Should Kids Learn To Swim?

By Author: Chris Le Roy
Total Articles: 95
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Swimming is not only a great form of physical activity for your children but it also helps them develop confidence, social skills, discipline and it could just save their life. Children should be enrolled in swimming lessons as soon as possible but it is never too late for the older ones to learn.

There is a sense of relaxation that comes with knowing that your child can swim, that given the situation and no one was around, they would know what to do. You cannot understand how quickly a child can fall into water and drown until it happens. The first thing children are taught in swimming lessons is to swim to the edge, whether that be the edge of the pool or the post of a fishing dock. This way they use their energy and react immediately to get to something they can hold on to before they start to panic. Otherwise, they're in the water, terrified and splashing around in the same place not knowing what to do. Swimming also teaches them to relax and float on their back so if they are in a situation where they cannot reach an edge then they will know that they can stay calm and float without sinking.

Kids learn ...
... a great amount of discipline when taking swimming lessons. There are rules enforced by the instructors and lifeguards and there are consequences to breaking these rules. This will carry over into other areas of their life. Swimming also brings self-discipline because the child is always aiming to improve and set new goals for themselves.

The more your child learns and the more comfortable they are in the water, the more confident they become, in and out of the water. If they succeed at swimming than there's more things they may be willing to try. Children also acquire a great deal of social skills taking swimming lessons. They get the chance to interact with other children and learn about trust and respect and to be patient and wait their turn.

Swimming gets your kids to step away from video games and television for a bit and allows them to do something really healthy for themselves. Kids don't generally exercise and they will not look at swimming as a form of exercise. It is just a fun event that they really enjoy doing and with the obesity rate rising in children it is important that they stay active.

If you aren't sure if your child should learn to swim then you should know that drowning is the number one cause for unintentional death in children and most drowning occurs in the child's own pool or a family member's pool. Most children that have drown have literally been left unsupervised for less than five minutes. That is truly how fast a life can be lost. It is really important that your child learns to swim and in doing so, they will be doing something good for themselves both physically and mentally.
If you are taking your kids to the park or for a swim do not forget your First Aid Kit. We have a range of great first aid kits to suit your needs. We also recommend that you checkout our Buteyko training program if your kids suffer asthma.