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Originally Posted On: 5 Benefits of Teaching Children to Swim | (whitefishwave.com)

 

Fear of the water is something that a lot of kids face. It can be a real challenge to teach your child to swim, but is it worth all of the effort? We’re going to look at some of the benefits of teaching children to swim today. It turns out that there are a lot of great advantages to learning to swim at an early age.

Hopefully, the information below will inspire you to get your child familiar with the water! Let’s take a look.

1. IT REDUCES THE RISKS OF DROWNING

The first and most important benefit of knowing how to swim is safety.

When you’re unable to swim, all bodies of water pose a significant risk to you. This is especially true when you’re a child and aren’t as aware of your surroundings. The ability to swim offers a literal life-saving advantage in those situations.

Familiarizing your child with the water will help them feel comfortable if they’re ever to fall in. Even one lesson will reduce the risk that they’ll panic or get overwhelmed if they hit the water unexpectedly.

So, even though it might be a hassle to get them to go to swimming lessons, it’s well worth it when you consider the alternative risks.

2. SWIMMERS CAN SAVE LIVES

On the other side of things, your child will be able to help someone in need if they ever encounter someone who’s struggling in the water.

Maybe they’ll see someone in need in a few years, or far down the line when they’re adults. In any case, the ability to swim is the ability to help someone who needs it.

This might seem like an unlikely thing, but there are actually a lot of instances where your child or someone they know will need help. Statistically speaking, drowning is the leading cause of death for children under the age of five.

From a practical point of view, swimming lessons are the absolute best choice. Your child will stay safe and be able to keep others safe at the same time.

Now, let’s look at some of the recreational and personal benefits of being able to swim.

3. EXERCISE

Children’s swimming lessons open kids up to the opportunity of using the water as a form of exercise.

Whatever way you swing it, you’re exercising when you’re in the pool. Whether you’re treading water or doing laps, you’re increasing the heart rate and getting a good source of cardio in.

It’s also an activity that keeps you cool as you work out. Swimming for about two to three hours on a regular basis is a great way to keep your arms, core, glutes, back, and legs in shape.

It works out your entire body without feeling like you’re going to pass out or faint from intense heat and exhaustion. Naturally, you could work yourself to that point, but swimming gets you moving without the need to exert yourself too hard.

It’s also an exercise that is very easy on the muscles and joints. Running, for example, can lead to a lot of joint issues down the line. Going out to the pool or hitting the lake in the summer is a great way for kids to get active, meet people, and enjoy themselves.

4. RECREATIONAL FUN AND SPORTS

There’s no end to the number of exciting activities that involve swimming.

Comfortability with the water opens people up to a wide range of activities that a lot of people enjoy. In a lot of cases, it’s expected that a person can swim so that they can be involved with different trips, work activities, and outings with their friends.

If you live in the climate for it, swimming might be an activity that a lot of teens and young adults participate in to get together and have fun. Those outings would be opportunities missed if your child never learns to swim.

In fact, there are opportunities like this throughout life, and many people consider them to be some of the most enjoyable parts of life.

Further, if your child takes a liking to swimming, they might join the swim team in school. Swimming competitively is a great way to get involved with school activities, compete, and even win scholarships for the future.

At the very least, they’ll be able to swim well when they enter the age that swim classes come around in school.

5. TEACHING CHILDREN TO SWIM BUILDS CONFIDENCE

Learning to swim is an accomplishment.

Sure, a lot of people know how to do it and doesn’t feel that difficult once you have it down, but it’s hard to learn. You have to face an innate human fear to even step in the water.

Then, over time, you learn to tread water and eventually swim long distances with no trouble at all. Getting the hang of something like that builds a lot of confidence. Children benefit a great deal from having confidence boosters at an early age.

Plus, the activities that they can easily participate in factor into their identity. If they’re able to swim, they can build relationships with other swimmers. They can feel confident and have fun playing games in the water.

Whether or not they know it, the ease with which they swim will build them up little by little. Alternatively, not knowing how to swim might be a point of embarrassment for them.

They might wish they knew how to swim so that they could participate like the others. That, along with the fear of the water, might be something that sticks with them.

So, biting the bullet and getting your children familiar with the water can be a very beneficial thing. The initial time and effort will be well worth the great benefits that swimming provides.

INTERESTED IN SWIMMING LESSONS?

Teaching children to swim is a rewarding investment that will pay returns over the course of their lifetimes. The only thing you have to do now is get started!

Children’s swimming lessons are a great way to get them in the water in a safe environment. Explore our site or contact us for more information on how to get started.