BENEFITS OF LEARNING TO SWIM AT A YOUNG AGE

1. Water Safety and drowning

A child dies every 2 minutes in the world. Drowning is the largest cause of accident related deaths of 1-5 year olds (even higher than road accidents) The WHO has described drowning as the silent epidemic. Nearly all drowning -induced deaths are preventable. A 2009 study in the USA found an 88 percent reduction in drowning risk in children ages 1 to 4 who had taken swim lessons.

2. Enjoyment for kids

Swimming is fun and leads to happy kids. If children are comfortable and confident in the water, they will enjoy their leisure time and enjoy their holidays. or more times per week. Holiday courses a e a great opportunity for fast progression because the children get to practice every day. As a general rule, by the age of 4 they have developed the motor control and muscle strength to swim alone in a pool.

3. Peace of mind for parents

Families can enjoy their leisure time more if children are comfortable and confident in the water.

4. Promotes an active and healthy lifestyle

Everyone wants their children to grow up to be active and healthy. Swimming is widely recognised as the perfect workout, with low stress on the joints and a great cardio, strength and muscular endurance.

5. Intelligence and cognitive functioning

Studies demonstrate that spending time in the pool helps babies become more self-confident and intelligent (yes, really!). Being in the water engages your baby’s tiny body in a completely unique way, creating billions of new neurons as your child kicks, glides, and smacks at the water.

A study in Australia and the US of 7000 children found that children who swam are

15 months ahead problem solving in mathematics, counting, language and following instructions."
11 months ahead in oral expression,
six months ahead in mathematics reasoning
two months ahead in brief reading.
17 months ahead in story recall
20 months ahead in understanding directions

6. Confidence and self-esteem

In one German study, children who had taken swim lessons from the age of 2 months to 4 years were better adapted to new situations, had more self-confidence, and were more independent than non-swimmers. Another German study reinforced these findings, illustrating that early, year-round swimming lesson participants had greater self-control, had a stronger desire to succeed, had better self-esteem and were more comfortable in social situations than non-swimmers.

7. Parent-child bonding

Participating in swimming classes with your child is a wonderful parent-child bonding experience. In our hectic, fast-paced world, slowing down to simply enjoy an experience together is rare.