How Children Benefit from Swimming Year-Round
7 reasons swimming year-round helps your child in and out of the pool
Swimming is more than splashing with your friends on a hot summer day. Children can reap many rewards from taking swimming lessons year-round – especially in sunny South Florida, where water safety is just as important at Christmas as it is on the Fourth of July.
Not only is swimming a skill that benefits children mentally and physically, but it is the only sport that can save their lives. Here are seven reasons why taking the plunge for year-round swim lessons are one of the best gifts you can give to your child.
- Drowning prevention. Drowning is the leading cause of unintentional death in children ages 1-4, and Florida led the nation as the state with the most child drownings in 2017. Keeping your child’s swimming skills sharp by taking lessons year-round is one of the best actions you can take to prevent drowning and will help your child develop into a strong, confident swimmer. Children who learn to swim at a young age not only learn to be safer around the water but they also reduce their risk of drowning by as much as 88 percent.
- Year-round exercise. Swimming in the winter helps keep kids active when it’s too cold to play outdoors. Staying active keeps kids engaged and healthy and can even boost their immune systems. It is also a great way to stay fit – vigorous swimming can burn more than 600 calories in an hour. And since swimmers pull against the water to move, every stroke is a strengthening exercise.
- Less likely to cause injury than other sports. Swimming is a low-impact, aerobic exercise, strengthening the heart and lungs while the water helps take the stress off the joints. Kids are much less likely to injure themselves in the water.
- Increased confidence. Constant exposure to water helps children become confident with water play, while large gaps of time between lessons – or no lessons at all – can allow a fear of water to develop.
- Reduced stress. Swimming can help kids feel calm and less stressed. The regular breathing patterns of swimming mimic meditation, and many people find the natural buoyancy of water to be relaxing.
- Stronger social skills. Swimming helps teach children how to take turns, listen, share, and cooperate. Studies show that young children who took regular swim lessons could adapt to new social situations easier because they had more confidence in social settings.
- Enhanced brain development. The Griffith Institute for Educational Research found that children who swam regularly at young ages consistently reached many developmental milestones earlier than children who did not swim.
In South Florida, water is everywhere – and swimming year-round helps kids stay confident with their skills and develop into safe, strong swimmers. Consistent swimming lessons benefit children mentally and physically. Swim lessons can also help young children develop better social skills, reduce stress, and increase their confidence. The benefits of swimming go far beyond summer fun and can set your child on the path to success in and out of the water.
The mission of Ocaquatics Swim School is to teach families to love swimming and to become safer, more comfortable, and more responsible in the water. If you’re interested in learning more about our year-round swim lessons, feel free to reach out to our team today by phone at 305-969-SWIM (7946), or by visiting our contact page.
