[~Nic~]

I was the same with DS2 - He hates getting his head wet and screams whenever he tries which disrupts the entire classs as well. I pulled him out of lessons and started taking him to the pool myself once a week - I use USwim - it's an online teach your kids to swim yourself website and I have found that DS has progressed more in the couple of months since I was doing that than he did in the couple of years that he was in lessons.

[Akatara]

my dd was like that at about three.
she loved swimming and could do everything except 'pick up the brick' from the bottom of the pool.

the teacher tried to get her to get the brick every single week. and every week it ended in tears.

we had a break for a term or two, and we ended up at a different swim school.

she was fine and now shes a great swimmer.

[qak]

DS went through a stage like that and then one week we had a different teacher and she was fine from that point onwards. So maybe try a different teacher or a different school, or a break.

[niggles]

My 4.5 year old is still learning those things. Last summer she went through a real aversion to water on her face. We just let her do her thing and started lessons again this spring. Her teacher is very gentle with them and is taking lots of time to encourage them slowly. We spent almost every day in the water over the last school holidays as well. That intensive fun swimming in the lead up to the lessons has given her a bit of drive too.

[LittleMissPink]

I'd stop the lessons, and make going to the pool fun.

My 3.5 year old has been the same...she loves the water, is happy and confident, can put her face in etc. But I put her in lessons for the first time this year and it was a complete disaster! She screamed every lesson, but if we were swimming for fun she was fine.

So we stopped the lessons, made swimming just for fun, and sh i s learning to swim all on her own! Will revisit lessons later when i think the time is right.

[bye]

.

This post has been edited by bye: 29/03/2013, 03:04 PM

[Gudrun]

I'd take him out of lessons too and just take him to the pool fairly frequently for fun. They're all different. If it's still a problem when he is older private one on one lessons might be the go.

My daughter started lessons at 5 and refused, refused, refused to put her head under water and I remember the teacher carrying her around and dipping under the lane ropes so her head had to go in. Anyway it worked in the end and that kid ended up being a serious swimmer way into her twenties.

I also had an anti water kid and when he was in grade 6 I told him not learning to swim was not an option. I said he wasn't playing tennis anymore until he reached level 7 in the Vicswim program. He did his level 7 and never got in water for recreation again. That was 23 years ago.

This post has been edited by Gudrun: 23/12/2012, 06:13 PM

[Currywurst]

I also agree with informal lessons. My son has done well with his lessons but wont go all the way under. The teacher said most either hate water in their ears or up their nose. We bought DS a nose clip and goggles and he is much better. It was the water up his nose that was upsetting him. We also spend a bit of time playing after a lesson and he copies what he has learnt with us in the pool. This week we have been nearly every day to the pool for fun and he was great on Saturday at his official lesson.

Good luck

[Currywurst]

I also agree with informal lessons. My son has done well with his lessons but wont go all the way under. The teacher said most either hate water in their ears or up their nose. We bought DS a nose clip and goggles and he is much better. It was the water up his nose that was upsetting him. We also spend a bit of time playing after a lesson and he copies what he has learnt with us in the pool. This week we have been nearly every day to the pool for fun and he was great on Saturday at his official lesson.

Good luck