TODDLER SWIMMING BENEFITS
Swimming provides multiple benefits to people of all ages. It gives you a full body workout without putting pressure on your joints. It’s a great way to cool off on a hot day and provides a wonderful way to socialize with friends.
While people of any age can learn to swim, the sooner you start, the better, as it will produce a lifetime of this enjoyable exercise. When can you start learning? As soon as the umbilical cord is cut! Since babies come in a fluid-filled pouch, they are naturals in water. However, it is better as a parent to spend time with the child just floating and playing, getting familiar with how it works. Three years is the ideal time for formal lessons in a class with other children, as that is the age when they are mature enough to understand and follow directions. If the child is already familiar with water, he will not be afraid of it.
The benefits of swimming for young children are many. As a medium, water is practically weightless, so they can fall without injury. The forgiving nature of water allows children to try new things and make mistakes without fear as they feel no pain while learning. Swimming helps develop muscular and cardiovascular strength, flexibility, posture, coordination and balance. Young children can learn to swim even before they can walk, in fact those who are slow learners can be helped by swimming lessons. Regular attendance helps fight obesity. It allows them to grow and become healthy adults, since it is an activity that they will never outgrow; they can enjoy it for life.
Swimming improves emotional health. Water is a very soothing and healing medium, encouraging those who drink it to exercise for longer. Anyone who has worked with children knows how difficult it is to get them out of the water! Swimming improves mood, ending depression. It also helps that it can be easily incorporated into a social activity, such as a pool or beach party (you should never swim alone, anyway).
Swimming also increases mental capacity. Young children discover how the world works around them, while learning to interact with others. Physical exercise provides oxygen to the brain, allowing it to function better. Studies have shown that children who learn to swim at a young age reach developmental milestones sooner and have higher test scores once they are in school. Early lessons also improve self-esteem; Painfully shy kids, even those who are autistic, have reaped multiple benefits from spending time in the water. This is no doubt due to the parental bonding and social interaction that early swimming lessons provide.
Most important of all is the safety factor. Drowning is the second leading cause of death among people ages 5 to 24. Introducing them to toddler swimming lessons will virtually eliminate this from happening to him or her, while maintaining their health in the most enjoyable way.
With so many benefits of swimming for young children, there is no reason NOT to teach them how to swim!