Swimming and water safety are important for kids, either they are very young or a bit older.
The value of early exposure to water has been established by clinical research* as it benefits children’s overall development.
This post will discuss the benefits of swimming.
Moreover, ideas are included for parents on how to overcome obstacles
and introduce water in fun and relaxed ways at home!
10 Benefits of Swimming
- Water Safety
- Physical Development
- Intellectual advancement
- Confidence
- Resilience
- Stress relief/calming
- Socialization
- Boost of immune system
- Improvement of appetite and sleep quality
- Lifelong skill
Common problems with parents and swimming
So you know all the benefits and something is still not working for you and your kid?
Sometimes it seems that children have issues with water, however it is often proved that it is induced by parents.
Parents should question their own attitude to water.
Young kids take cues from the parents and they are confused by the negative vibrations that come from a parent. It is the same like when they start childcare or school. If parents control their negative thoughts, then their kids feel much more comfortable even at a new place with new faces around.
Are you:
- the anxious parent,
- the pushy parent or
- the hesitant parent?
What should you do…
…if you are an anxious parent?
Parents, who engage in early water familiarisation with their infants, develop a positive attitude to water activities and become more confident in handling their kids in water. Preferably parents should learn first to make friends with the water before enrolling their kids in swimming lessons. This is especially important, when parental involvement is essential, for instance infant swimming lessons. Kids won’t feel at ease in the water unless their parents do.
… if you are a pushy parent?
Personally I still remember one of my uncles throwing me and my siblings in water for us to learn swimming. Yes it was swallow water, but still it was a shock! Giving kids time to familiarise with water is crucial. If parents are pushy, it is possible for the kids to refuse to spend time in water or join swimming lessons at all.
… if you are a hesitant parent?
Read again all the swimming benefits!
The only sort of problem that is not easily solved is when children miss many classes due to illness.
There are no other problems with children that not be solved by kindness, understanding and perseverance.
All parents need to know the benefits of swimming for kids and the need for early exposure to water.
Let’s share this post with other parents and help them give their kids a head start through swimming!
From water play in a bathtub to structured swimming lessons,
they all play an important role in kids’ development
as long as the parents are informed adequately before they start.
*Liselott Diem & others, A längsschnittuntersuchung über die Wirkung, Verlag Karl Hofmann, Schorndorf, 1980.