Some kids stop swimming lessons too early. How well can your child actually swim?

As the weather starts to cool down and outdoor pools shut, are you thinking of pressing pause on your child’s swimming lessons, or even stopping altogether?

If your child has reached a certain level, has stopped making progress or is no longer enjoying their swimming lessons, you may also be considering pulling the pin.

But just because a child can float – or can even reliably swim some freestyle – they may not yet be water safe.

Read more: I’m a drowning prevention researcher – my kid’s school swimming carnival shocked me

Many children stop lessons around age 8

National data indicates many children stop swimming lessons around the age of eight.

Common reasons for this include parents assuming adequate competency, conflicting schedules (such as other sport activities), children’s lack of enjoyment/engagement, and financial challenges.

This is an issue. At the same time, Australia is seeing a decline in children’s swimming ability. Recent research suggests many cannot swim 50 metres continuously in a swimming pool – the national expectation of children aged 12.

We also know more broadly that families say they struggle to find the time, transport and money to invest in swimming lessons.

Parents can misjudge childrens’ ability

Studies overseas and in Australia show parents and carers can misjudge how far their children can swim in a pool and their level of water safety knowledge.

For example, our 2026 study showed when parents reported their 10–12-year-old child as an “okay” swimmer, 65% of these children could not swim 50m in a pool. Likewise, 38% of parent-reported “good” swimmers and 21% of “excellent” swimmers could also not swim this distance.

This becomes even more dangerous if applied to a beach, lake or river, which are much more variable and challenging swimming environments.

Most children in Australia learn to swim in a pool. There is a risk of assuming that because they are confident and experienced in a pool, they have the skills and knowledge to stay safe in open water with waves, colder water, tides, rips and other obstacles such as rocks.

Things are confusing

To add to the confusion, the content of swimming programs differs between providers. Similarly, the progress children need to make before moving to the next level in their swimming program also differs between providers.

It’s not mandatory for swimming programs to align with the national benchmarks for swimming and water safety, developed by Royal Life Saving Society Australia.

This makes it difficult for parents/carers to know how their child’s ability aligns with the national expectations of their age group. Without clear guidance, it’s understandable that parents may assume their child can swim in open water if, for example, they’re at the top level in their swimming class.

What do we need?

Ultimately, we need to encourage broader understanding and use of the national benchmarks so all people in Australia know what it means to “know how to swim”.

For all 12-year-olds, this includes being able to swim 50m continuously without stopping or touching the bottom, and being able to float for two minutes. It also includes rescue and survival activities and demonstrating water safety knowledge for a range of environments.

The expectation for those aged 17-plus is that they should be able to swim 400m continuously and float for five minutes.

Specifically we need:

• swimming programs to show how they align with national benchmarks including clear communication of expectations for parents/carers

• swim programs to provide opportunities to swim at beaches, rivers and lakes. This might mean linking pools with lifesaving clubs

• to improve access to these programs for families that struggle with costs and transport. All children should have adequate opportunities to learn how to be safe in the water.