“How long will it take for my child to learn to swim?” is probably the most common questions we get asked by parents at Diana’s Swim Academy. And we always ask “What’s your definition of swimming? Is it enjoying splashing around without any fear or being confidently able to swim longer distances with speed, or any of the stages in between?”
Every child is an individual, and there are many different factors that influence the rate of learning where swimming is concerned. These general factors include:

• Age (chronological, biological and functional) of the child: babies/toddlers up to 3 years old can typically learn to float themselves and safely hold their breath under water for up to 15 seconds, although their hand co-ordination isn’t quite there yet; children aged 3 to 4 can manage the correct arm movements although may not be able to do the correct breathing at the same time; children over 4 are usually well able to co-ordinate all the required elements of the necessary swimming techniques.

• Frequency and consistency of the swimming lessons: children progress on attending lessons in a well-organised environment once a week, and getting more practice within a short time, for example in our intensive Swim Camps, does of course speed up their rate of learning.

• The starting point: whether the child comes with previous experience in the pool and whether even they have had an experience that frightened them in the water will all influence the speed at which they will learn to swim
  Understanding the above factors with regards to each individual child is vital at Diana’s Swim Academy. We continually monitor and track the progress of each child and this information enables us to develop the most trusting and growth-centred relationship between the child and teacher, in and outside of the water.