Teaching Your Older Child to Swim

One thing that keeps many children from learning how to swim well into adulthood is missing out on swim lessons when they are younger. If your child avoided swimming while they were young, or if there simply wasn’t any time to teach them, you can still get your child enrolled in classes. It’s never too late to begin.

Even Adults Are at Risk

Even adults can be at risk for drowning if they never learn how to swim. As we get older, it becomes more difficult for us to learn new tasks. Children are still able to learn quickly and develop their swimming techniques while adults may struggle. This makes it vital for older children who have not yet learned how to swim to begin swimming immediately.

Learning to Swim Late Isn’t Unusual

Many children learn to swim later in life for a variety of reasons. Some children are afraid of the water when they’re younger and other children simply aren’t in an environment where swimming is common. Children should never feel alone or as though they are unusual if they don’t know how to swim at a later age. Instead, they should be encouraged to develop their swimming skills in a structured and supportive environment.

Older children can have private lessons until they feel ready to join a group of their peers. Learning among peers of similar experience levels will allow your child to build confidence and let them know that they are not alone in learning how to swim at an older age. Older children tend to become accustomed to the water and learn more quickly than younger children, allowing them to advance quickly and catch up to those within their age group in virtually no time at all.