Reasons Why Your Kids Should Learn to Swim

As a part time swim lessons instructor, I definitely think swimming is a very important skill to know. Mostly, I teach kids and I feel all parents should enroll their children in swim lessons, or teach them how to swim. I think it is best to learn to swim at a young age, but, of course, it is never too late to learn. Here are a few reasons why it is important for your kids to learn to swim.

Safety

For me, this is the most important part of learning to swim. It's is very important to keep your kids safe, and with your kids knowing how to swim, they can be safer. While knowing how to swim, does not make drowning impossible, it makes it less likely from happening. Once I had a parent come up to me with her two young girls and said she didn't realize how quickly something can happen when someone falls in a pool and doesn't know how to swim until this summer, that is why she enrolled her kids in lessons. One of the important activities we teach kid is to always swim to the wall, hold on to it, and climb out. This way if a kid accidentally falls into a pool, they will be able to swim to the edge, and hold on, or climb out of the pool. We actually practice this with the kids, by having them jump into the pool as far as they can, and swim back to the wall and get out. Also, one of the other important swimming skills we teach is how to float on their back. This is also an important skill, because as long as you know how to float, you will be able to float on your back for a while if you get tired while swimming. Also, kids learn pool rules, diving rules, and what to do in case of an emergency. Also, knowing that your kids can swim, will make you feel better when your kids are swimming in a pool. BUT this does not mean you should ever leave them unattended while they are in a pool. You should always be watching them, if not in the pool with them, especially if there isn't a lifeguard.

Discipline

Discipline is a big part of learning to swim too. Kids learn the pool rules, and consequences of breaking them. The rules are enforced by the lifeguard and swim instructors, if kids don't follow the rules, they could get a time out for a few minutes and sit out of the pool. This also goes along with safety, because discipline will help enforce the rules, which keep the kids and everyone else safe. Also, self-discipline goes along with this too, kids learn to keep trying to improve, especially if there are other kids in the class who are a little more advanced. It will keep the kids going, and make them want to do their best to improve.

Confidence

Confidence is also a big part of learning how to swim. The more your child learns and the more they are improving, the more confident they will become in the water. And the more confident they become, the more things they will want to try. One class I taught was a beginner class, and a 4 year old boy was in the class who easily got scared. I was teaching them to jump in the water and swim back to the wall. The 4 year old boy was scared because he was afraid he would go underwater, but once he finally tried it, he was so excited and wanted to do it over and over again. Soon, he wanted to try it in the deep end. He gained a lot of confidence in his swimming ability, and he became more willing to try new things.

Social Skills

Kids also learn social skills in swim lessons. They have the opportunity to interact with other students and the instructor. They learn to take turns, share, and respect each other. They talk to one another and form friendships. They learn the importance of listening and paying attention, along with being polite and having patience.

Physical Activity

Swim lessons will get your kids away from the TV, computer, and video games for a little bit each week. It will get the off the couch for a little bit. It will give them some exercise. With the obesity epidemic, especially in children, it is important to get some exercise to help keep kids healthy (along with a well balanced diet).

There are many reasons why it is important to learn how to swim. These are only just a few. I'm sure if you asked anyone why they think it is important to learn to swim, they could give you many different reasons also. So, definitely get your kids out there to learn to swim. And if you don't know how to swim yourself, it's never too late to learn now. Just remember safety always comes first.