How long will it take for my child to swim?

We are very lucky in this country, in that the importance of learning to swim as one of the main cornerstones to water safety is something we are generally fairly well educated about. But I am often asked ‘How long will it take for my child to Learn To Swim?”.
Every child is different, but learning to swim is a long term, ongoing process, and consistency is the key to the development and maintenance of swimming skills. Attending lessons should become an established part of your child’s weekly routine throughout their infant, preschool and early school years, all year round.
As with any skill, it is normal for the child to go through periods of plateau, regression and developmental leaps throughout the process of learning to swim, but over time constant progress is being made. We usually say (as general guide) that your child has become a capable swimmer when they are able to swim 400 metres with good technique, without stopping, and without becoming exhausted.
Of course, this level of swimming skill takes different amounts of time for individual children to reach, and depends largely upon how much time your child spends in the water per week. To fast track your child’s progress, or to catch up after time off, a week long intensive program or multiple lessons per week are recommended. The benefits of multiple lessons include rapid improvement of swimming skills and technique, resulting in quicker progression through the Learn To Swim levels, increased fitness, and making swimming lessons even more affordable (we offer from 40 – 90% off second and subsequent lessons per week).
It is important to remember that swimming is not just another option on the list of sports and activities available to children – it is an invaluable lifelong skill that may just save their lives.
Stay safer!