When you sign your child up for swim lessons, you probably want to know how long it will take for them to learn to swim. This helps you plan out your time, budget and social activities for swimming.
While we can’t give a definitive answer on how long it will take your child to learn how to swim (because every child is different in how they learn), there are some factors that may affect how quickly your child can pick up their new swimming skills.
Practice and Consistency
Like any new skill, the more you practice, the better you will be. Much like playing a musical instrument or learning a new language, it takes time and effort to learn how to swim.
If you have a pool at home or access to a pool, you can practice some of the same skills they are learning in lessons at home. The more time they have to practice, the better they will pick up new skills.
It’s also important to attend every scheduled lesson and not have long breaks in between lessons. When you consistently bring your child to swim lessons, they will progress. We know kids get sick and other things come up, but try to make it to as many lessons as possible so your swimmer has the consistency they need to build on what they’ve learned the week before.
What are your goals?
What are your swimming goals for your child? Do you want them to successfully swim butterfly across the length of the pool? This may take a little more time and practice before they can do so.
Do you want them to be able to swim to the wall if they were to fall in? This is something we practice with newer swimmers at every lesson and a skill that even our younger swimmers can learn with practice and consistency.
Our swim program does work! At each level, there are new skills that are practiced so kids continue to add to the building blocks they have already learned. With practice, consistency and effort, your kids can learn how to swim at Sea Otter and be safer in the water.