Are you looking for ways to teach your young children valuable life skills? Finding positive ways to impart these skills can be challenging. However, have you given any thought to teaching them to swim?
The good news is that you don’t need a swimming pool at your house to do it. All you have to do is sign them up at the local gym. While you do the Pilates Frankston local recommends, your children can attend a few swimming classes. This post takes a look at the top ways your children will benefit.
Knowing How to Swim is an Essential Life Skill
There are many reasons why teaching your children to swim is a good idea. We’ve compiled a list of the most significant ones to keep in mind as you plan your kid’s summer activities.
1. They Will Learn Life Saving Water Skills
Water safety shouldn’t only be something you focus on if you live near a beach or have a pool. Signing your kids up for professional swimming lessons not only teaches them how to swim but also focuses on other aspects of water safety.
A few key aspects taught can include the following:
- Survival skills such as learning to swim in clothes and swimming underwater.
- Older children will be taught rescue techniques so that they can help other kids in danger.
- Identifying water hazards such as obstacles in the pool or ocean and learning how to deal with them.
- Learning basic CPR or how to call an adult for help.
The skills your children learn in these lessons will serve them well throughout their lives. Not only will they be able to keep themselves safe, but they may also be able to save someone else.
2. Gives their Heart Health a Boost
Individuals of all ages can benefit from a boost to their overall heart health. Children are no different and should always be encouraged to take part in activities that boost their heart health.
Fortunately, swimming ticks this box as well, as it increases blood flow and conditions the heart and lungs. Swimming is a fun way to get your child’s heart health off to a good start.
Regular physical exercise, such as swimming, also reduces your child’s risk of developing cardiovascular disease or obesity as they age. Studies have found that children who develop healthy exercise habits at a young age are more likely to keep up with these habits into adulthood.
3. Helps to Improve Lung Capacity
One of the first aspects of learning to swim is learning to control breathing. Teaching these skills to your kids will go a long way toward increasing their lung capacity. This also increases oxygen flow, which in turn boosts energy levels and may also encourage your kids to stay active.
4. Creates a Healthy Outlet for Energy Release
Swimming is a healthy and effective way for your kids to burn a lot of the energy they often seem to have too much of. As a full-body workout, swimming encourages them to use all their muscles and burn up energy. A rigorous swimming session in the afternoon will also help your kids to have a healthy night’s sleep.
5. Aids With Motor Skills Development
Babies and toddlers under five years of age will benefit from the motor skills they learn in their swimming lessons. This is because swimming forces children to use their muscles, arms, and legs in a whole new way.
Swimming also encourages your children to learn hand-eye coordination and teaches them to focus on the task at hand. Children who swim regularly also have more advanced visual-motor skills than those who haven’t learnt to swim or never go swimming. Babies and toddlers tend to show an increase in balance by the time they’re five. This may help them achieve developmental milestones much earlier as well.
6. Excellent Confidence Booster
Once your children start learning the basics of swimming, they will start feeling more confident and may even be comfortable in taking part in a range of different water activities. Pool parties, boating, spending the day at the beach, and of course, swimming are only a few of the fun ways they can enjoy the Australian summer.
7. Creates Social Skills
Swimming lessons aren’t just for learning new lifesaving skills and water safety. It’s also a fun way for your kids to meet new friends. This is especially wonderful if your little one is an only child and hasn’t had the opportunity to meet kids of a similar age.
Meeting other kids who are learning a similar skill is a quick and easy way to build personal and social skills with people they can be friends with outside of the swimming school.
Final Thoughts
If you’re looking for something special to do for your small children this summer, consider enrolling them on a swimming class. Learning to swim from an early age will teach them valuable life skills that they will use their whole lives. In addition to this, there are many health benefits as well as social interactions to look forward to. It’s an all-round good idea!
