Swimming Class for Preschooler?

I think 3 is the perfect age to start, and I really like Emler's program. Both of my children take lessons at Emler's. I started my oldest a few months before he turned 3, and he enjoyed it from day one and made rapid progress. He is now a very confident swimmer at age 4. My younger son has made slower progress, but I started him much younger (age 1). Emler focuses on safety (one of the first skills they teach is jump-turn-swim, which teaches kids how to save themselves if they fall in the water) and fun. The instructors try hard to bond with the kids and make sure that they are enjoying it. I've heard that other swim programs (ones with more of a throw-em in the water, and they'll learn to swim philosophy) can produce faster results, but I am very satisfied with my children's progress, and enjoyment, at Emler. This is the second week of the fall session, so it's a pretty good time to sign up. You should be able to find pricing on their webpage.

Three is not too young. I've had my 4 yr old in swim lessons since she was six months old. She is a extremely strong swimmer. We have been at Emler for the last three years and love their program. They are great with the kids and always teach safety. At the end of the semester, they have what they call Clothesline Day. All kids come with clothes over their swimsuits and shoes on. They teach them what to do should they fall in a pool. They have them swim for about 10 mins with their clothes on to feel what it's like to swim with them on. Afterwards they can remove and continue with the lessons. They also do a boat safety day where they put them in life vests in a raft and when they don't expect it, they flip them out and have them swim back to the raft.

It is a great program and highly recommend Emler.

I've heard good things about Emler, but to offer another option, I took my 3 year old this summer to Aquafit in Plano. The only "preparation" we did was to have my daughter comfortable in the water. So, splashing in the tub, getting water in her face, blowing bubbles... that kind of thing. I think we paid $99 for a 6-week class. Met once a week, for about 45 minutes. There were 8 kids and 2 teachers.

I took my niece to plano rec center. I took the mommy and me class and they taught her pool safety. She learned how to go underwater. She used a life vest part of the time. It was a fun experience for both of us. I plan to enroll her in the 4 year old class in the fall.

Emler is awesome!! We have been taking my son (who is now 3) to emler swim school since he was about a year and a half. They really do a good job and my son always has fun!! They are a little expensive but I definitely think its worth it!

My daughter started at Emler at around 5. Her classmates probably started at 3 or 4 because they were also at Emler (near her school) but on Swim Team and the more advanced levels. My daughter hates water in her eyes/on her face, and I had been unsuccessful trying to teach her at home, so I wasn't sure how well she'd adjust, but she caught on quickly and was swimming pretty well by the end of the first class. There was a 4 year old in her class (just 2 kids total, which was nice!) and he did not know how to swim by the end of the class, so he did not advance to the next level. I would think it would depend on each child and how comfortable he/she is with water and learning. The 4 year old was more interested in splashing on the step than listening to the teacher.

I didn't do anything to prepare my daughter (other than attempting to teach her myself, which was not helpful). I can't remember what we paid for Emler - something in the $200-300 range for a semester or summer session. My daughter advanced from the 2nd to 3rd class mid-semester and then stayed in the 3rd class for the 3rd session even though I think she was ready to move on. I got the impression they didn't want to keep moving her up as quickly as I wanted, so we didn't re-enroll after the 3rd class. She was getting really bored with the classes because she was doing the same stuff over and over that she felt she knew how to do already.

Since she got the basics down, we spent the summer swimming and she's become a stronger swimmer on her own (she can tread water, jump off the diving board and swim across the pool, etc), but she lacks the knowledge of the various strokes. I was primarily concerned about safety and not so much about swim stroke/form at this point though, and Emler got her to where I wanted/needed her to be.

Good luck!

The YMCA has swim classes as well, and you do not need to be a member to participate in them - you just have to pay a higher price. I did swim lessons with my 6 month old and it was fun!