Sometimes, it is rather easy to determine the right time to start swimming lessons – your child really wants to! “Hey mum, hey dad, I want to swim, no matter how long swimming lessons might be!” And that’s your cue!

Other times, though, your kid may be unwilling to start swimming, and you need to do a bit of encouragement before starting swimming lessons. Or, your child has a slight fear of water, in which case you should wait, talk, and by no means force your child into water prematurely.

But, there are some general opinions on at what age you should sign up your children for kids swimming lessons in San Diego and we’re here to share them with you!

What age can you start swimming lessons?

First things first, you have to understand that your child is almost never too young to start taking swimming lessons at a local swimming pool. Yes, you should probably wait for your child to celebrate their first birthday, but other than that, you cannot be too early.

There are even swimming lessons for babies under a year old, where they learn how to float, splash, kick, etc. This can prepare your kid for more serious swimming lessons once they get older.

Can a 2 year old swim?

Of course your 2-year-old can swim! But only if they learn how to swim in a safe, controlled environment. The sooner your child learns the basics of swimming the better. This will ensure your kid has plenty of time later on to focus on the important safety aspects of swimming and different styles and techniques.

This will ensure your child not only learns how to swim, but also become a good swimmer who places safety in water as a top priority. And that’s the most important aspect of learning how to swim, is it not?

What is the best age to start swimming lessons?

Once upon a time, American Academy of Pediatrics advised that kids should not start formal swimming lessons before the age of 4. However, they’ve since realized that swimming offers important benefits from an early age, and have now changed their opinion to anytime after the age of 1.

Learning how to swim at such a young age is great, the sooner the better we say. However, sometimes, a child is not willing to get into the water at such a young age due to fear, anxiety, or some other reason.

That’s why, depending on the case, we say that the perfect age to start going to swimming classes is very individual. Some kids love water from an early age, others don’t. That’s why you should pay attention to your child’s desires and act accordingly while trying to solve potential problems along the way.

How long does it take kids to learn to swim?

The time your child will need to learn how to swim is, again, highly individual. However, there are some general guidelines that focus on safe swimming.

A kid can learn to float, swim, and play in water in a relatively short amount of time. But, being safe in the water is most important. Let’s see how long it would take your kid to learn how to swim depending on when they join swimming lessons:

• If your child starts learning how to swim between the ages of six and eighteen months, it will take them about a year and a half of swim classes to learn how to swim well and become completely safe in water.
• If your kid starts taking swimming lessons between the ages of eighteen months and three years, it will be about a year of swimming classes before they start stroking with the best of them.
• Finally, if your child starts swimming lessons after the age of three, it will take about half a year of regular swimming lessons to learn how to behave responsibly and safely in water.

We have to emphasize that the younger your child is when they learn how to swim, the better as it means your child will become a stronger and safer swimmer sooner.

What other aspects affect the amount of time needed to learn how to swim?

However, there are some other aspects that affect how long your child will need to learn how to swim:

1. Frequency – The more regularly your child attends swimming lessons, the sooner they will learn how to swim.
2. Fear – If your child doesn’t fear water, there will be nothing stopping them from learning how to swim in a shorter amount of time.
3. Ability – Some kids have better motor skills and coordination than other kids, and this will greatly affect the speed at which a child learns how to swim.

How many swimming lessons does a child need?

A rule of thumb is that it usually takes about thirty lessons for a kid to be able to swim from one side of the pool to the other without the help of the instructor, but other than that, it all boils down to every child individually.

Everybody is different, everybody learns at a different rate, and there’s no fixed number of lessons that everyone would need to learn how to swim. Our only advice is not to quit swimming lessons at the first sign that your child is starting to swim independently.

Don’t rush it and allow your child to really learn everything there is to learn about swimming. It’s better to take a couple of lessons more than fewer. Swimming safely is most important, and it takes some time to learn how to do that.

“Where can I find the most engaging kids swimming lessons in San Diego?”

Finding good swimming lessons is not as easy a task as it seems at first and finding dependable and experienced swimming instructors for your child is really important. That is why The Plunge San Diego should be your only stop if you’d like your kid to learn how to swim.

We organize individual and group swimming lessons, and you can attend those that suit both your and your child’s individual preferences. Why not take your child to our pool to check it out instead of the San Diego Zoo? We’ll teach them how to swim, so feel free to stop by!