Swimming Lessons

[christiankate]

Hi all,
Just wondering what you did/are doing with swimming lessons. Please explain why you chose whose what you did, and if you are happy with what you will/did chose.

 

[Jenna]

I'm teaching my daughter how to swim, partly for the fun of it, and partly so there is less of a chance for injury. I still watch my daughter very closely whenever we go to the pool, but it is a definitely "plus" for her to be able to keep her head above water, should she fall in. As far as lessons go, I don't see much point in paying someone else to teach her something that *I* can teach her for free. That aside, she trusts me more anyway.

 

[Katydid]

Well, I fully intend on teaching my children to swim and they WILL learn how, no matter how much they hate it. To me, it is a case of safety. Children, sometime in the future may NEED that skill. Now, I will not make them train for the olympics, but they will learn how to take care of themselves in the water. I put other because my kids have not been taught yet, my stepson has, but by his mother. My two are 3 and almost 2 and we have not had the opportunity to teach them.

 

[Entertaining_Angels]

My son could swim by himself before he could walk and he was an early walker at 8 1/2 months. I put him in private infant lessons when he was 6 months and he loved it. He was always swimming underwater. He'd come up for air and immediately go back down. He's almost seven and still takes swim lessons. Next year he'll probably be on the local swim team.

We put my daughter in lessons at about 11 months but she didn't take to it as much. She got to the point where she could swim a few feet by herself but she wasn't as excited as my son. So, we took her out of lessons. I go in the pool and work with her but she'll be in regular lessons when she turns three.

My very first memory is when I was about 2 or 3 and I fell into a pool. I remember the quiet of it all and looking up at the top of the pool from the bottom. Swimming lessons for my little ones were very important to me.

 

[Princessperky]

I can't answer yet cause my oldest is 3, and hasn't had any yet, but when the time comes (this summer or next) I will look into lessons, caus eI only know how to dog paddle and I want him to learn more than that. DH can really swim but he is at work, so we will see what he can fit in.

But they wont be forced to go beyond treading water and crossing the pool, I want them safe, but not hating it to much. So far he loves 'touching the botom' and swimming with a noodle, so I have no worries of him wanting to quit learning.

 

[BeanMak]

Mine started when they were 3 at the YMCA and they LOVED the lessons. My second also took diving lessons. They had a great time doing it. They went for as long as they wanted and then quit when they were about 11.

 

[Terri12345]

My parents enrolled me in swim lessons when I was 3, a year younger than I was supposed to be or something. I stayed in it until I was 7 and had completed all the levels. Then the instructors kept telling me to join the swim team so I did that from 7-12 when I was 15 I taught swim lessons. It's a good experience, I'd really recommed it.

 

[CarrieAg93]

I taught my oldest to swim when he was 3. He took swim lessons when he was 4. They taught him things I wouldn't have like different strokes. He is 5 now and didn't take swim lessons this summer because we just moved and haven't found out all about the area yet. My youngest turns 3 in August and will probably take lessons next summer because he does not seem willing to learn from me. My oldest will have to option of taking lessons or not. I would like him to because he still swims like a turtle with his head out of the water.

 

[selune]

I guess the second one is the closest to what we do. I have the kids go through enough of the lessons to where they are safe and competent swimmers. If they desire to go further, then I encourage them to. If they have learned safety and are strong enough in the water, but don't want to continue, then they can be done with lessons.

 

[Andry]

We approach swimming as a 'must have' life skills. Much of our recreational family activities involve being near, in, or on the water.

So we've had our son in the water as soon as he was able, and thus he's known as far as he remembers that water is part of life. A bonus to this approach is that he has little trouble taking baths.

 

[andiesmama]

I had a private teacher for Andie last summer, just to get her used to the pool & learn some safety stuff...it was only for 6 weeks. Her aunt & uncle have a pool, so she spends alot of time in there & is learning alot on her own. I'm thinking next summer I'll enroll her in lessons at the Y (when she's 4).