Are Swim Lessons the Right Choice for Your Child?
Managing activities for children can be a challenging task. You must balance your child's need to explore and have fun with the importance of providing them with a strong education and critical life skills. Finding this balance can often be difficult, especially when your children may not see the value in activities that can provide them with crucial skills and knowledge for later life.
Of course, most people understand the benefits of physical activity. Involving your child in sports or exercise from a young age can reduce their likelihood of developing serious conditions while improving their overall fitness. Keep reading to learn about three fascinating reasons why swim lessons may be the perfect activity to balance fun, fitness, and life skills for your child.
1. Drowning Is a Common Childhood Threat
Drowning is a leading cause of death or severe injury for children up to 14 years old. Even nonfatal drownings can cause children to develop chronic problems or require long-term hospitalization. While days at the pool or the beach can be enjoyable, these risks mean that parents must constantly remain vigilant when their children are near water. Unfortunately, drowning can occur quickly, often in less than a minute. Research indicates that knowing how to swim is one of the best defenses against drowning, and children with formal swim training are at significantly reduced risk. Knowing how to swim means your child will be much better off if they accidentally slip into a pool or another body of water, even under supervision. Swim lessons are a safe and effective way to provide these skills to your child. Professional swim lessons also ensure your child can learn these skills in a secure environment from an instructor with training and experience.
2. Swimming Offers Many Unique Benefits
Entire books are available on the benefits of physical activity for young children and adults alike. While most forms of physical activity and exercise can provide numerous health benefits, swimming is unusually beneficial. In addition to the many cardiovascular health benefits that come with aerobic exercise, researchers have found evidence of significant cognitive gains, specifically from swimming. Since many children naturally enjoy time in the pool, swim lessons can be an excellent opportunity to provide your child with a fun activity to boost fitness and potentially improve memory and other cognitive skills. Studies show that these benefits begin at a very early age, meaning that it's never too soon to get your child started in the pool. Enrolling your children in swim lessons is also a great way to help foster a love for swimming that they can carry forward throughout their lives. Adults who don't learn to swim as children often have a harder time overcoming their fear of water later in life, making it more challenging for them to reap the fitness benefits that swimming offers.
3. Swimming Lessons Provide a Fun Activity
If you grew up spending time in the pool, you know that swimming isn't just a healthy and life-saving skill—it's also a lot of fun! However, safely enjoying swimming as a fitness activity doesn't always come naturally. Many children may hesitate to enter the water, and these fears can carry over into later childhood and adulthood. Starting your child with swim lessons from a young age can open up a whole new world of fun for them by helping to remove this fear and hesitation. An experienced instructor can teach your child the skills they need to treat water with the proper respect while still understanding that time spent in the water can be fun and relaxing. Swimming lessons also often include unique water-based games that children love.
If you want to give your child a healthy start with a fitness activity that's great for their mind and body, Great Miami Valley YMCA offers group and private swim lessons that can be an excellent fit for children of any age. Get in touch today to find a swim program that's a perfect fit for your child!