How do you know when your child can stop taking swimming lessons?

[ourbabygirl]

DD is 7 and has been taking 1-2 sets of swimming lessons a year (usually in the summer, or summer and fall). Each session is between 7 and 10 weeks, depending on where we do them. I'd still like her and her 5 year old sibling to take lessons this summer, but she doesn't think she still needs them (though she does like swimming, so it's not like she'd be miserable in lessons). I guess I was planning on her taking lessons at least until middle school, maybe?

She's pretty good, and I feel *mostly* confident with her in the 'deep' water in pools, but not confident enough that I'm ok with her going to a pool party without me supervising, for example. She's finishing 1st grade and is confident in the water, but I'm not sure at what point we could/ should stop the lessons (I took them for quite a while as a kid). Should we just have the kids take them up through the highest level offered? She's taken them at the Y and private local swim schools.

Thanks for your input! :)

[georgiegirl]

Until you would be confident with others supervising her at a swim party. My middle child is about her age and he can swim decently well (can swim laps but would need a break after a 50). My swim standards are pretty high since DD is on swim team (and DS starts swim team tomorrow.). I think is very important for all kids to be strong swimmers. I took lessons every summer through at least age 10, and we had a pool in my backyard.

[hillview]

Agree with Georgie. Think til they are super confident in the pool.

[o_mom]

We switched to summer swim team at 5-7 years old. They became much better swimmers when we did that.

[KrisM]

The pool we join in summer has a test for deep water They need to swim a lap of the standard pool with a 5 sec rest at the wall before coming back. It has to be freestyle, not underwater. They have to tread water for 10 seconds (I think it's 10). Once they could pass that, I was good with them swimming. I have them do laps each time we swim just to keep up that practice a bit. DS1 and DD pass a couple years ago. They were 10 and 8. DS2 is nowhere near ready to try and he is 7.5. More lessons for him.

[SnuggleBuggles]

Lessons can probably stop and be replaced with just exposure. She just needs lots of chances to be in water. But, if lessons are the only way to do that then keep up with the lessons.


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[Green_Tea]

In our family we take them through the highest level offered. My 13 year old has passed the highest level twice (Red Cross level 6), and will be taking junior lifesaving this summer.

If any of my kids had shown an interest in being on a swim team I would have considered stopping lessons sooner.

[Snow mom]

Lessons can probably stop and be replaced with just exposure. She just needs lots of chances to be in water. But, if lessons are the only way to do that then keep up with the lessons.


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This was my thought as well--once they are competent swimmers I think it would be okay to stop formal lessons as long as their swimming is improving through regular non-lesson swimming. If lessons are really the only way she is getting in the water I would continue them until she's a strong swimmer.

[rlu]

I took swim lessons to the highest level through Red Cross, just below lifesaving. The last class was basically advanced survival skills. My sister didn't take the last class but she is a strong swimmer in regular conditions, despite being uncomfortable in deep water. As a child she was pulled under by a wave and none of us ever forgot that feeling of terror watching her be pulled away and under.

DH obtained the BSA swimming merit badge and DS is going to work on that this summer. We plan to put him in private lessons with the objective of getting him "tuned up" to pass the merit badge requirements. He has been in swim lessons for years and no longer wants to take them at the Y as they plan to put him into the swim team and he has no interest in that. I consider DS a strong swimmer in regular conditions. There's another badge that isn't technically lifesaving but includes that which we plan to have DS do, so he'll be back into a lifesaving class next summer (if all goes to plan).

[squimp]

I would keep her in lessons, at least one session per year. I wanted DD to take up through level 10 at our pool, which is the highest level of the program. She made it through level 9 in 5th grade, and then got too busy with other sports. She is a decent swimmer and does lots of summer camps and activities where they swim so it's really important to me that she is a good, independent swimmer.

If you are not comfortable leaving your DD at a swim party without supervision, I would definitely keep her in lessons. I took a friend of DD's swimming in 4th grade and the girl could not actually swim and it was really tough. She could fake it in the shallows but could not go in the off the diving board much less the high dive or zip line, so was missing out on all the fun.

[AnnieW625]

when they can swim unassisted 25 yrds. across an Olympic sized pool or from the shallow end to the deep end of a backyard pool with no distress. My Dd1 stopped taking traditional lessons at the end of last summer and she was 9. She does a weekly swim practice, which is more like a stroke clinic in hope that she joins swim team in a few years.

I took swim lessons until I was 11 iirc.

[gatorsmom]

Lessons can probably stop and be replaced with just exposure. She just needs lots of chances to be in water. But, if lessons are the only way to do that then keep up with the lessons.


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:yeahthat: My twins are 8yo and are so confident in the water that I don't even watch them when they go to a pool (and I'm one of the most paranoid moms I know). But they won't stay too long in the parts that are deep because they know their limit and they are smart enough to know what they are most comfortable in. Even still, I'll put mine in swim lessons this year (just the younger 3- my oldest has graduated out of the YMCA system) so they can perfect their technique and learn more strokes.

[mom_hanna]

When they can comfortable swim 50yds non stop (ie. not be barely making it to the wall but could go further kind of comfortable). We live near a reservoir where kids swim and go boating, paddle-boarding, etc, and I told my dc that I would let them go with friends when they are older, only if I know that should they fall off a paddle board or boat, they could swim back to shore or back to the boat. The reservoir is not very wide, but is deep, so they have to be comfortable actually swimming, since they can't touch the bottom.

[schrocat]

When they pass out of the highest level possible and can swim all 4 strokes legally.

[bisous]

When they pass out of the highest level possible and can swim all 4 strokes legally.

This is how I did it as a kid. I'm not sure my kids will ever get this good! I'm sure some remember we have drama every year trying to find swimming lessons that are effective. Still, the above is what I'm aiming for!

[MSWR0319]

DS1 stopped lessons at 6. Although, technically I still consider his summer "cub" swim program a lesson. It's basically swim team with no competitions and purely working on strokes and building up endurance. They swam a "mini-meet" at the end of the 4 week program where they swam an hour and a half every day. He did winter swim team this year at 7 and will again this summer so I am not making him take lessons anymore. Now, DS2 is 4 but I don't see him being nearly as good of a swimmer as DS1 was, so I have a feeling he'll be taking lessons longer.

[schrocat]

This is how I did it as a kid. I'm not sure my kids will ever get this good! I'm sure some remember we have drama every year trying to find swimming lessons that are effective. Still, the above is what I'm aiming for!

I was a good swimmer and on the swim team but I never could get butterfly down. Right now my 10 year old is legal in 3 strokes and working on butterfly and at the very last level. It's been a struggle for him to learn how to swim throughout and we're very proud of him. His younger brothers will probably get to this stage at a much younger age. DS2 who's 7 is only 2 levels away from where DS1 is. The kids take lessons all year round though because they tend to forget if they stop for a period of time.

[georgiegirl]

When they pass out of the highest level possible and can swim all 4 strokes legally.

I don't think all kids need to be proficient in fly or legal in breast (since it's so technical.) but a child should be able to comfortable swim a few laps continuously in free and back and should be able to tread water for a few minutes and know how to do the survival floats.

The swim teams here require your child to swim 25 free (with side breathing) and 25 back before joining the team.

[Simon]

I agree with able to swim 50 yards comfortably. We take out boats on rivers and lakes; my kids need to have the presence of mind and then the endurance to swim to safety. (yes, they always wear life vests but those make it harder to swim, not easier, and we are in cold water). I won't let Ds1 have his own kayak until he is a stronger swimmer. He did the swim team last summer and it had amazing results. He doesn't want to do the team again this summer (it was hard work!) so he'll have to go back in lessons.

[marinkitty]

My kids did either lessons or swim team (we switched from the former to the latter along the way) until they can swim all four strokes well and could pass their camp swim tests (treading water 20 minutes and swimming all three of the four strokes passably). We live near open water and are huge water people, so I wasn't comfortable with just basic swimming skills. This is the first summer we won't be doing organized swim team because we won't be at home, and I'm actually a little uncomfortable with it. I don't think there is any substitute for swimming laps and having the strokes reinforced by an instructor. My nephew has a pool but had bare minimum formal lessons and he makes me super nervous in the water - he is definitely not a strong swimmer and I don't feel comfortable with him in the ocean at all.