Did you know that despite the fact that around 71% of the earth is covered in water, over half of the population cannot swim well enough to support themselves? Swimming is an essential life skill, and enrolling children in swimming lessons at any age will have myriad positive effects for the young learner. Some of the notable impacts of swimming on a young person include:
Water Safety
Drowning continues to be one of the most prevalent causes of death in children, and enrolling young kids in swimming lessons raises the chances of the child’s survival in and around water. Not only are proficient swimmers able to keep themselves safe around water, they are also able to provide assistance to weak or tired swimmers around them. By ensuring children know the rules of water safety, as well as swimming basics, parents can directly and indirectly impact the positive outcomes of water incidents.
Physical Health
Swimming, like any sport, helps maintain the physical wellbeing of athletes. The difference between swimming and nearly any other sport is just how widespread the benefits are. First and foremost, swimming is fantastic cardio, thus helping keep the lungs and heart of swimmers strong and healthy. It is also what’s known as a low-impact sport, meaning that while the muscles of swimmers may ache as they grow, their joints and cartilage will remain intact and protected. Muscle development in the water allows for greater strength, but also maximizes swimmers muscle tone and posture. Lastly, some unexpected benefits of swimming include increased flexibility and balance, as a result of the wide range of motion required for the development of proper swimming techniques.
Psychosocial Development
Swimming lessons, drills, and competition present swimmers with challenges that test not only physical abilities and skill, but also determination and a healthy sense of competition. Ongoing, year-long swimming practices and lessons develop a sense of routine, responsibility and accountability in swimmers from a young age. Moreover, swim teams and clubs are a great place for youth to build relationships with peers and develop meaningful connections that can last a lifetime. The swimming community is diverse and multifaceted, so any swimmer can find a place where they feel like they belong.
Future Careers
From teaching to lifesaving, swimming skills and a tie to the swimming community provides youth with numerous volunteering and job opportunities. Coaches and lifeguards, rescuers and diving instructors – the possibilities that open up to swimmers begin in the early teens and may become an exciting and fulfilling lifetime career.