What’s The Ideal Age To Teach Your Children To Swim?

We brought our kids to the YMCA when they were infants to introduce them to swimming! I can still hear my mother scolding me that they were too young to be taught.

Although there are many swim classes for infants and toddlers, the American Academy of Pediatrics recommends you not begin formal swimming lessons until kids are at least 4 years old. This is the age that children are thought to be 'developmentally ready' for swim lessons.

So will starting swim lessons early help your child learn to swim faster? The experts say probably not! One study where children learned 'front crawl swimming' showed that whether kids started lessons at two, three or four years of age, they learned to swim well at approximately the same average age of five and a half years.

Please be very careful and mindful when your kids are around water. Drowning is the leading cause of unintentional death among children ages one through two years. Remember that swim lessons do not drown-proof younger kids, and they should always be supervised, whether or not they know how to swim. Have fun in the water this summer!