How to Tell If Your Child Is Ready for Group Swim Lessons
Swimming lessons can be an amazing experience for children. Learning to swim can be a lot of fun, offering a chance to play while learning valuable safety skills. Given all the benefits, the question for many parents isn’t whether or not they should have their child in group swim lessons, but when to get them started. There are a few different factors that play into the answer to that question.
Age
Age is one of the first factors in deciding if your child is ready for group swim lessons. While SwimJim offers group swim lessons for babies as young as 8 weeks old, they must have a caregiver with them until they are 3 years old. At that point, they are eligible to take group swim lessons without a caregiver. As such, the age of the child and availability of a caregiver must be factored in when deciding if the child is ready for group swim lessons.
Focus and Maturity
To learn how to swim, children must be able to listen and follow directions as they are given. It’s a matter of safety and allowing a class to go smoothly. If your child has the focus and maturity to listen to and follow instructions as they are given, they may be ready to take swim lessons in a group. Otherwise, they may benefit more from private instruction instead.
Social Comfort Level
As stated by the name, group swim lessons are done with a group of other children. Your child should be comfortable being around other people in a group setting before they are ready to take group swim lessons. They’ll benefit from the chance to socialize with other children, experience peer learning, and maybe some positive peer pressure. If your child is uncomfortable in group settings, they may be better off taking private swim lessons. As an upside, this may allow them to progress faster due to more personalized attention and greater focus.
Figuring out if your child is ready to take group swim lessons can be a little tricky. There isn’t a single right answer for any parent. It’s often a matter of how old the child is, their maturity and ability to focus, and their level of comfort in social settings. At the end of the day, you know your child best. That makes you the best person to decide if they’re ready to start group swim lessons or not.
SwimJim offers group swimming lessons for people of every age and at every level. Click here to learn more about our swim levels today!
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