The Importance of Starting Swimming Lessons Early

Swimming is an important life skill to keep your children safe around water.

In this article, written by Colum from Turtle Tots Cardiff- our exclusive swimming company in Cardiff- we discuss why your child should start swimming lessons early and more!

In this article:

• Why Your Child Should Start Swimming Lessons Early
• When Can Babies Start Baby Swimming Lessons?
• The Effects of Booking Your Child’s First Swimming Lesson Later
• Why Early Swimming Lessons Are Easier Earlier
• The Take-Away

 

Why Your Child Should Start Swimming Lessons Early

Avoid Embarrassment

I’m sure everyone knows a middle-aged/elderly person who doesn’t know how to swim. That they had/have a fear of swimming that just never went away cause they never had swimming lessons or had one bad event happen to them when they were young. And now that they’re older they would feel embarrassed to get swimming lessons.

Drowning Prevention

Swimming is a life skill that everyone should know, in modern times there’s child social groups for everything- from music, football, rugby, ballet & the list truly goes on.

Whilst I’m a huge fan myself of lots of different sports, I always respectfully say that knowing how to properly throw a rugby ball won’t help you if you fall in a deep river. Whilst infant swim classes certainly can’t guarantee to prevent anything, they can certainly improve the odds of a situation ten times over by providing your child with swim readiness skills.

Combat Fear of Water

Fear itself is irrational most of the time, we fear what we don’t know/understand. And one way to combat that fear is to face it head-on, I’m sure most people had a fear of driving at one stage, or a fear of the dark.

If we introduce children/babies to positive swimming lessons from a young age then we’re giving them the confidence & skills to make them understand that a swimming pool can be a place of fun & great joy, but also, importantly, we are teaching them to identify their limitations & be careful at all times.

When Can Babies Start Baby Swimming Lessons?

Babies can attend swim lessons as soon as they’re born in certain conditions*, they don’t need vaccinations & like all things in life with mummy/daddy guiding them, we can show them that the pool is a safe & fun place.

Continuing that journey from an early age right into toddler years, by regularly attending swim classes, will only improve their love of the pool, not to mention their skills/abilities in lessons.

The Effects of Booking Your Child’s First Swimming Lesson Later

 

Sometimes when parents wait those precious few years before starting swimming classes, they potentially set themselves up for trouble.

Some toddlers (not all) will attend their first swimming lesson with an overwhelming irrational fear of the pool to the extent that simply getting in seems like mission impossible.

This fear can seriously disrupt swimming lessons & it can take months to overcome.

With the right conditions, support & love the child will overcome the fear & begin to enjoy the pool & like most others thoroughly enjoy their time at the pool.

Although, sometimes parents throw the towel in & stop lessons to wait another couple of years.

This is when it can prolong right into adulthood as I spoke about previously, or occasionally it can certainly help some cases, no child is the same after all.

Why Early Swimming Lessons Are Easier Earlier

But again, one way to improve the odds ten times over is to start swimming lessons as soon as possible.

Teaching babies is a privilege for teachers, they truly are a clean slate & their brains are discovering everything new in the world.

When we gently introduce them to new activities, toys & swimming aids we set ourselves up for an easier transition into independent swimming.

Many times in baby classes you can do simple things in the class for e.g. such as having a baby on a float that you won’t be able to do in a beginner toddler class, cause some Toddlers don’t like aids they prefer to hold onto mummy/daddy.

The Take-Away

All in all starting lessons early has many benefits for long-term confidence in the swimming pool & we’ll always recommend attending lessons at your local Turtle Tots school.

 

Contact Turtle Tots Cardiff

 

 Website: https://www.turtletots.com/licensee/turtle-tots-cardiff/

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*Babies younger than 3 months should attend pools with a water temperature of 32 degrees