The snow is melting, and the cold temperatures are warming up, which can only mean one thing: summer is coming! Summer and swimming go hand in hand, whether you take your children to your local public pool, utilize your own pool at home, or send your kid off to swim at a friend’s house. It is important that your child knows how to swim, not only for safety but also because it is an essential life-long skill.
Many children start swimming lessons even as babies, and it is not uncommon to have parent-child classes to get little ones used to the water. As your child gets older and is able to take more direction, enrolling them in swim lessons is not only beneficial for safety but also for them to have fun and interact with their peers.
Here are some reasons you should teach your child how to swim and how it could save their life!
Benefits of Learning How To Swim
Knowing how to swim promotes water safety: Teaching your child how to swim, either through swimming lessons, a private instructor, or even yourself, prevents accidental drownings around bodies of water.
In the United States alone, drowning deaths are on the rise, according to the CDC, with a reported 4,500 accidental drowning deaths from 2020-2022. The CDC credits increased access to basic water safety and swimming lessons as one way to prevent accidental drowning deaths.
Swimming is fun and promotes healthy exercise: Kids of all ages (and even adults) enjoy jumping in and splashing around in a body of water, but not knowing how to swim can limit the amount of fun a child can have swimming. If a child does not know how to swim in different depths of water properly, they may be forced to miss out on fun with friends due to their inability to navigate other areas of a body of water, such as the shallow vs. the deep end of a pool.
Swimming is also a low-barrier, healthy way for children to exercise. It promotes the use of many different muscles and body movements, which can encourage kids to continue healthy exercise habits outside of the pool.
Building self-confidence through swimming: Teaching your child to swim can help them build self-confidence both in and out of the water. By enrolling your child in swimming lessons or providing them with a way to learn how to swim, they can feel confident when they are in a public place that provides the opportunity for swimming, as well as when they are hanging out with their friends.
This self-confidence can build from a young age since children tend to start swim lessons even earlier. The thought of a child being able to accomplish goals while learning water safety and essentials for swimming helps build their confidence.
Dangers of Not Knowing How To Swim
Accidental Drownings: As mentioned above, accidental drowning deaths are in the couple of thousands each year, with children in age groups from 1-4 years old at the highest risk for drowning. Accidental drownings can happen at any time, so it’s essential as a parent that either you or a trusted adult is always with (or watching if appropriate) your child swim.
The CDC states that the best way to combat accidental drownings is to put your child through swimming lessons so they know how to swim in a body of water safely. Not only do swimming lessons teach your child how to swim, but they also address what kinds of water to avoid, when to have an adult with you, what flotation devices can assist them in the water, and how to safely enter the water.
Setting your child back from developing: If your child never learns how to swim, it can cause some sadness and even a lack of social skills in different situations. Many children learn to swim at such a young age that if they do not, it can become a negative memory rather than a positive one of their childhood. Not to mention that it puts them at risk around water.
If you, as a parent, do not know how to swim, you can make this a family goal by all learning together! You can break the cycle by allowing your child to learn how to swim while also giving yourself permission to have fun and finally learn how to swim.
Where Your Child Can Learn To Swim
Local community centers offer swim lessons year-round: Many centers like the YMCA or your local community center most likely offer swim lessons not just in the summer but all year long! This way, you can have your child start swim lessons at any point during the year so they are confident and safe at the beginning of summer.
Private lessons are always an option: If you would rather your child learn one-on-one, private swimming lessons are a great way to do so. Utilizing resources such as friends and family, local job boards, or even the local swim clubs in the area to see if any qualified swimmers can teach swim lessons is a great place to start! As always, please use your judgment when approaching and hiring someone to teach your child water safety and how to swim.
Expose your child to positive interactions with water: Maybe you can’t get your child into swim lessons at the moment, but you can encourage positive interactions with water at home by watching videos of kids swimming and even practicing some skills during bath time!
Teaching your child to blow bubbles, dunk their head, get their face wet, and other basic water skills can help supplement the gap while you wait for more professional instruction for your child regarding swimming.
The benefits of teaching your child to swim are endless, and it is a great way to promote fun and healthy play, especially during the summer! Learning water safety at a young age can help prevent accidental drowning deaths and boost their confidence as they get older and face more opportunities around bodies of water. Learning to swim can be seen as a right of passage, and allowing your child to complete levels of learning how to swim can create long-lasting positive memories!
