When to stop child's swimming lessons?

Question

My daughter is 8 years old and can swim about 1 length. She absolutely hates swimming lessons and cries every week! Should I stop taking her?

Answer 1

It's good for her, as well as any human, to be able to at least float/swim one lap. If she absolutely detests swimming, then you should might as well stop. She's already learned a general understanding and knows how to not drown, and obviously has no ambition of becoming a good swimmer.

Though, try to keep her active. Encourage her to join a different sport or take music lessons or something else. Always have them trying to learn something new, maybe they'll find something they're really good at.

Answer 2

I think that you should definitely keep your daughter in swimming lessons :). I am a swimming instructor and lifeguard myself and the worst thing you could do is to take her out! She needs to gain more confidence in the water and learn to have fun in it. She might be upset because she is finding the class is too difficult for her. Put her in private lessons if you have to... that way, the class will move at her pace.

If you cannot afford private lessons, my next suggestion is to go with her during the open swim so that you can play in the water. That way, she will have some happy memories in the water, and she won't be so scared to go back. Hope this helps.

Answer 3

Hello.  I've been a swimming instructor and instructor-trainer for many years.  I am a big supporter of keeping a child in swimming lessons until they have become a well-rounded swimmer, able to do several different strokes, are confident in the water, and can deal with aquatic emergencies safely.

Having said that, if your child hates her swimming lessons there is a serious problem somewhere.  A child's normal reaction to being at the pool and in any kind of aquatic activity is a positive one.  There must be some kind of underlying problem that needs to be identified and addressed.

Unfortunately, the quality of swim lessons varies immensely from pool to pool, and often from instructor to instructor.  A good instructor would have already noted this child's reaction and come and talked to you about it directly.  If that has not happened I would go to the Pool Supervisor and ask about that.  Of course, the quality and experience of those persons also varies a lot, so you may not get the help you need.

The child may have an underlying fear of the water.  That is a normal reaction under certain circumstances, but a good instructor will take that into consideration while teaching.  It is possible that the child is in a level-of-lesson that is too advanced for her.  Of course, it may be that the youngster simply doesn't get along with their instructor, or has an interpersonal problem with one or more of the other students, or has another issue with the instructional setting or people.    

You might consider switching to private lessons with a good, experienced instructor.  I much prefer group lessons in most circumstances, but this may be the exception.

The other alternative is to take the child out of lessons for a season, then try again next year.  If the child chooses to take swimming lessons, and participates in the process in a positive way, that makes the whole thing go a lot smoother.  Perhaps she is resentful of not having had a voice in choosing her activity.  It might be better to wait and see if she would choose to enter this activity on her own volition.

But the bottom line is to find out what is causing this negative reaction and deal with the specific problem.  Encourage your child to talk about their experiences at the pool.  Make an effort to find out the 'why'.  Try to deal with that as best you can.  Maybe wait out a season and come back next year.  Maybe switch to a different facility.  Maybe try private lessons, or at least a different instructor.

I think learning to swim is very important for a child's safety and to open up all sorts of sports and recreation opportunities.  I do not advocate abandoning swim instruction altogether.  I hope you can solve the child's problem and swimming becomes a positive experience for her.

Answer 4

If she learned to swim already and hates it quit taking her to swimming lessons. Duh

Answer 5

Well swimming lessons should be fun, but if your daughter does not enjoy swimming, then you should stop taking her.

Answer 6

When she is older, and her friends are having pool parties, she will be glad that she learned how to swim. But it sounds like she might already know enough. She doesn't have to win the Olympics.