Teaching a child to swim

1012donna

My daughter goes to lessons and as you say it is £52 for her for 12 weeks but I noticed that if you have a wisecard then you get the lessons for £20. To get a wisecard you have to be on a low income or certain benefits. Maybe your council do a similar system - it's worth a look!!

tarajayne

Council run pools do tend to be cheaper, ours is private and works out £4 a lesson but the best thing I ever did. Took my daughter when we moved here at 7 and they were so good that I enquired about my son who was 4 in Jul 07, they took him in September so only just 4. The teacher takes them in a pool where they can't touch the bottom and then informed all the parents that she didn't do armbands. My reaction was to watch through my fingers but amazed when 20 minutes later she had all 6 swimming a couple of metres. The next week she called over to me to watch and he was away and nearly swam a width, so my only advice is either try your hardest to afford it or if you do it yourself don't let your fears get in the way as mine nearly did. Have to add though surely by the time you've paid to get in yourself it can't be much more for the lessons. Good luck whichever!

voucherlover

When swim teachers learn they need people to practice on, so you can often get cheap lessons when these courses are on. Here is a link to the ASA which lists swim teachers courses, check if there is one near you, either the course contact or the pool should be able to tell you how to sign up for these:
http://www.britishswimming.org/vsite/vnavsite/page/directory/0,10853,5157-182278-199496-nav-list,00.html

As other teachers on here have said, thing that makes it easiest is if the child can put their face in the water and open their eyes (with or without goggles) and is happy and confident in the water. Bonus if they can relax and float in a star shape.:j

astonsmummy

Cheers voucherlover!
OMG this is included in the e-mail :j

jud!th

I taught our two to swim using polyotter-type float suits. dd1 was swimming at 2 1/2, dd2 just before 2. You have a swimming costume with about 20 polystyrene floats in, and sneak out a couple of floats every so often without them noticing. The first time they swim with no floats in at all is so bizarre!!! but amazing. If they lose a bit of ground then just stick a couple of floats back in.

I'm sure it would work with any age of child - the floats being in the suit stop them being aware of what floats they're using, and they teach them to swim in the 'correct' swimming position, which rings and armbands don't, apparently.

hth

Judith
x

buxtonrabbitgreen

I had shown and explained to my 2 youngest how to swim plenty of times but because they only wanted to go in the training pool where they wern't out of thier depth, they didn't swim. We had been going since they were babies. One day the training pool was closed so they had to go in the main pool where they couldn't touch the floor (both small though they were 5 and 6). The choice was hang on to the side or swim, and lo and behold they did.