It’s no secret that children should learn water safety, including how to swim. Did you know that children can start swimming lessons as young as two months old and continue through their teenage years?
Children can learn a wide variety of swimming skills, which is why it is normal for them to be in swim lessons for multiple years! Keep on reading to check out swimming milestones for children by age or grade level.
Parent-Child Baby, Toddler, And Preschool
It is recommended that the family participate in swimming lessons for the first couple of years of a child learning to swim. By getting the family involved, everyone practices drowning prevention!
Parent-Child Baby Age Range:
The recommended age range for parent-child swimming lessons is technically 1 year or older. The American Academy of Pediatrics states that Parent-Child swimming lessons can be a great bonding experience for you and your child and only help with water exposure, but they are not necessary for learning to swim.
Milestone: These swim lessons generally involve splashing in water, playing fun games, and exposing young children to the water.
Parent-Child Toddler & Preschool Age Range:
For Parent-Child Toddler & Preschool swimming lessons, children between 1 and 4 years old are prime candidates to start swimming lessons. If your child is showing interest beyond splashing in the bathtub or is frequently exposed to other bodies of water (such as a pool or a beach) and seems conformable, that could be a sign that your child is ready to take the next step with Parent-Child swimming lessons.
It’s important that you find a program that allows a parent or guardian to accompany the child during the swimming lessons. This allows for bonding and a feeling of safety for the child in the water.
Milestone: At this point, children around 4 years of age should be able to float, reach an exit point of the water, and tread water.
Children 5 Years Old and Above
This is the age when children really should be in swim lessons or being exposed to water safety frequently. It is also the age at which a child’s swimming abilities accelerate, from knowing how to float and tread water to doing the front crawl and even diving!
5-Year Age Range:
Your child is likely in regular swimming lessons at this age, possibly all year round at indoor facilities! At five years of age, there are still options for some classes to have an adult in the water with the child, but those become less frequent, as the idea is that the child is comfortable in the water by themselves at this point.
Milestone: Mastering the front crawl and different forms of kicking in the water while being comfortable in the water setting.
6-Year Age Range and Beyond:
After your child has reached the point of passing toddler, preschool, and kindergarten-level classes, they should have a basic knowledge of how to tread water, kick and swim the front crawl simultaneously, and have a solid foundation of water safety. Anything beyond that is refining techniques and teaching them new skills in the water.
Milestone(s): These skills can look very different based on how long your child continues in swim lessons, but teaching the four different strokes of front crawl, back crawl (or backstroke), breaststroke, and the butterfly stroke are the next steps in your child’s swim journey.
Along with learning different strokes and kicks, your child can also learn different entries into the pool, such as forms of diving, whether from the side of the pool or off a diving board!
It is really important to expose young children to the water and teach them how to swim safely to prevent accidental drownings. It is also important for parents and other family members to participate with them in those early years so you, too, can learn proper water safety and how to ensure that your child is safe around the water.
Swim lessons are meant to be fun and rewarding for children, but don’t be discouraged if it takes your child a minute to warm up to the water! Consistency is key, and encouragement and your own participation can go a long way.
