Benefits of Swimming Lessons for Preschool Children
05/29/2018 | Written by Nikos Vasilellis in Babies & Toddlers
The obvious question for all the parents is why start swimming lessons for their beloved kids at that early age. The answer is not obvious, but is well justified by this magical, for both parents and children, stage of life: Swimming lessons for preschool kids under five years old in Australia, and all over the world, can influence drastically the future of your offspring.
Preschool age is a very special phase of development for the humans. It can be argued that the formation of an individual's personality is based, to a great extent, on the stimulus and experiences that are gathered at that sensitive stage of the child's life. Indeed, studies show that children before the age of five have a number of certain and distinctive characteristics on an intellectual, social and spiritual level.
As far as their intellectual traits are concerned, children of preschool age have a tendency to learn using the whole of their bodies as they are fond of touching people and objects, moving around their physical environment, watching the movement that takes place around them and wondering all over the space they find. Preschool children look like explorers who are extremely fond of discovering as much as they can.
Water safety first
All the above facts might be known to parents. But why start swimming lessons for preschool children in Australia? What are the benefits of swimming to that young age? Well, one obvious answer is for their own safety. Shocking data reveal that children under the age of five have the highest mortality rate, regarding drowning incidents, for both genders.
Since Australia is surrounded by sea, it is a general duty that all precautionary action shall be taken to ensure that no tragedy would occur. Water safety knowledge and the prioritisation of survival skills in swimming lessons is a top consideration on a national level and should be a priority for all families living in Australia.
According to the Royal Life Saving National Drowning Report, 291 people drowned in Australian waterways in 2017. It is a number that shall be reduced and it is everyone's responsibility to achieve that goal. Especially the government has a significant role to play improving water safety organisations, but also all the parents shall make sure that their children receive the appropriate coaching and training.
Educational benefits
But, apart from that, there are significant educational benefits in swimming for preschool children. Early age swimming lessons could, indeed, play a significant role in the future development of the child for a great number of reasons such as:
- Accelerates physical, emotional and intellectual development for them
- Helps them maintain a healthy weight and develop better sleeping patterns
- Fights depression and reinforces their focus
- Increases their time management skills
- Teaches the value of teamwork
- Enhances their time management skills
- Improves cognitive flexibility, allowing the children to switch between tasks with accuracy and speed
And of course, it shall not be neglected that preschool swimming courses are a long-term investment, since once a child learns how to swim, it can swim for the rest of its life.
Psychological benefits
Apart from the educational benefits of the children who start swimming lessons at preschool age, there are also strong psychological benefits such as:
- General improvement to the child's psychology
- Swimming courses reinforce their mental toughness
- Great relief of stress
- Expands their social circle
- Increases their self esteem
- Provides a long-term sense of water safety
Health benefits
Since good health is the foundation for a rewarding life, the health benefits of beginning swimming lessons at an early age, cannot be overlooked. Just think for a moment the timeless advantages that come together with preschool swimming training:
- Helps preventing childhood obesity
- Provides cardiovascular activity that promotes heart and lung health
- It is a mental exercise that can improve emotional health and well-being
- Can be a positive factor for the better brain development
- Leads to greater happiness, thus helping to maintain good health
Younger students learn faster
Today we know that the brains of the young function as sponges, absorbing all the new information they get very quickly. There is a solid scientific explanation for that, as 90 % of the human brain is developed until the age of five. During this early period of their lives, young children have a learning capacity that exceeds even the learning capacity of the adults. Furthermore, scientific research has shown that the brains of babies double in size in the first year of their lives and that one of the best ways to encourage brain development and to nourish its neurons is by stimulating the senses.
Swimming lessons for young children under the age of five are a perfect brain stimulation drive, helping them to get their neuron's firing and contributing to great sensory development. Swimming lessons can also help babies and young children to acquire a better understanding of their body movement as well as the space around them.
Swimming lessons for preschool children in Australia can be a fundamental factor for their future growth and development. They develop their brains better, become more self-confident, develop healthy lifestyle choices and have the opportunity to expand to other water-based activities.
