Swimming is more than just a recreational activity; it’s a vital life skill that can benefit your child in numerous ways. As a parent, you might wonder when the best time is to sign up your kid for swimming lessons. The truth is, there’s no better time than now, regardless of your child’s age.
Research shows that introducing your child to swimming as early as 6 months old can have remarkable benefits. A groundbreaking study compared children who swam regularly with those who didn’t, revealing astonishing developmental advantages:
- Reading skills: 2 months ahead of peers
- Oral expression: 11 months ahead
- Mathematical reasoning: 6 months ahead
- Story recall: 17 months ahead
- Understanding directions: 20 months ahead
These findings highlight the cognitive benefits of early swimming exposure. In fact by age 5, approximately 90% of a child’s brain neurons are formed. Physical activities like swimming engage these neurons rapidly, fostering crucial cognitive connections. This early stimulation can give your child a significant head start in various aspects of learning and development.
Beyond cognitive benefits, swimming lessons are essential for water safety. Studies indicate that children who haven’t learned to swim by age 9 may struggle to acquire this skill later in life. That’s why all schools now offer term-time swimming lessons as part of a government initiative, providing children with basic water safety skills.
The Benefit of Additional Swimming Lessons Along With Term-time Lessons
While term-time swimming lessons provide a fantastic foundation, it’s crucial to understand that mastering any skill, including swimming, requires consistent practice. Learning to swim is similar to learning to drive a car. If you only practice driving twice a month or less frequently, you might grasp the basics of accelerating and reversing, but you’ll struggle with more complex skills like parallel parking or navigating busy intersections.
The same principle applies to swimming. Participating in lessons once or twice a month for a year or so simply isn’t enough to develop proficiency or consolidate learning. Frequent practice allows children to reinforce what they’ve learned, making movements more natural and instinctive. Plus, regular lessons enable children to build upon their skills gradually, moving from basic techniques to more advanced ones.
While the national curriculum focuses on stages 1 and 2 of swimming proficiency, there are actually seven stages in total. These stages, as defined by Swim England, encompass a wide range of skills from basic water confidence to advanced techniques:
- Stage 1-2: Water confidence and basic movement skills
- Stage 3-4: Developing stroke techniques and water safety skills
- Stage 5-7: Refining strokes, building stamina, and mastering advanced aquatic skills
By limiting swimming education to just the first two stages, we’re only scratching the surface of what children can achieve in the water. Supplementing school-based lessons with additional instruction can help your child progress through all seven stages improving their water safety skills.
Of course the benefits of learning o swimm proficiently arent just about avoiding drowning. There are multiple benefits to swimming which your child can enjoy with additional lessons.
The Best Time is Now
When it comes to swimming lessons, there’s no need to wait for the “perfect” moment. The best time to start is now, regardless of your child’s age. Early exposure to swimming can boost cognitive development, ensure water safety, and provide a foundation for a healthy, active lifestyle. Don’t let another day pass – give your child the gift of swimming and watch them thrive both in and out of the water.