As a parent, no doubt, one of your greatest anxieties is around the safety of your child. Learning to navigate around and exercise caution around everyday risks and hazards such as the stove or the ironing board is a fundamental development at this early phase in your child’s life. This is why swimming lessons are so beneficial to both you and your child. They increase your child’s safety and increase your peace of mind about their safety around water. If you are looking to get your child enrolled in swimming lessons but aren’t sure how early to start or how to prepare them, Wondrfly has a treat for you! We’ve prepared this handy guide to getting your child started with swimming lessons to ease your worries and make swim time a splash!
Why Teach Kids To Swim Early?
Studies have shown that children who learn how to swim under the age of four develop greater spatial awareness skills, kinesthetic awareness, confidence, and independence. Some other lasting benefits of infant swim classes include:
- Children who are exposed to water as babies are less likely to develop a fear of water later in life.
- Toddlers who learn to swim develop better balance and reaching skills than their peers.
- Since baby swim lessons require the constant supervision and touch of an adult, they are an excellent bonding exercise for you and your child.
- Swim lessons give your baby well needed exercise which can improve their sleep wake cycles and their appetite.
- Knowing your child knows how to be safe around water will grant you less stress in the long run!
How to Prepare Your Child For Swimming Lessons
As with any activity, it is important to prepare your child for the new demands that swim lessons will make on them. Here are some ways to ramp up to swim class at home.
- Make sure bath time isn’t all business! Allow your child to play and splash in the water a bit, in order to get them comfortable with water, and show them that while it can be dangerous, it can also be fun!
- Teach your child how to blow bubbles. Going underwater is a scary thing for anyone who hasn’t done it before. One way to make this less scary for kids is to teach them how to blow bubbles in the water! It submerges their faces just enough to get them used to the sensation of water on their lips, but doesn’t submerge their nose.
- Teach them how to float on their backs, as well. You can do this by placing your hands underneath them in the bathtub or pool to support them while they lie on their back, then gradually removing your hands to allow the water to support them. Once they learn how to float, kids will be immensely more confident in water.
- Take family trips to the pool together. Showing your child all the fun things they can do in the water once they learn how to can be a great motivator! Have them watch older kids or siblings have fun swimming and encourage them by telling them they can do the same if they learn the correct safety rules!
What to Do Next?
When you are ready to enroll your child in a swim class, it is important to find an age appropriate program for them. One of the most important tools for finding the best activities for your child near you is, you guessed it, www.wondrfly.com! Once you and your child are fully prepared for the joys and challenges that swim lessons can bring, check out our massive, easy to search, selection of kids’ activities to find the one that’s right for you!