The benefits of swimming for kids are well documented. Even the mayor is on the case and a Ken-backed pilot scheme is offering children free swimming in five London boroughs.

If you want your kids to be good swimmers, they need to be having fun and enjoying the water. That is all very well, but if you missed the parent and baby classes and your toddler has a pathological loathing for getting wet, where do you start?

Most classes take children from three years old. In advance of that, according to Gina Hobson of Swimming Nature, the best you can do is to try and make them happy underwater. Wherever possible, ditch the armbands and floatation aids – according to Gina they disrupt the body position and don’t help with raising confidence. With my wet clinging mess of child, there was fat chance of ditching anything. However, luckily Daisy had now reached three and I could pass her over to the expert hands of Andrew, one of Swimming Nature’s coaches. Amazed, I watched as she was submerged, submerged herself, learnt to blow bubbles, learnt to float.

The Swimming Nature method is to have teachers in the pool with the kids at all times. The ratio for the learner classes is 1:2 and this results in a fairly hefty termly bill, but their methods are extremely successful.

Each child starts on a progression chart beginning with frog and going through seal, crab, penguin, turtle and crocodile to swordfish. Daisy is still a frog and learning to blow bubbles, her brother is a crab proudly putting the arms in his front crawl; a turtle can dive and is learning breast stroke. When you are a swordfish you are doing individual medley swimming with proper turns – something I’ve never mastered!

They may not be allowed armbands but goggles seem to be an essential today. I don’t think I put on a pair of goggles until I was 18; my kids won’t enter water without them. A great development for short sighted children, new on the market from Aquasee, are a range of prescription lense goggles. Call 0800 328 1864 for stockists.

Swimming Nature

Tel 020 7624 2476

Classes at the following centres:

Kensington Leisure Centre
Walmer Road, W11
Tel 020 7727 9747

The Chelsea Sports Centre
Chelsea Manor Street, SW3
Tel 020 7352 6985

The Porchester Centre
W2
Tel 020 7792 2919

Queen Mother Sports Centre
223 Vauxhall Bridge Road, SW1
Tel 020 7630 5522

Regents Park, Frances Holland School, Clarence Gate.
Tel 020 7624 2476

Prices vary from centre to centre but a 12-week term starts at £204.
Also offer ‘Fast track’ holiday courses from 2+ yrs.

Swimwell

Classes at Kensington and Chelsea centres (see above).

Classes for younger children`have a maximum of 8 kids to a class, for older children the ratio may increase to 1:10. The instructor remains in the water with the younger children. Swimwell operate four 12 week courses over the year. Private lessons can be arranged.

Hounslow Council

Brentford Fountain Leisure Centre
658 Chiswick High Rd, TW8
Tel 08454 562 935

New Chiswick Pool
Edensor Rd, W4
Tel 020 8747 8811

Termly courses run Sept, Jan and Apr. Booking for Sept will open in July. Class sizes range from 6 to 12 kids depending on age and ability. Private lessons (1:2 or 1:1) can also be arranged. Also offer weekly crash courses throughout the holidays.

Fulham Pools
Lillie Road, SW6
Tel 0870 8707018