etc. it is like a game. when they are old enough to sit from 6 months or so sit them on the side of the pool and do humpty dumpty - and when he falls pull them down gently into the water. ring a ring a roses is good too.

Both my boys could swim by the time they went to school, my youngst could doggy paddle at 3, and they have never been scared of the water. They both went to a club, and my eldest did really well, he swam in the Nationals at 12 (in his age group) but now does triathalons. My youngest just swims for fun, but they both love the water.

I think in answer to your question 6 is definitely not too early.

I bet he loves it and has a great time. Maybe you should try taking the whole family and make it a really fun thing for all of you.
hazey
10-09-2005, 19:15
I have to agree with trinity, my sister is a swimming teacher and says the earlier they go the better,when my son was 4 months old she throw him into the water he went under and came up,I was having a blue fit,as you can imagine.He just float to the top and was fine,babys float naturally they have done it for 9 months before they are born, I dont recommend you do this yourself, after all she is trained. but get them in the water and play and get use to it as soon as you can.
Kylie
10-09-2005, 19:31
I'm a swimming teacher..... as early as possible is great. Most places only take children for group lessons from school age, so 4 which is a good time to start as they are getting used to school lessons so swim lessons are good too. I meet an awful lot of kids who are 8-9+ and are still in armbands and for them it is very embarassing. I think it is very poor that a lot of schools do not put swimming as a priority in PE. For the very young to get kids in the water most pools do parent and toddler lessons where the teacher teaches the parent how to teach the child to swim. If your child is having problems with a big class lessons ..... which a lot of children do.... try doing one to one lessons, they are more expensive but are much more productive when it comes to results. For example in a class of 12 it would take at least a course of lessons (8-10) to get a child out of armbands, whereas on average the children i teach in private 1-1 lessons it only takes 2-3 lessons. If you need any thing else then dont hesitiate to ask!
Abi
10-09-2005, 20:05
I think 6 is a good age. I didn't start swimming untill i was about 12, so it was really hard to me. I went in the water and messed around in the shallow, end but phically swimming was tough. The earlier the better i say!
willow
10-09-2005, 20:45
i took niamh as soon as she had got over her 2nd lot of jabs and she loves the water she is 17 months now and can almost swim on her own. niall is the total opposite i did not take him as much as wanted and now he is behind a lot of his mates (he is nearly 10) and he wants to go to all the swimming partys and he is just not a strong enough swimmer to go but after a few more lessons he will be able to,i did not start until i was about 9 or 10 and that was because i did it at school i am still not a great swimmer now, i can just about keep afloat!!!
chance
10-09-2005, 21:12
both my children have been going swimming since they were babies i just meant that hes just started lessons.my youngest loves the water and blowing bubbles he puts himself under on purpose.we go prob bout once a month to the pool as a family but you cant really teach a child to swim unless you are pro and certainly not in the kind of pool we go to as its a 'fun' one with cannons and jets and waves etc.i was really pleased with him today!
Kylie
10-09-2005, 21:17
so you should be as if he was upset to start with then im sure that the teacher was doing a good job if he enjoyed the rest of the lesson. Maybe if you were interested in helping him would be to take him to the fun pool and let him play for a while and have 5-10 mins 'practice time' - buy a float from a shop to help him develop his kicking and body position. Get him to try and remember the things that he was taught during the lesson. One of the kids i teach his mum takes him swimming once a week and i notice the difference from week to week - he has had more practice at some of the moves and is so much better and he loves showing off what he has done with his mum
chance
10-09-2005, 21:32
he was good with those long float things they used today,as i taught him how to wrap that around himself on holiday and how to kick his legs so he was ahead of the other children in that dept he just didnt like the thuoght of going under but he did it in the end
Kylie
10-09-2005, 21:37
Not a lot of kids like it at first but i find - especially with boys - that once you get them to do it you can never get them back up again, they live underwater. If he doesnt like it too much try practicing in the bath - get him to pull the plug out of the bath but he has to put his face in, or if not that go for the chin first then get further and further up the face each time
Debs
10-09-2005, 21:39
what age do you think its best to put your child in to swimming lessons or what age did you?
my son who is 6 has started today,he misunderstood the teacher at one point and thought she wanted him to go under water for a whole minute so he burst in to tears and legged it in to the changing rooms! i had to go and get him and explain to him she wasnt trying to drwo nhim! he was ok after that and did some swimming with one of those floats but i do wish i had started him sooner.
he takes after me with his nervousness for these things but once he got going he was fine which i was pleased about and he even went under water which amazed me.they got through loads in one lesson which is only for 30 mins so i can def see him swimming some time soon.... watch this space..

i think the best time is whenever your child feels ready to!! Connor went swimming in a relatives garden a few weeks back and he loved it, i have never really thought about lessons till then. i want him to learn i cant swim and have a real bad water phobia and i was so nervous with him round the pool, thelast thing i wamt to do is make him nervous. My mum has offered to take him for me and i really want her too.

if not ill let him go when he a bit older and can go in on his own to be honest it might be better gives him something to learn without mummy makes him feel important!!!

think its brill that jordan did so well chance bet he is so pleased with himself, bless him. in a few weeks hell be off leaving you all behind on your family swimming day, hell be the big brother who can teach his little brother and sister to swim!!

give him a big well donr hug from his aunty debs!!!! :p
chance
17-09-2005, 12:58
he was brillaint today,it was like he was a totally different child,he kept goin under even when it wasnt his turn to do so! he swam on his back and front (aided by floats) which i didnt think he would do,he was great i was very proud of him,the lasdy even used him to demonstrate to the others! :)
.:SpIcYsPy:.
17-09-2005, 13:24
I started when I was 8/9 and I went swimming for a year.. at the end of the lesson they made you jump and swim widthwise and then I always thought I would never come back up so I refused to jump for a whole year and cry.. so after a year of wasted lessons I stopped and I also REALLY wanted to stop.. :D never jumped in the pool only when I went on holiday!!

But then in Year 5 we HAD to do it.. my best friend was an expert in swimming Level Billion or something :eek: So she said you will come back you have to trust me so I had to in Year 5 on the first day and I did and I swan across :D So I passed Level 1..

Mum was quite angry after a year of wasted money :p But proud :rotfl: Anyways.. after that I passed Level 2 after swimmin a whole one length.. I was ever so close to passing Level 3 when I jumped in the Deep End :eek: And came back up which I thought I would never do.. and then I had to do soemthing.. cut the water a S word.. for a whole minute which I did perfectly but after that you had to swim with your head under the water or swim backwards.. I was to tired.. Was so close but no..

I haven't been swimming since then but only on holidays!! :eek:

So I say younger the better!! :D