When can my child be independent in swimming?

Many parents often ask: when can my child go swimming on his or her own? For a start, let’s take a macro view of the entire calendar year.

There are 52 weeks in a year, about 4 weeks in a month. We assume that a child takes one lesson per week. Out of these 4 weeks, there may be days with bad weather, going on holidays, children falling sick, other matters to attend and so on. With all of that removed, we may end up with 2 lessons a month, or 24 lessons in a year.

Realistically speaking, no one can be a competent swimmer in 24 lessons, unless the child is athletically inclined. Even for Joseph Schooling, he had to wake up daily at 4am to practise his swimming!

Thus, in order to become an independent, competent swimmer, consistency in attending swimming lessons and self-practice is key. To be skillful in any endeavour, you require commitment and consistent training. Most of us are residents on terra-firma. Hence, it takes much more time and effort to be able to swim competently and confidently.

Read about our previous article on an age to age guide to your child’s swimming ability, as well as an article on how consistent swimming practice produces results!