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Sarah
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| Posted: May 01 2006 at 1:56pm | IP Logged
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When did your kids learn to swim?
Was it a group lesson, private, or just taught by you?
At what age do you start?
Are group lessons a joke?
Do you think swimming is like riding a bike-once you learn you never forget, or is swimming a skill that needs frequent practicing?
Can a child who learns to swim, shows competency, then rarely "goes swimming" be expected to save themselves if they "fell in" while fishing or exploring a pond?
We are currently learning to swim, but I wonder if the kids do enough of it since we're not big pool goers.
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Six boys ages 16, 14, 11, 7, 5, 2 and one girl age 9
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Christine
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| Posted: May 01 2006 at 2:18pm | IP Logged
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My children start swimming lessons at age 3 (this is only beneficial if your children will get in the water and listen to the instructor). We are fortunate to have a small pool near our house, so sometimes my children have actually received private instruction for the cost of group instruction. That being said, I believe the best way to teach children to swim is to get in the water with them regularly. It has never really been possible for me to do the latter, so my children are enrolled in swimming lessons.
You don't forget how to swim.
There is always the possibility of a child drowning, regardless of their ability to swim. However, the chance of drowning is reduced by knowing how to swim. Always be vigilant when your children are in the water and don't let them swim, unless they are supervised. I know of two families whose children drowned, despite being excellent swimmers.
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Christine
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marihalojen
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My daughter did not learn to swim until we moved onto the boat. She was in a group lesson but the only other child would not let go of the wall so basically she had private instruction.
Did the lessons help? Not really. She still doesn't know any real strokes and the instructor told us to bring her back when she mastered the first stroke,  I thought that was why we were taking her to the lessons???
I bought her one of those float belts that you continue to make less and less "floaty" by removing the styrofoam blocks and that gave her confidence to try swimming, but the true motivator in her case was that we would not let her on the deck without her life jacket on, even if it was just the two steps out of the cockpit to the dock. BIG motivation to be able to play and be on deck without the hindrence of the jacket.
We held a big ceremony the night she thought she could pass her test - leaping off the bow in the dark and climbing up the ladder to the deck with no mask, no fins and no life jacket. Great fun! (She passed)
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Taffy
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| Posted: May 01 2006 at 6:07pm | IP Logged
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marihalojen wrote:
| Did the lessons help? Not really. She still doesn't know any real strokes and the instructor told us to bring her back when she mastered the first stroke, I thought that was why we were taking her to the lessons??? |
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Sounds like you had a pretty poor instructor! 
In my experience, swimming, like reading, is something that one has to be developmentally ready for. For instance, as a 9 year old, I could not master the breast stroke. The next year I had no trouble. Swimming was only in the summers - no pools and learned in lakes and rivers (BRRR).
As an instructor, you are limited by what the student is willing to try and how much they trust you. When I taught, the students who learned the most were the ones willing to try the most. If your child is unwilling to get wet or too scared to jump in (or whatever skill is being worked on), the instructor's hands are tied. The belief that dropping a person into deep water and let their "natural instincts" teach them how to swim generally results in a person who is terrified of water! 
Is your child adventurous in the water? Eager to try? If so, then a good swimming class is great. That's how I learned as neither of my parents are good swimmers. If your child is still quite timid, then I'd suggest a lot of time spent in mastering fear and a very small class with a sensitive instructor who is willing to be patient.
Just my two cents, take it for what it's worth 
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Caroline
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| Posted: May 01 2006 at 6:30pm | IP Logged
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I can't tell you from my experience as a parent, but my siblings and I are all good swimmers. My mother taught us herself, although I did have brief training in other strokes when I went to summer camp. Both of my sisters were on the swim team in high school (and learned new strokes while on the swim team), one of them was the captain.
I think once you know how to swim, you know. But the more you practice the stronger you will be.
When I was 13 I was on a WaveRunner with one of my mom's cousins in lake Michigan. We were knocked off by a wave (it also knocked off my life jacket, which was several sizes too big). I swam to shore without difficulty, even though it had been years since I had regular access to a pool.
I hope this helps!
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Taffy
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| Posted: May 01 2006 at 6:34pm | IP Logged
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Sarah, I forgot to answer your questions! 
When did your kids learn to swim?
Mine haven't yet. I learned as a six-year old.
Was it a group lesson, private, or just taught by you?
Group lessons completely.
At what age do you start?
Depends on how ready they are. Are they exploring the water? Are they getting wet and having fun? BUT, the safety part of the lessons one should start as soon as possible - I take water safety very seriously. If you can get to a moms and babies class, it helps to nip fear of water in the bud sometimes.
Are group lessons a joke?
Depends on the instructor and the class.
Do you think swimming is like riding a bike-once you learn you never forget, or is swimming a skill that needs frequent practicing?
You never forget. But a lack of conditioning will affect your ability to keep safe (swimming out as far as you used to and then realizing you aren't strong enough to get back to shore).
Can a child who learns to swim, shows competency, then rarely "goes swimming" be expected to save themselves if they "fell in" while fishing or exploring a pond?
Even experienced swimmers get into situations where they can't save themselves. Understanding water safety is of paramount importance as is proper supervision. But, competency in the water will increase one's confidence so that one is less likely to panic. Panic is what often gets a person into trouble in the water so reducing the likelihood of panic is a good thing.
In other words, yes because a confident swimmer is less likely to panic.
We are currently learning to swim, but I wonder if the kids do enough of it since we're not big pool goers.
Are they showing a good understanding of water safety? Are they able to swim well? Ask the lifeguard how many laps one should be able to swim at your children's age to be considered competent. For pool swimming, I would consider the ability to swim at least 2 lengths of the pool non-stop as competent but that's just my opinion.
Hope that helps 
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Susan
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Susan's Soliloquy
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Mary Chris
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| Posted: May 01 2006 at 6:43pm | IP Logged
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I think swim lessons are great if you have a great instructor. I have not been really impressed with most of the instructors I have met. I think if you find someone certified through the Red Cross or YMCA then you have a good chance of getting someone knowledgeable on how to teach swimming. Many of the swim teachers at our local pools do not have any training, other than knowing how to swim.
My kiddos did swimteam last year and their strokes (and speed) improved amazingly!
I also was always in the pool with mine when they were young, unless I was nursing on the side. I had a sling that I did not mind getting wet, that I would use in the pool, so I could be close to the others. We rarely did the baby pool. We are fortunate to have pools with nice big shallow areas. I also never used water wings, hate them. Is my former swim teacher life showing???? 
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mary
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| Posted: May 01 2006 at 7:09pm | IP Logged
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When did your kids learn to swim? they took lessons at 3 but really learned more around 4.
Was it a group lesson, private, or just taught by you? group lessons and taught at home.
At what age do you start? 3 yrs
Are group lessons a joke? i don't think so, provided the kids are actually in the water and not just waiting on the sides for 5 min of water time.
Do you think swimming is like riding a bike-once you learn you never forget, or is swimming a skill that needs frequent practicing? i think it's like riding a bike, but you get stronger with practice.
Can a child who learns to swim, shows competency, then rarely "goes swimming" be expected to save themselves if they "fell in" while fishing or exploring a pond? yes, i do. certainly they are more likely to handle the situation better if they are more frequent swimmers.
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ALmom
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| Posted: May 01 2006 at 11:21pm | IP Logged
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I lived overseas on an island and swimming lessons were a mandatory part of our school - and we got it regularly. I learned strokes - but most importantly we learned a lot about safety like how to float, how to inflate clothing to help stay afloat longer and the buddy system but we also learned some particulars about marine life and dangers to be found in Pacific waters like entering the ocean shuffling the feet, how to pick up a cone shell and how to identify poisonous or dangerous marine life. It was great - but I had lessons for many years as a part of this school instruction and was never afraid of the water although my mother was very afraid at first (she did overcome this and even went snorkling before we left). I think it is instruction combined with time in the water. I never developed much endurance in the water - cause I never really swam laps much (I managed to do the Jr lifesaving laps but was the very last one in).
With my own dc, we signed up for swim lessons (all 3 took the same group lesson) and all did fine - but they really learned by playing and swimming at my sister's pool. I really despise going to public pools - too crowded, too noisy, offensive music, and the attire is lacking. However, having time at a privately owned pool has been great.
My sister always claimed that the best way to learn to swim was to sign up for swim team - one of her dc fell in at swim lessons and the instructor didn't even notice - she had to jump in and rescue her dc. My sister was a really good swimmer and diver. She never had any problems with swim team. Of course, with swim team you live at the pool - something we just couldn't fathom. If you do group lessons - plan to stay and watch your own. If you are on a swim team, you certainly develop endurance - plus the coaches pay more attention to proper stroke (it makes you more effecient).
Janet
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teachingmom
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My older three girls are on the same swim team as Mary Chris's kids. The basic requirement to join the developmental team is the ability to get across the pool. (We are still working on that with 6yo dd and hope she can make the team this summer.) They don't really care if you can do a stroke correctly--they just want to know the child has the ability to float and move forward and the confidence to swim in deeper water. They teach the strokes during swim practice. They improve dramatically during the first year on the team. I completely agree with Janet's sister about joining swim team being the best way to really learn how to swim.
That said, the girls still needed to learn how to "swim" that one length to make the team. I've used a combination of teaching them myself and group swim lessons. I am still not convinced that the group lessons had much impact on their swimming. We spend so much time at the pool now, that the younger ones sort of learn by watching others. They stay in the shallow end until they can begin to swim a few feet at a time. Then I bring them to the deeper end periodically to begin working on getting farther and farther on their own. My older girls now enjoy working with their younger sisters by playing "swim team" while at the pool. It's so fun to pretend to be the coach!
Oh, I forgot you asked about ages. I guess most of the girls learned to swim across the pool around age 6 or 7. They became really proficient by age 7 or 8.
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4Real Forums : Tea and Conversation
Topic: Learning to Swim
