What
Age Should Children Start Swimming?
I
am often asked what age children should start swimming and what my feelings are
about infant swimming. At my swim school, I like my youngest students to be four
years old. I'll tell you why. The American Academy of Pediatrics states that,
“Children are generally not developmentally ready for formal swimming lessons
until after their fourth birthday.” Throughout my years of teaching I have
discovered this to be true. Age four seems to be the magic number to start kids
in swimming lessons. They have developed motor skills appropriate for swimming
and are able to follow simple directions. They are also more willing to leave
mom or dad for a short time. This does not mean that you should wait to
introduce swimming skills to your child until they are four! Learning about the
water and learning basic swimming skills such as breath control, floating and
kicking, should start long before formal lessons and should be introduced by you
when you feel your child is ready.
Infant
swimming is a highly controversial topic. My opinion about infant swimming is
again the same as the American Academy of Pediatrics, which states, “There is
no research to show that swimming lessons for children younger than 4 years of
age will prevent drowning. At this age, children are not old enough to learn how
to swim on their own. They are too young to react with water survival skills
that would help them in an emergency situation. Adult supervision is the only
sure way to keep infants and toddlers safe around water.” If you choose to
enroll your baby in an infant swimming class, use your parental instincts. If
what you are observing from a swimming instructor does not look or feel right,
then it’s not! I prefer parent/tot classes where the parent
is always in control. No matter the age of a child, all are motivated to learn
through what they perceive as play. By understanding the skills in the E-Book, "Teach
Your Child to Swim"
and reinforcing them through playfulness, your child will be well on their way
to being a fantastic swimmer!