Every child needs to know how to swim, and the starting age for swimming lessons is best between the ages of one and four years of age. Key skills a child needs to learn are how to tread water, how to float, and how to find a safe place to get out of the water. Swimming ability is an important aspect of avoiding incidents of drowning.
Children should still be supervised around water and swimming pools should be inaccessible when there is no one to watch them.
As well as being a priority, swimming is a fun activity. Children greatly enjoy this in and out of school. Additionally, swimming comes with numerous benefits, which we take a closer look at.
Health Benefits of Swimming
Children need exercise, just as adults do. Swimming is a cardiovascular, low-impact exercise suitable for all ages. With children, swimming as exercise will burn calories, thus preventing the storage of excess fat leading to obesity. It is also a good way to drain off energy highs. Swimming is an excellent way to prepare children for sleep and help them to get a good night’s rest. Sufficient sleep is essential for overall wellbeing.
Swimming develops the muscles and bones, providing strength and flexibility. Coordination is enhanced. It is a good tension reliever and can ward off stress. Children with conditions like juvenile rheumatoid arthritis can obtain temporary pain relief from swimming.
Another health benefit of swimming, especially for children with chronic pain, is that it increases circulation and blood flow to painful places. This brings healing nutrients and proteins that can restore tissue such as joints and muscles. It is also easier to move painful muscles in water, thus promoting stretching and balance.
Life Skills
Learning to swim provides the child with a feeling of accomplishment. This will continue as they go from novice to fully-fledged swimmers. Being able to exercise a talent or perform a skill leads to self-confidence. Swimmers may have a healthier self-image than their peers and be more accepting of the body’s imperfections. Attending any lessons regularly teaches dedication and perseverance.
Social Skills
If you have a foster child who is struggling to form friendships, swimming as a social activity may help them make friends. Investigate whether there is an age-appropriate swimming club in your area and whether your foster child would like to join. You can always ask your foster agency for advice on how to help a shy foster child. Agencies like Foster Care Associates have lots of resources for foster carers.
Fun and Entertainment
You only have to listen to the sounds of happy children playing in a swimming pool to know how much pleasure this activity affords most people. Likewise, swimming in the ocean, playing on the beach, or splashing a hose around the garden can keep children entertained for hours.
Swimming can be a solitary activity, with your child doing laps every morning before school or cooling off after school. It is often a social activity and is enjoyed by children and
