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January 18, 2022

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Each year in Australia, an average of 23 children under five die from unintentional drowning, usually due to factors such as a lack of adult supervision, unrestricted access to water and not having the skills to stay safe in water.

Teaching children to swim is crucial to prevent drowning; it’s also good for fun and fitness, and sets kids up for a lifetime of water enjoyment.

But when is the best age to enrol children in swimming?

Age four is a good time to start

Best age to start swimming lessons

Many learn-to-swim schools offer lessons for children as young as six months, and parents often feel under pressure to get kids started as early as possible.

These lessons can help a child get used to water, learn to put their face under and learn to close their mouths. They can also be a great opportunity for parent and child to bond, as the caregiver is in the water with the child. Research has even suggested swimming in the early years can benefit physical, cognitive and language skills among three to five year olds.

But while it may be possible to teach young infants basic motor skills in water, infants cannot, and should not, be expected to know how to swim or to be able to react appropriately in emergencies.

There’s not a lot of research available on what age is the “best” time to start swim lessons. But studies from Australia suggest children start being able to master water confidence and basic aquatic locomotive skills at around four years of age, regardless of the age they are when lessons begin.

The same researchers also reported that regardless of whether lessons began at two, three or four years of age, children achieved the skills necessary to perform freestyle at five and a half years of age.

Some evidence suggests swimming lessons improve swimming ability and behaviour around the pool in younger children (between two and four years of age).

But the jury is out on how well these skills are maintained in the long term.

You may have also seen videos circulating on social media showing infants being tossed into pools and rolling over to float on their back unassisted.

But Austswim, Australia’s national organisation for the teaching of swimming and water safety, has advised against forced back float and submersion in favour of more developmentally appropriate strategies.

Research I led also showed a negative prior aquatic experience, which can occur during formal learn-to-swim lessons, can negatively impact a child’s achievement level.

Consistency is key

Parents sometimes enrol their children in swimming lessons at a young age and then pull them out before minimum competencies are achieved, frustrated by the cost of lessons and the seemingly slow progress.

COVID has also interrupted swimming lessons and water safety education for many children.

Some will return to lessons and catch up, but some may never return – perhaps due to the cost of lessons or because the child is now focused on a different sport or activity.

So when considering whether to enrol your child in swimming lessons, consider sticking with it over the long term until your child truly has the skills to stay safe in the water.

 

Once enrolled, what’s the best way to learn?

When to start swimming lessons

You might be wondering what’s better: a short weekly lesson or school holiday intensives, where the child does a swim lesson every day for a week or two.

The answer may depend on your family’s schedule and what’s available in your area but even if you opt for holiday intensives, try to provide opportunities for your child to regularly practise the skills learned in the pool.

Research I co-authored found the more often a child swims (formally or informally) in a pool, at the beach or at the river, the better they will do at swimming lessons. My coauthors and I recommended children swim at least once a fortnight.

It has been a tragic summer for drowning so far, with several factors increasing the risk at this time of year. Therefore, water safety is vital.

For children, in addition to learning to swim, that means active adult supervision of children at all times around the water, checking the pool fence and gate are in good working order and learning CPR so you have the skills to respond in an emergency. The Conversation

Amy Peden, Lecturer – Injury Prevention, UNSW

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.

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  • By the time my kids went to school they could swim the length of the pool without much trouble. It’s important for them to be able to at least get to the side of the pool in the event that they fall in. That was my main goal.

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  • All of my kids learnt at Primary School

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  • I couldn’t take my boys swimming because I was never taught myself. I agree it’s good to teach them the basics at least as soon as possible.

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  • My daughter is planning on taking her baby swimming as soon as they can.

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  • It’s so important for children to learn how to swim. It doesn’t matter but what age they learn as long as they learn water survival skills.

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  • Our children started around 6 months. Having a pool in the back yard made it a necessity for them to not be frightened if they fell or got pushed into the water while playing around the edge of the pool. All the supervision in the world won’t stop an accident from happening.

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  • We started around age 4 too. My youngest is vat age 10 still in one-on-one swimming lessons and needs it

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  • I agree that age 4 is good. My kids were around that age. I think it’s important that they can understand what’s happening fully. Plus baby classes are just about being held in the water and singing songs- why pay for that?

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  • I’m about to put my 3 month old in a splash and play baby swimming class. Something to get him used to the water so we can start proper lessons early on. I don’t think it’s wise to live in Australia and not have lessons, or not to have an appreciation of how fun yet dangerous bodies of water can be.

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  • I had both my kids learning to swim at 9 months old. It wasn’t so much about learning to swim as it was about if they fell in the water, what they could do to help themselves. It’s a baby’s natural instinct to hold their breath under water and mine were taught to kick their legs until they got to the side of the pool. It was more for safety but also to get them used to water. My son had his own surfboard at 1yrs of age and was learning to surf at 2yrs of age. We lived near the beach so it was a necessity. Myself and my ex both surfed so it was just natural for us. My daughter had her boys in the water at 6months old too. Water babies. It’s a necessity in our country to know how to swim properly.

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  • both our daughters started when they started walking approx 12 months… it was t he perfect time for them

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  • I started both my grand sons at age 4. After some initial hesitance they’ve both quickly caught up to others who have been doing lessons since they were babies. By age 4 they are ready to listen and follow instructions. It’s been a great age to start.

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  • We have our 2yo in swimming lessons but recently pulled her out. Whilst she is learning some things we are currently in the middle of terrible 2s and lessons are spent more having tantrums. Will wait a little and put her back in but im the meantime will continue to talk to her about swimming safety

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  • I don’t think they learn much as babies at actual lessons, but more getting used to the water. I think around two years they take more in. They should always be supervised.

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  • I like the idea of early swimming lessons if kids are going to be around water. Doesn’t mean they need to learn freestyle, just basic skills

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  • Good for babies to get used to the water.

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  • Get them in the water as soon as possible! Knowing how it swim is an essential life skill

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  • My girl started at 6 months but only lasted a few months until baby #2 came along. Was feeling so guilty about it until I read this. 4yo seems much more appropriate to me. Baby lessons were a bit repetitive ????

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  • We put our daughter into lessons later that we wanted due to Covid and unfortunately had to stop again due to covid and costs. I think learning to swim is such an important skill to have, even from a young age, just the awareness of the water and getting used to the feeling. Too many people die from drowning when there are skills that can be taught even from a young age to potentially help!

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  • My bubs is only 4 months old, however I was feeling pressure from other mums to put him into swim lessons by 6months.
    After reading this article I might wait a few years before starting him.

    Reply

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