What Age Should Kids Learn to Swim?
Swimming lessons for kids come highly recommended by experts for a number of reasons. For one thing, swimming lessons keep your kids safe, as these lessons help your children learn to navigate the water and how to react to dangerous situations.
Additionally, swimming is a skill every child should learn since it can help them thrive as an adult. But when is it the right time to start kids swimming lessons?
See below what age kids should learn to swim.
Introduction to Swimming at Different Ages
Due to the potential for drowning, learning to swim should be a priority for kids of all ages. Teaching kids to swim from an early age can help create a lifelong love of swimming and provide them with valuable life-saving skills.
Infants
Swimming is especially important for infants. Early exposure can help them develop confidence in the water and reduce the risk of drowning.
Some parents begin exposing their children aged 6-12 months old to the water so they can get comfortable with it. With careful supervision and guidance, this can be a positive experience.
By scheduling early infant swim lessons, parents can help their children become confident and competent swimmers as they grow older.
1 to 3 Years Old
Introducing swimming to children 1-3 years of age allow them to develop muscle memory and swim safety skills while also allowing them to build confidence in the water. It is a good idea to start with simple activities such as splashing, floating, and blowing bubbles.
Teaching preschoolers to swim in their early years can help boost their physical, mental, and emotional development. To ensure safety, this age group should be kept in shallow water. They should also not be excessively exposed to chlorine as it can be harsh on their delicate skin.
4 to 6 Years Old
As children approach their fourth birthday, it is recommended that they begin participating in formal swimming lessons. This offers children the necessary skills to understand how to move in the water, hold their breath, and begin to improve their swimming technique.
This will offer children the opportunity to gain confidence in their abilities, as well as a sense of independence with water-related activities. Parents and teachers need to understand the importance of a process-oriented approach, slowly advancing as the children gain and master skills.
By this age, they can learn swimming techniques they might someday use to save their lives or others.
Safety Measures for Young Swimmers
Regardless of age, teaching your child water safety and providing general safety measures to protect young swimmers are essential. Children should be closely supervised around any body of water, including pools, even if they can swim.
Floatation devices should be used in all open bodies of water and during all water activities. Appropriate fitting life jackets should be worn while boat riding.
Lastly, enrolling your children in age-appropriate swim classes and teaching them safety skills, such as learning to float, turn around, and reach the pool steps, can drastically reduce the likelihood of children drowning.
Let Kids Learn to Swim at An Early Age
Learning how to swim is a valuable skill for any age. To ensure safety and help children become confident in the water, starting swimming lessons while they are still young is important.
Parents should also check for local swim lessons to find the best fit for their children.
So what are you waiting for? Start researching local swim schools today and sign your kiddo up!
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