4 year olds first swimming lesson.. what to expect?

[kbwebb]

My DD has her first swimming lesson tonight.

the only thing ive been told is that the lessons are 30 minutes long and that i will have to go into the pool with her each lesson until shes passed quite a few of the swimming badges.
other than that i have no idea what to expect really.

anyones child had swimming lessons how did they go?

edited to add shes doing the 'stanley' badges starting at stanley 1.

 

[lau86]

They're all so variable I think! My son started one course and all he did was kick his legs holding a float. It was all about technique so they learnt front crawl arms and couldn't really float or swim as such. Some kids did really well with that, my son was still going up and down with his float a year later.
We had a break and he has gone back to a different one where it is much more traditional- get them swimming and worry about technique later. He is doing really well but he is that bit older. With both of those I sat and watched rather than getting in. They follow the duckling badges.
My second son who will be 4 in December has lessons and he uses armbands but essentially he does similar things to ds1

 

[Wobbles]

I never had to get in the pool with my 2 although youngest was 5 when they started. Not sure if that makes a difference!

 

[sequeena]

My son has recently started swimming lessons. I don't go in the pool with him. He has been learning to 'frog, scissor, snap' which is the frog technique. They use floats to guide him across the water, it's all about their feet at the moment not their hands. They throw weights in the water to encourage the kids to put their heads underwater and at the end they play tag in the water and get to jump into the pool. I think ours do the kellogg badges.

 

[Eleanor ace]

Mine started at 3, there was a pre-3 class where parents had to go in with them but from 3 you don't. They use woggles at first, then floats and kickboards when they're more confident. My DD is 4 and in stage 2 (it goes Ducklings (age 3/non swimmers), stage 1, stage 2 etc), she has 30 minute lessons and can swim without assistance but still uses floats when practising different strokes (arms behind her head holding a float while she's doing back stroke legs).

 

[kbwebb]

Thanks all
I did have to go in the pool with her. Apparently I have to go in until she's completed Stanley 4! Which seems a long time to me.
They put three rings on each arm and got then to jump in, swim the short and then long length of the pool and blow bubbles in the water. I had to walk along side her with my hand under her stomach to keep her afloat she kept moaning saying I was going to let go of her!. I just feel like she's going to learn to rely on me being in there with her if I'm in there for so long!

 

[Eleanor ace]

It seems like slight overkill to have floats on her arms and you holding her up! I'b be really disappointed if I had to get in and couldn't enjoy a 30 minute sit down watching

 

[Dawnlouise30]

I'm surprised you have to go in with her. My son Started the ducklings programme when he was 3, he went in on his own. Beginning with three arm bands. As he progressed they took armbands off him, he can reach the floor anyway. He has weekly 30 mins lessons and has done all ducklings programme and is now AQA stage 3 swimming with 6 + year olds (he is 4.5)
I think had I have gone in with him he wouldn't have tried as hard and he would have relied on me to help him along, like you're having to do with your daughter.
I wonder if there are any other swimming lessons hear you where she could go on on her own?

 

[kbwebb]

Ive looked and both pools near me say that i have to go in! like you say shes relying on me rather than her working out how to do it herself.
i feel like its really going to hold her back. I believe you can pay for 1-2-1 lessons rather than in groups but its very expensive.

 

[Dawnlouise30]

It seems a really silly rule. At what age are they allowed in a lesson without parents?
I can see how one to one lessons could prove expensive x

Ive looked and both pools near me say that i have to go in! like you say shes relying on me rather than her working out how to do it herself.
i feel like its really going to hold her back. I believe you can pay for 1-2-1 lessons rather than in groups but its very expensive.

 

[c1403]

All lessons and children are different. Some have groups, some 1:2, some 1:1,
I took my daughter last summer, the first lesson it took her 20 minutes to get in the water. The second lesson she didn't get in at all! We never went back. You need to find what works for them. She didn't like the instructor (not that I was bothered about gender, but he was male and she didn't like him she says she wants a lady). I couldn't go in with her either. Will have another go when she starts school and hopefully build up confidence over the summer!

 

[kbwebb]

Just wanted to update and say that her second lesson was much better. they did swimming on their front and back, blew bubbles and jumped in. 90% of the time i wasnt holding onto DD, i only did so if she was going to bump into another child

ive told her that if she can swim without me and put her face in the water (one of the issues she had the first lesson was the water going on her face) she will get a swimming badge. so she seems pretty motivated to do it now.
she was really excited last week to show the instructor that she could now blow bubbles after practicing in the bath.

 

[Bevziibubble]

That's great news that her second lesson went much better