Swimming is good for children in so many ways but some of them may surprise you.

Let’s start with the serious stuff.

Safety

Drowning is still one of the most common causes of accidental death in children. Living so close to the coast, not a summer goes by when we do not hear of a tragedy in our seas, rivers, lakes, or reservoirs. Being able to swim is an essential life skill and could one day save a life.

Confidence can sometimes be mistaken for competence. We follow the Swim England Learn to swim stage 1-7 framework which once completed give the children the confidence to swim and the competence to swim all 4 strokes up to 100m & skills required for personal survival to give them the best chance if they found themselves in difficulty.

https://swimsafe.org.uk/

https://www.swimming.org/learntoswim/water-safety-code/

Fun and Friendships

Swimming and aquatic activities are lots of fun for people of all ages. From splash parks and water parks to pool and open water swimming. We also see friendships develop in the pool and the viewing area that extend into play dates and lunches. We often see swim families hiring the pool together for fun sessions during the holidays.

https://swim2swim.com/private-hire

Physical and Developmental

Swimming is great for improving flexibility and posture through moving deliberately and repetitively whilst buoyant. All muscle groups are strengthened leading to better balance and coordination. Swimming is a low impact sport; children have less chance of injuring joints and bones whilst swimming and can generally exercise for longer than other high impact sports.

Swimming improves lung capacity and helps keep the heart healthy. As the heart rate climbs during swimming you breathe harder, over time the lungs develop to meet these demands increasing lung capacity and heart strength.

Swimming can aid digestion and improve sleep. The digestive system needs to move for it to function normally. Swimming offers the movement to help work food through. You may have noticed how effective this is after your lessons!! Swimming is a full body workout requiring lots of energy. Children who exert lots of energy during the day generally require more sleep to re-charge for the next one.

Our baby and pre-school lessons are planned and structured to support developmental milestones, our teachers are fully qualified and trained in delivering these lessons. Swimming lessons help the children develop confidence and belief in their abilities as they achieve more and more in their lessons. They trust their teachers and communicate with them and their swimming friends. Nothing beats watching a child blossom from a nervous swimmer into a confident swimmer demonstrating strokes to their friends.

Mental

Exercise is proven to have a positive impact on children’s mental health. Studies have shown that it not only lowers levels of stress and anxiety as well as higher levels of positive self-image and wellbeing. Swimming helps to boost endorphins leading to increased feelings of happiness and other feel-good emotions.

Social

Swimming lessons are a great way of developing children’s social interactions and skills. They often involve being part of a group of children who have never met and of possibly different ages. The lessons are run by engaging, friendly teachers and often involve an element of play / fun activity. The children see each other week after week, developing bonds and friendships.

Other sports

Once a child can swim a whole new range of sports and activities open up to them including Water Polo, Synchronised Swimming, kayaking, scuba diving, surfing, sailing and triathlon

Did you know? – You need to be able to swim to be an astronaut!

There are a wide variety of buoyancy aids out there all which aid floatation and can support children when in a swimming pool. It is important to note that these are not safety devices and should always be used under direct and competent supervision.

In our swimming lessons we work on children achieving a horizontal body position, experiencing their own balance and buoyancy and rotation to enable them to be confident independent swimmers. This is done using a variety of aids, support, guided discovery, and independent swimming.

We use noodles, floats (kickboards), and arm bands/ arm discs as appropriate. It is important to remember that particularly with pre-school children adult support can be just as valuable. There are lots of hold and moves in baby and pre-school swimming that you can do together which will build water confidence, develop connections, and supports developmental milestones.

Another thing to note is that even if your child swims independently of aids during their lessons they may get tired swimming after hours in the pool on holiday. Although we don’t use them in our lessons as they do not enable the swimmer to achieve the best body position Lifejackets and buoyancy vests can be particularly useful when on holiday or in the pool for fun sessions. Buoyancy aids play a crucial role in building confidence, safety, and skill development in the water.

Building Confidence: Buoyancy aids can be great confidence boosters, especially for beginners. The fear of sinking or not being able to stay afloat can hinder learning and progress. Buoyancy aids provide the necessary support, allowing swimmers to focus on mastering techniques.

Safety First: Buoyancy aids provide extra buoyancy helping swimmers maintain a horizontal and secure position in the water. This is particularly useful for young children who may not yet have the strength and coordination to swim unaided.

Skill Development: Buoyancy aids can help with the gradual development of swimming skills. As skills develop and swimmers gain confidence, the reliance on aids can be reduced, smoothing the transition to independent swimming.

The aids used in our lessons.

Arm bands: a useful aid for young children who are starting to “struggle” against the supporting adults hold and are looking to gain independence. Also useful for older swimmers in our Learn to Swim Programme who require a little more confidence in trusting the noodle. It is important that the arm bands are of the appropriate size for the weight of the swimmer.  Swimmers using arm bands can float and use both their arms and legs when developing their strokes. Arm bands are not used for babies under a year or where swimmers are not using their limbs to propel themselves in the water.

Swim Discs: like armbands although they are made of closed cell foam and will not puncture. They often come in 3’s; the number of discs on each arm can be reduced as the children become more confident. It is important that the correct sized discs are used as they are not suitable for older / heavier swimmers.

Noodles: a versatile swimming aid which can be used in a variety of ways. These are suitable for adults and children. Noodles provide support for the upper body and can be placed across the chest, under the hips, out in front, around the back under the head. They can be used as speed boats, cow horns and even sea horses. Noodles are great for beginner and improver swimmers as they provide the buoyancy required to enable the development of the strokes.

Floats (kickboards): Another great aid for swimming lessons, particularly for improver and advanced swimmers. These can be used for drills to build stamina and to isolate limbs to develop technique.

Using buoyancy aids into swimming lessons helps to create a positive and effective learning environment, enabling swimmers overcome fears, build confidence, and develop essential skills.

Everyone knows that exercise is great for children’s physical development but it’s also great for brain development and mental health too. Swimming for children is a fun way to exercise and provides all the benefits to help maintain a happy brain too.

Helps Brain development.

Swimming contributes to brain development by boosting hormones helping with cell growth and the creation of neurons. Studies have shown that fit children tend to have greater brain volume in the hippocampus (the area of the brain associated with memory) This helps the children’s ability for long term retention important for those swimming skills and of course also helps them remember the fun they have in their lessons, ready to do it all again the following week.

Improves social skills.

Swimming is a fun activity and group swimming lessons are a great way for children to develop their social skills. Skills are developed through structured play activities and swimming practices. Children learn to take turns, work in pairs and teams, interacting with each other and the teachers. Swimming lessons can open the children up to a new circle of friends besides those they see every day at school. We often hear the children chatting in the corridor about meeting for lunch, playdates in the holidays and invitations to birthday parties.

Increase Confidence

As adults we know how great it feels when we achieve something. Imagine as a child the confidence boost you would get swimming for the first time without buoyancy aids or jumping in without support. Overcoming fears and achieving goals all contribute to building children’s confidence. The confidence achieved through swimming can then overspill into everyday life, boosting self-esteem and creating a positive outlook that will benefit them not only in the pool, but at home in school and on the sports field.

Reduces Stress

Although no one likes to imagine children suffering from stress, some children can suffer anxiety and low mood. Swimming can help increase endorphins and mood boosting chemicals in the brain. Swimming works all the muscles in the body, helping your children use lots of energy. This in turn can lead to longer uninterrupted sleep, helping them to wake up feeling refreshed and better able to face whatever the day ahead holds.

Happy swimmer

Happy mind