When you are deciding which activities to sign up your little one for, make sure that swimming lessons are at the top of the list. Learning how to swim and the skills to be safe around the pool, lake, and other bodies of water is an important skill that they will use their whole life. And there are a few other reasons why swimming lessons are essential for kids — let’s look at a few.
1. It Could Save Their Life
No child should ever drown, and no parent should ever have to deal with such a tragedy. And it turns out that knowing how to swim is an excellent way to prevent drowning. In fact, getting kids between the ages of one and four in swim lessons reduces their risk of drowning by 88%. And when you consider that drowning is the leading cause of accidental death for kids aged one to four, there is really nothing left to consider. Get them in swimming lessons!
2. Promotes Physical Activity
Swimming is one of those things that has the rare benefit of being both fun and good for you. Muscles, cardiovascular health, the respiratory system, coordination, motor skills — all of these and more get stronger when kids swim. That is really important when we are talking about growing bodies. And when you compare swimming to other sports with more contact and injury risk, swimming is actually pretty safe.
3. It’s a Great Social Experience
Parents enroll their kids in activities for a variety of reasons, and the social experience is usually a primary one. Knowing how to get along and interact with others are skills in and of themselves and swimming lessons are a fantastic opportunity to develop them. Not only is it a structured learning experience led by an instructor, but learning with other kids is a perfect environment to build confidence and forms friendships.
Learn to Swim at the YMCA
At the YMCA of Greater Whittier, we are passionate about teaching kids how to swim. The combination of our facilities and amazing aquatics program makes for an environment where kids learn to swim and establish good water safety habits. We have several classes available and encourage you to check availability here.
