Learning to swim

It is vital all children learn to swim.

We can't all be the next Rebecca Adlington or Sam Hind (our Paralympic gold medalist) but swimming is more than a competitive sport.  It is a skill that could save your child's life.

Encouraging your child to swim
Safe fun in the water shouldn’t just be confined to school hours, and there is a lot you can do to help and encourage your child to swim and learn about water safety, survival and lifesaving. Supplement their school swimming lessons with regular visits to your local pool. Your child will learn much faster if visits are little and often rather than long and infrequent.
Include the whole family in your trips – swimming should be a fun, social activity. 

Take a genuine interest in your child’s progress in the pool.  It’s never too early to start your child on the path to becoming a strong, safe swimmer – in fact the younger the better. Your child can even begin at pre-school or supplement their lessons once they have started education by joining a Learn to Swim programme.Here are some tips:

• Start young. Buy a paddling pool and let your child splash around from the time they can sit up.
• Bath time is often a child’s first experience of water, so make it fun time.
• Think about joining a special Parent and Baby swimming programme.
• Bring toddlers into the water by holding them close. Once they know you will protect them in the water, they will feel more at ease.
• Swimming lessons for three and four year olds are a good idea, but make sure you choose a class that suits you and your child. Make sure you are comfortable with both the class and the teachers before enrolling.
• Ask if the Learn to Swim programme includes water safety education.
• Make sure the pool and the teachers are all Criminal Records Bureau (CRB) certified, and that the teachers hold nationally recognised qualifications.
• Make sure there are lifeguards on duty during the classes.
• Make sure there are clean, suitable changing facilities or baby changing rooms.