What is the Best Age to Teach Your Child to Swim?

Learning to swim is important, and every child should know how.  However, many parents hotly debate what the right age is for them to start their child off with swimming lessons.  Some take their infants to classes, while other children don’t learn to swim until they are in their teens.

One study showed that the majority of children learn to swim well when they are around five years old.  At this age, they have more coordination and a longer attention span, which means they can fully grasp the physical techniques involved in learning to swim.  However, you may still want to expose them to water at a much younger age so that they will be able to learn to enjoy it and not be afraid of the water.

If your child is younger than five and shows an interest in learning to swim properly, there is no harm in teaching them.  Make sure that you are very careful in the water with your child, and never force a child to learn to swim if he or she isn’t ready.

Throwing your children into the pool to teach them, or to make a joke, is a horrible idea.  It can cause phobias, resentment, and it is dangerous if they breathe in water or you find you can’t get to them in time.  Remember, you wouldn’t want anyone to toss you out of a plane to teach you how to use a parachute – that is how your child feels about water before they can swim.

Whenever your children are in or near the water, you must watch them no matter their age.  Even if they are good swimmers, you need to have both eyes fixed on the child at all times so that there are no accidents or tragedies.