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safesplash blog

Wednesday, December 09, 2015 by Brooke Jones

Are Swimming Lessons More Than Just Learning to Swim?

SafeSplashHR-9523.jpgLearning to swim is a defining experience in a child’s life, an experience that creates lasting memories similar to learning to ride a bike.  But unlike riding a bike, swimming is also important to your child’s safety and development. Swimming is a life skill.  When your child is in the water with our SafeSplash Certified Instructors, splashing along with their friends, swimming isn’t the only skill they are learning.  They are also learning skills that help them float through the transitional stages in childhood development.  Here are a few ways swimming lessons help your child through those stages:

  • I did it!  Children need marked accomplishments and embedded praise to naturally develop confidence and healthy self-esteem.  While “everybody gets a trophy for participating” events are nice, an emotionally healthy child (and adult) has developed the ability to self-acknowledge stepping stone accomplishments.  Swim lessons give kids exactly that – improvement and mastery of steps.  And the best part with swimming lessons is that it all happens quickly.
  • The laser-like focus that your child does have is unearthed – The relaxing buoyancy of the water and the security of a nearby instructor help children focus on the lesson of the moment, which accelerates learning and mastery.  And the learned skill of tuning out other distractions to tune in to a lesson carries over to everyday life.  After their child begins swim lessons, many parents report easier bedtime routines and improved homework focus.
  • You don’t have to love 100% of swimming to enjoy some of it – Because initial mastery of swim strokes is an individual process, children are competing only with themselves.  Accomplishments are real and improvement is ongoing and quantifiable.  And if there’s a stroke your child doesn’t enjoy, that doesn’t mean swimming is crossed off the "I enjoy it" list forever.
  • Space and time have real meaning – Children who participate in swim lessons understand the connection between space and time, which is an important skill when it comes to math and science classes. The length or width of the pool as they relate to crossing it in a certain amount of time are secret story problems, but you can be guaranteed that if your child wants to improve his or her ability to shave off seconds, it will be easily solved.
  • Fit for life– Swimming burns off the excess energy of children, easily offering the recommended one hour a day of physical activity, but it’s also the dream exercise that offers a lifetime of fitness.  Swimming tones muscles and increases heart rate for cardio benefits, all while being easy on the joints and perfect for any age and various ability levels.  They are building a skill that will help them live a healthy lifestyle forever.
  • Little athletes in the making – Your child doesn’t have to join a swim team to benefit from swimming, but the option to progress to the SafeSplash Wave Program is always an option.  There are no benchwarmers on swim teams.  Everyone participates, and even though each athlete competes individually, swimming is a team sport that develops strong social skills.
  • The family that swims together – If you start swim lessons for your child early in the Parent-N-Me class you will be in the pool with him or her during lessons, which naturally enhances the parent-child bond and accelerates mastery (“Mom or dad is here with me, so I’m safe”).  Swimming is a relaxing, affordable and fun family activity that reduces everybody’s stress level on a hot (or not-so-hot) day.

Swim lessons at SafeSplash are more than just stroke development and swim safety. Many different life skills are being taught in the pool that also spill over into daily life. Find a location near you or register below and experience the benefits for yourself!

 

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